head to head · open source
calibre-web vs PyMuPDF
calibre-web has 18,530 GitHub stars, 1,902 forks, 409 open issues and last shipped 26 days ago. PyMuPDF has 11,057 stars, 831 forks, 58 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. calibre-web leads on adoption by 68% (18,530 vs 11,057 stars). calibre-web is written in Fluent under GPL-3.0; PyMuPDF is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. calibre-web has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, PyMuPDF 8%. PyMuPDF was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (epub), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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-web | PyMuPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 11K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Fluent | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-10 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 831 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick calibre-web if
- You weight community size — 19K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Fluent
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick PyMuPDF if
- You want the PyMuPDF feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and PyMuPDF fits your workflow better
About calibre-web
Calibre Web Calibre Web is a web app that offers a clean and intuitive interface for browsing, reading, and downloading eBooks using a valid Calibre database. Table of Contents (click to expand) 1. About 2. Features 3. Installation Installation via pip (recommended) Quick start Requirements 4. Docker Images 5. Troubleshooting 6. Contributor Recognition 7. Contact 8. Contributing to Calibre Web This software is a fork of library and licensed under the GPL v3 License. Features Modern and responsive Bootstrap 3 HTML5 interface Full graphical setup Comprehensive user management with fine grained per user permissions…
read the full calibre-web overview →
About PyMuPDF
PyMuPDF The PDF engine behind over 50 million monthly downloads, powering AI pipelines worldwide. PyMuPDF is a high performance Python library for data extraction, analysis, conversion, rendering and manipulation of PDF (and other) documents. Built on top of MuPDF — a lightweight, fast C engine — PyMuPDF gives you precise, low level control over documents alongside high level convenience APIs. No mandatory external dependencies. Why PyMuPDF? Fast — powered by MuPDF, a best in class C rendering engine Accurate — pixel perfect text extraction with font, color, and position metadata Versatile — read, write…
read the full PyMuPDF overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is calibre-web or PyMuPDF more popular?
calibre-web has 18,530 GitHub stars and PyMuPDF has 11,057. calibre-web has the larger community by that measure.
Are calibre-web and PyMuPDF free?
Both are open source. calibre-web is licensed under GPL-3.0 and PyMuPDF under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between calibre-web and PyMuPDF?
calibre-web is written in Fluent and PyMuPDF in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, calibre-web or PyMuPDF?
Choose calibre-web if you want the larger community (18,530 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose PyMuPDF if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.