head to head · open source
readest vs thorium-reader
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars, 1,805 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. thorium-reader has 2,928 stars, 245 forks, 206 open issues and last shipped yesterday. readest leads on adoption by 784% (25,874 vs 2,928 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; thorium-reader is written in TypeScript under BSD-3-Clause. readest has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, thorium-reader 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 | thorium-reader | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 2.9K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 245 |
| 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 thorium-reader if
- You want the thorium-reader feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and thorium-reader 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 thorium-reader
Thorium Reader Thorium Reader is an easy to use EPUB reading application for Windows 10/10S, MacOS and Linux. After importing e books from a directory or OPDS feed, you'll be able to read on any screen size, customize layout settings, navigate via the table of contents or page list, set bookmarks ... A great care is taken to ensure the accessibility of the application for visual impaired people using NVDA, JAWS or Narrator. Free application. No ads. No private data flowing anywhere. This project is in constant evolution, corrections and new features will be added soon and your support is welcome for that. The…
read the full thorium-reader overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or thorium-reader more popular?
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars and thorium-reader has 2,928. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and thorium-reader free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and thorium-reader under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and thorium-reader?
readest is written in TypeScript and thorium-reader 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 thorium-reader?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (25,874 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose thorium-reader if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.