head to head · open source
readest vs kokoro-tts
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars, 1,805 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. kokoro-tts has 1,978 stars, 180 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. readest leads on adoption by 1,208% (25,874 vs 1,978 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; kokoro-tts is written in Python under MIT. readest has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, kokoro-tts 9%. readest 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
| readest | kokoro-tts | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-08-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 180 |
| 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 kokoro-tts if
- You want the kokoro-tts feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and kokoro-tts 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 kokoro-tts
Kokoro TTS A CLI text to speech tool using the Kokoro model, supporting multiple languages, voices (with blending), and various input formats including EPUB books and PDF documents. Features Multiple language and voice support Voice blending with customizable weights EPUB, PDF and TXT file input support Standard input (stdin) and piping from other programs Streaming audio playback Split output into chapters Adjustable speech speed WAV and MP3 output formats Chapter merging capability Detailed debug output option GPU Support Demo Kokoro TTS is an open source CLI tool that delivers high quality text to speech…
read the full kokoro-tts overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or kokoro-tts more popular?
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars and kokoro-tts has 1,978. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and kokoro-tts free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and kokoro-tts under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and kokoro-tts?
readest is written in TypeScript and kokoro-tts in Python. 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 kokoro-tts?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (25,874 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose kokoro-tts if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.