head to head · open source
readest vs PyMuPDF
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars, 1,805 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PyMuPDF has 11,047 stars, 831 forks, 58 open issues and last shipped yesterday. readest leads on adoption by 134% (25,874 vs 11,047 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; PyMuPDF is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. readest has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, PyMuPDF 8%. 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 | PyMuPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 11K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 831 |
| 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 PyMuPDF if
- You want the PyMuPDF feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and PyMuPDF 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 PyMuPDF
PyMuPDF The PDF engine behind over 50 million monthly downloads, powering AI pipelines worldwide. PyMuPDF is a high performance Python library for data extraction, analysis, conversion, rendering and manipulation of PDF (and other) documents. Built on top of MuPDF — a lightweight, fast C engine — PyMuPDF gives you precise, low level control over documents alongside high level convenience APIs. No mandatory external dependencies. Why PyMuPDF? Fast — powered by MuPDF, a best in class C rendering engine Accurate — pixel perfect text extraction with font, color, and position metadata Versatile — read, write…
read the full PyMuPDF overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or PyMuPDF more popular?
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars and PyMuPDF has 11,047. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and PyMuPDF free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PyMuPDF under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and PyMuPDF?
readest is written in TypeScript and PyMuPDF 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 PyMuPDF?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (25,874 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose PyMuPDF if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.