head to head · open source
readest vs sile
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars, 1,586 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. sile has 1,784 stars, 106 forks, 287 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. readest leads on adoption by 1,268% (24,413 vs 1,784 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; sile is written in Lua under MIT. readest has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, sile 6%. 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 | sile | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 106 |
| 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 sile if
- You want the sile feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and sile 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 sile
SILE is an open source typesetting system for producing printed documents and PDF files. It lives in the Lua, publishing, and typesetting ecosystem, and its category is Content & Publishing / Publishing. The engine is written from the ground up, uses Lua, and borrows some concepts and algorithms from TeX while taking ideas from graphical systems such as InDesign.
More in Content & Publishing
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or sile more popular?
readest has 24,413 GitHub stars and sile has 1,784. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and sile free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and sile under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and sile?
readest is written in TypeScript and sile in Lua. 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 sile?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (24,413 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose sile if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.