head to head · open source
koodo-reader vs thorium-reader
koodo-reader has 28,699 GitHub stars, 2,148 forks, 271 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. thorium-reader has 2,928 stars, 245 forks, 206 open issues and last shipped yesterday. koodo-reader leads on adoption by 880% (28,699 vs 2,928 stars). koodo-reader is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; thorium-reader is written in TypeScript under BSD-3-Clause. koodo-reader has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, thorium-reader 8%. thorium-reader 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
| koodo-reader | thorium-reader | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 29K | ★ 2.9K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 245 |
| 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 thorium-reader if
- You want the thorium-reader feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and thorium-reader 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 thorium-reader
Thorium Reader Thorium Reader is an easy to use EPUB reading application for Windows 10/10S, MacOS and Linux. After importing e books from a directory or OPDS feed, you'll be able to read on any screen size, customize layout settings, navigate via the table of contents or page list, set bookmarks ... A great care is taken to ensure the accessibility of the application for visual impaired people using NVDA, JAWS or Narrator. Free application. No ads. No private data flowing anywhere. This project is in constant evolution, corrections and new features will be added soon and your support is welcome for that. The…
read the full thorium-reader overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is koodo-reader or thorium-reader more popular?
koodo-reader has 28,699 GitHub stars and thorium-reader has 2,928. koodo-reader has the larger community by that measure.
Are koodo-reader and thorium-reader free?
Both are open source. koodo-reader is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and thorium-reader under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between koodo-reader and thorium-reader?
koodo-reader is written in JavaScript and thorium-reader 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, koodo-reader or thorium-reader?
Choose koodo-reader if you want the larger community (28,699 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose thorium-reader if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.