head to head · open source
readest vs HRConvert2
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars, 1,586 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HRConvert2 has 1,369 stars, 82 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. readest leads on adoption by 1,683% (24,413 vs 1,369 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; HRConvert2 is written in PHP under GPL-3.0. readest has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, HRConvert2 6%. readest was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ebook), 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 | HRConvert2 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 1.4K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 82 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick readest if
- You weight community size — 24K 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 HRConvert2 if
- You want the HRConvert2 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and HRConvert2 fits your workflow better
About readest
Readest is an open source, cross platform ebook reader built with Next.js 16 and Tauri v2 for readers who want one modern library across macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web.
read the full readest overview →
About HRConvert2
HRConvert2 is an open source, self hosted, resource aware file conversion server written in PHP and released under the GPL 3.0 license. It presents a public facing web workflow in which users drag, drop, convert, and download files without accounts, sessions, databases, cookies, or tracking. The project lives in the self hosted file conversion ecosystem, where it replaces hosted converters by running conversion tools on the operator's own machine.
read the full HRConvert2 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or HRConvert2 more popular?
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars and HRConvert2 has 1,369. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and HRConvert2 free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and HRConvert2 under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and HRConvert2?
readest is written in TypeScript and HRConvert2 in PHP. 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 HRConvert2?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (24,413 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose HRConvert2 if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.