head to head · open source
readest vs lime
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars, 1,805 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. lime has 1,493 stars, 209 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. readest leads on adoption by 1,633% (25,874 vs 1,493 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; lime is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. readest has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, lime 14%. readest was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | lime | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 209 |
| 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 lime if
- You want the lime feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and lime 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 lime
Lime An agent that can actually finish the work Open source full stack AI agent for Desktop and CLI/TUI Full stack AI agent for coding, files, terminals, tools, research, content, multimodal work, and multi agent workflows worldwide. 简体中文 · English · Feature Map · Docs · Release Notes · Issues Lime is more than a chat box: it understands context, calls tools, edits files, runs commands, organizes material, creates deliverables, and keeps moving a task forward from one desktop or terminal workspace. Table of Contents What is Lime? What the full stack agent can do How a task moves forward Core capabilities Who…
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or lime more popular?
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars and lime has 1,493. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and lime free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and lime under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and lime?
readest is written in TypeScript and lime 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, readest or lime?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (25,874 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose lime if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.