head to head · open source
koreader vs read-aware
koreader has 31,021 GitHub stars, 2,027 forks, 1,345 open issues and last shipped yesterday. read-aware has 501 stars, 46 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped yesterday. koreader leads on adoption by 6,092% (31,021 vs 501 stars). koreader is written in Lua under AGPL-3.0; read-aware is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. koreader has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, read-aware 9%. koreader was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (ebook, ebook-reader, 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 | read-aware | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 31K | ★ 501 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Lua | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-10 | 2026-11-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 46 |
| 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 read-aware if
- You want the read-aware feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and read-aware 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 read-aware
ReadAware An ebook reader with a self evolving agent. It remembers your reading across books, and plugins extend the reader and the agent alike. Underneath is a quiet, carefully made reader for EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2, PDF, and more that works fully offline, with or without AI. Website · Download · Discord English · 简体中文 · 日本語 ReadAware is free and built in the open. If it makes your reading better, give it a star — stars are how new readers find the project. One reader. One agent. Open ended plugins. ReadAware is a free and open source reader for macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS. At its center is a single…
read the full read-aware overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is koreader or read-aware more popular?
koreader has 31,021 GitHub stars and read-aware has 501. koreader has the larger community by that measure.
Are koreader and read-aware free?
Both are open source. koreader is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and read-aware under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between koreader and read-aware?
koreader is written in Lua and read-aware 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, koreader or read-aware?
Choose koreader if you want the larger community (31,021 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose read-aware if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.