Mango vs Suwayomi-Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mango | Suwayomi-Server |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 92 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Crystal | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,777 | ★ 7,747 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | ComiXology |
What are Mango and Suwayomi-Server?
Mango
Mango is a self-hosted manga server and reader written in Crystal, designed to be fast and lightweight. It supports multi-user accounts, reading progress tracking, and an OPDS feed for external readers.
- Manga library and reader
- Multi-user accounts
- Reading progress tracking
- OPDS feed support
Suwayomi-Server
Suwayomi-Server, formerly Tachidesk, is a self-hosted manga reader and downloader that uses Tachiyomi-style extensions to fetch content. It provides a web UI and can sync reading progress across devices.
- Manga reading and downloading
- Tachiyomi-style extensions
- Web user interface
- Cross-device progress sync
Mango vs Suwayomi-Server: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Mango's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Suwayomi-Server is actively maintained. Mango is written in Crystal, while Suwayomi-Server is built with Java. Licensing differs — MIT for Mango versus MPL-2.0 for Suwayomi-Server. Mango is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Suwayomi-Server. Suwayomi-Server has the considerably larger community, at 7,747 GitHub stars versus 1,777.
Why pick each one
Choose Mango if…
- Very lightweight
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- Slower development
- Manga-focused only
Choose Suwayomi-Server if…
- Large extension ecosystem
- Active community
Watch out for
- Extension legality varies
- Manga-focused only
Frequently asked questions
Is Mango or Suwayomi-Server better?
Neither is universally better. Suwayomi-Server has the larger community, while Mango is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mango and Suwayomi-Server free and open-source?
Yes. Mango is licensed under MIT and Suwayomi-Server under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mango and Suwayomi-Server with Docker?
Mango: yes. Suwayomi-Server: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Mango or Suwayomi-Server?
Mango has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Suwayomi-Server. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.