head to head · open source
readest vs parsifal
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars, 1,586 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. parsifal has 517 stars, 189 forks, 40 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. readest leads on adoption by 4,622% (24,413 vs 517 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; parsifal is written in Python under MIT. readest has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, parsifal 37%. 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 | parsifal | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 517 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-05-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 189 |
| 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 parsifal if
- You want the parsifal feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and parsifal 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 parsifal
Parsifal is a free, MIT licensed web application that supports researchers in planning, conducting, and reporting systematic literature reviews, and it is aimed at academics, research groups, and reviewers who need to manage that process in software rather than by hand.
read the full parsifal overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or parsifal more popular?
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars and parsifal has 517. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and parsifal free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and parsifal under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and parsifal?
readest is written in TypeScript and parsifal 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 parsifal?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (24,413 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose parsifal if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.