head to head · open source
readest vs calibre-web
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars, 1,805 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. calibre-web has 18,524 stars, 1,899 forks, 409 open issues and last shipped 24 days ago. readest leads on adoption by 40% (25,874 vs 18,524 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; calibre-web is written in Fluent under GPL-3.0. readest has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, calibre-web 10%. readest was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (calibre, ebook, epub, mobi), 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
| readest | calibre-web | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 19K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Fluent |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 1.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick readest if
- You weight community size — 26K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick calibre-web if
- You want the calibre-web feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Fluent
- You evaluated both and calibre-web fits your workflow better
About readest
Readest [Readest][link website] is an open source ebook reader designed for immersive and deep reading experiences. Built as a modern rewrite of Foliate, it leverages Next.js 16 and Tauri v2 to deliver a smooth, cross platform experience across macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, and the Web. [![Website][badge website]][link website] [![Web App][badge web app]][link web readest] [![OS][badge platforms]][link website] [![Discord][badge discord]][link discord] [![Reddit][badge reddit]][link reddit] [![AGPL Licence][badge license]](LICENSE) [![Language Coverage][badge language coverage]][link locales]…
read the full readest overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or calibre-web more popular?
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars and calibre-web has 18,524. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and calibre-web free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and calibre-web under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and calibre-web?
readest is written in TypeScript and calibre-web in Fluent. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, readest or calibre-web?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (25,874 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose calibre-web if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.