PDF Arranger 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?
PDF Arranger
Desktop tool to merge, split, and rearrange PDF pages
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | PDF Arranger | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,760 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Adobe Acrobat, PDFsam | 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 PDF Arranger or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while PDF Arranger is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are PDF Arranger and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. PDF Arranger is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PDF Arranger and Readest with Docker?
PDF Arranger: check the project docs for container support. Readest: yes.