Readest vs Sigil
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?
| Feature | Readest | Sigil |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,192 | ★ 6,913 |
| First released | 2024 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Apple Books | Adobe InDesign EPUB export |
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
Choose Sigil if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 6.9k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Readest or Sigil better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while Sigil is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Readest and Sigil free and open-source?
Yes. Readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Sigil under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Readest and Sigil with Docker?
Readest: yes. Sigil: check the project docs for container support.