Readest vs Thorium Reader
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?
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
VS
Thorium Reader
Open-source EPUB and audiobook reader for desktops
| Feature | Readest | Thorium Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,192 | ★ 2,816 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Apple Books | Adobe Digital Editions, 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
Choose Thorium Reader if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Readest or Thorium Reader better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while Thorium Reader is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Readest and Thorium Reader free and open-source?
Yes. Readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Thorium Reader under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Readest and Thorium Reader with Docker?
Readest: yes. Thorium Reader: check the project docs for container support.