head to head · open source
koodo-reader vs PyMuPDF
koodo-reader has 28,699 GitHub stars, 2,148 forks, 271 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. PyMuPDF has 11,047 stars, 831 forks, 58 open issues and last shipped yesterday. koodo-reader leads on adoption by 160% (28,699 vs 11,047 stars). koodo-reader is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; PyMuPDF is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. koodo-reader has attracted 7% 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| koodo-reader | PyMuPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 29K | ★ 11K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 831 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick koodo-reader if
- You weight community size — 29K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- 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 koodo-reader
简体中文 हिंदी Português Indonesian English Türkçe Koodo Reader A cross platform ebook reader Download Preview Roadmap Document Plugins Preview Features Format support: EPUB ( .epub ) PDF ( .pdf ) DRM free Mobipocket ( .mobi ) and Kindle ( .azw3 , .azw ) Plain text ( .txt ) FictionBook ( .fb2 ) Comic book archive ( .cbr , .cbz , .cbt , .cb7 ) Rich text ( .md , .docx ) HyperText ( .html , .xml , .xhtml , .mhtml , .htm ) Platform support: Windows , macOS , Linux , Android , iOS and Web Sync and backup your data with OneDrive , Google Drive , Dropbox , iCloud , MEGA , pCloud , Yandex Disk , Box , FTP , SFTP , WebDAV…
read the full koodo-reader 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 →
More in Content & Publishing
Related comparisons
More Publishing projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Publishing field.
Frequently asked questions
Is koodo-reader or PyMuPDF more popular?
koodo-reader has 28,699 GitHub stars and PyMuPDF has 11,047. koodo-reader has the larger community by that measure.
Are koodo-reader and PyMuPDF free?
Both are open source. koodo-reader is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PyMuPDF under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between koodo-reader and PyMuPDF?
koodo-reader is written in JavaScript 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, koodo-reader or PyMuPDF?
Choose koodo-reader if you want the larger community (28,699 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose PyMuPDF if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.