head to head · open source
calibre vs Tangent
calibre has 26,327 GitHub stars, 2,743 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Tangent has 583 stars, 41 forks, 112 open issues and last shipped yesterday. calibre leads on adoption by 4,416% (26,327 vs 583 stars). calibre is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Tangent is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. calibre has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Tangent 7%. calibre was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| calibre | Tangent | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 583 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 41 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick calibre if
- You weight community size — 26K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Tangent if
- You want the Tangent feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Tangent fits your workflow better
About calibre
calibre calibre is an e book manager. It can view, convert, edit and catalog e books in all of the major e book formats. It can also talk to e book reader devices. It can go out to the internet and fetch metadata for your books. It can download newspapers and convert them into e books for convenient reading. It is cross platform, running on Linux, Windows and macOS. For more information, see the calibre About page. Screenshots Screenshots page Usage See the User Manual. Development Setting up a development environment for calibre. A tarball of the source code for the current calibre release. Bugs Bug reports and…
read the full calibre overview →
About Tangent
Tangent This is the monorepo for the Tangent project. Tangent is a local note writing / personal knowledge management tool. It was heavily inspired by Obsidian, and has drifted in its own direction. It uses [[Wiki Links]] and a slightly customized markdown syntax. Notes are fully styled as you write. Markdown syntax is hidden and revealed as needed. Other key features: An innovative, two dimensional connected map of your navigation and linking history. "Sliding Panel" UX inspired by Andy Matuschak's notes. Writing focus mode: highlight your current paragraph, line, or sentence. Customizable note views: view your…
read the full Tangent overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is calibre or Tangent more popular?
calibre has 26,327 GitHub stars and Tangent has 583. calibre has the larger community by that measure.
Are calibre and Tangent free?
Both are open source. calibre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Tangent under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between calibre and Tangent?
calibre is written in Python and Tangent in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, calibre or Tangent?
Choose calibre if you want the larger community (26,327 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Tangent if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.