head to head · open source
readest vs TranslateBooksWithLLMs
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars, 1,805 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped yesterday. TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,567 stars, 340 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped yesterday. readest leads on adoption by 908% (25,874 vs 2,567 stars). readest is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; TranslateBooksWithLLMs is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. readest has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, TranslateBooksWithLLMs 13%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| readest | TranslateBooksWithLLMs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 2.6K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 340 |
| 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 TranslateBooksWithLLMs if
- You want the TranslateBooksWithLLMs 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 TranslateBooksWithLLMs 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 TranslateBooksWithLLMs
TBL Translate Books with LLMs A desktop app that translates books , subtitles , and documents with AI local or cloud. Drop a file, pick a language, get the result. Formats: EPUB, SRT, DOCX, TXT No size limit. Process documents of any length from a single page to thousand page novels. The intelligent chunking system handles unlimited content while preserving context between segments. Perfect preservation. Your documents come out exactly as they went in: EPUB formatting, styles, and structure remain intact. SRT timecodes stay perfectly synchronized. Every tag, every timestamp, every formatting detail is preserved…
read the full TranslateBooksWithLLMs overview →
More in Content & Publishing
Related comparisons
More Publishing projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Publishing field.
Frequently asked questions
Is readest or TranslateBooksWithLLMs more popular?
readest has 25,874 GitHub stars and TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,567. readest has the larger community by that measure.
Are readest and TranslateBooksWithLLMs free?
Both are open source. readest is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and TranslateBooksWithLLMs under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between readest and TranslateBooksWithLLMs?
readest is written in TypeScript and TranslateBooksWithLLMs 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 TranslateBooksWithLLMs?
Choose readest if you want the larger community (25,874 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose TranslateBooksWithLLMs if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.