Readest vs ttu Ebook 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.
| Feature | Readest | ttu Ebook Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 64 · Good |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,565 | ★ 1,037 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Apple Books | Kindle |
What are Readest and ttu Ebook Reader?
Readest
Readest is an open-source ebook reader with a self-hostable sync server for keeping reading progress and annotations consistent across devices. It supports EPUB and other common formats.
- Cross-device progress sync
- EPUB and PDF support
- Annotations and highlights
- Self-hostable sync server
ttu Ebook Reader
ttu Ebook Reader is a self-hostable, browser-based reader for EPUB and HTML books with a focus on language-learning readers. It tracks reading progress and statistics entirely in the browser.
- Browser-based EPUB reader
- Reading progress and stats
- Offline capable
- Language-learning friendly
Readest vs ttu Ebook Reader: key differences
Readest is written in TypeScript, while ttu Ebook Reader is built with Svelte. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Readest versus MIT for ttu Ebook Reader. Ttu Ebook Reader is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Readest. Ttu Ebook Reader is the more established project (first released 2021), while Readest arrived in 2024. Readest has the considerably larger community, at 24,565 GitHub stars versus 1,037.
Why pick each one
Choose Readest if…
- Clean modern interface
- Cross-device sync
- Multiple format support
Watch out for
- Relatively young project
- Smaller community
Choose ttu Ebook Reader if…
- No backend needed
- Privacy friendly
Watch out for
- Reader only
- No central library
Frequently asked questions
Is Readest or ttu Ebook Reader better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while ttu Ebook Reader is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Readest and ttu Ebook Reader free and open-source?
Yes. Readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ttu Ebook Reader under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Readest and ttu Ebook Reader with Docker?
Readest: yes. ttu Ebook Reader: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Readest or ttu Ebook Reader?
ttu Ebook Reader has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Readest. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.