head to head · open source
readest vs PolyglotPDF
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars, 1,586 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PolyglotPDF has 1,321 stars, 198 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 12 months ago. readest leads on adoption by 1,748% (24,413 vs 1,321 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; PolyglotPDF is written in Python under GPL-3.0. readest has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, PolyglotPDF 15%. 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 | PolyglotPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2025-09-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 198 |
| 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 PolyglotPDF if
- You want the PolyglotPDF feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and PolyglotPDF 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 PolyglotPDF
PolyglotPDF is a Python based multilingual eBook and PDF processing tool for translating documents while preserving original layout. It targets scanned and digital PDFs, and it sits in the content publishing ecosystem as an open source layout preserving translator. The README describes specialized techniques for recognizing text, tables, and formulas in PDF documents, with processing typically completed within one second and full document translations usually completed within ten seconds depending on the translation API provider.
read the full PolyglotPDF overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or PolyglotPDF more popular?
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars and PolyglotPDF has 1,321. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and PolyglotPDF free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PolyglotPDF under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and PolyglotPDF?
readest is written in TypeScript and PolyglotPDF 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 PolyglotPDF?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (24,413 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose PolyglotPDF if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.