OpenBooks vs Readest
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
OpenBooks
Search and download ebooks from IRC Highway
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | OpenBooks | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,390 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Kindle Store | Kindle, Apple Books |
Why pick each one
Choose Readest if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 23.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenBooks or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while OpenBooks is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenBooks and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. OpenBooks is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenBooks and Readest with Docker?
OpenBooks: yes. Readest: yes.