head to head · open source
koreader vs Booktype
koreader has 30,818 GitHub stars, 2,019 forks, 1,345 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Booktype has 961 stars, 196 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. koreader leads on adoption by 3,107% (30,818 vs 961 stars). koreader is written in Lua under AGPL-3.0; Booktype is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. koreader has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Booktype 20%. koreader 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
| koreader | Booktype | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 31K | ★ 961 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Lua | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 196 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick koreader if
- You weight community size — 31K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Booktype if
- You want the Booktype feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Booktype fits your workflow better
About koreader
KOReader is a document viewer primarily aimed at e ink readers. [![AGPL Licence][badge license]](COPYING) [![Latest release][badge release]][link gh releases] [![Gitter][badge gitter]][link gitter] [![Mobileread][badge mobileread]][link forum] [![Build Status][badge circleci]][link circleci] [![Coverage Status][badge coverage]][link coverage] [![Weblate Status][badge weblate]][link weblate] Download • User guide • Wiki • Developer docs Main features portable : runs on embedded devices (Cervantes, Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook, reMarkable), Android and Linux computers. Developers can run a KOReader emulator in Linux…
read the full koreader overview →
About Booktype
Booktype Booktype makes it easier and quicker for authors, companies and organisations to edit and publish books. It imports DOCX or EPUB files, converts them into single source HTML for online editing and proofreading, and uses CSS Paged Media to produce good looking output for print, the open web, and almost any ebook reader, in seconds. Booktype facilitates collaborative, agile production across time zones and borders. Booktype is built on the Django web framework and many great Python libraries. The Booktype user interface is being translated into many languages by our community of contributors. Your help…
read the full Booktype overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is koreader or Booktype more popular?
koreader has 30,818 GitHub stars and Booktype has 961. koreader has the larger community by that measure.
Are koreader and Booktype free?
Both are open source. koreader is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Booktype under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between koreader and Booktype?
koreader is written in Lua and Booktype in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, koreader or Booktype?
Choose koreader if you want the larger community (30,818 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Booktype if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.