head to head · open source
readest vs TranslateBooksWithLLMs
readest has 24,470 GitHub stars, 1,594 forks, 145 open issues and last shipped today. TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,424 stars, 319 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. readest leads on adoption by 909% (24,470 vs 2,424 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.
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Side by side
| readest | TranslateBooksWithLLMs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 319 |
| 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 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 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 TranslateBooksWithLLMs
TranslateBooksWithLLMs is a Python desktop application under AGPL 3.0 for translating full length books, documents, and subtitle files with large language models. It lives in the Content and Publishing ecosystem, specifically around ebook translation, document localization, and publishing related workflows. The project ships as a local app that opens a browser interface at http://localhost:5000 after the bundled executable is run.
read the full TranslateBooksWithLLMs overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is readest or TranslateBooksWithLLMs more popular?
readest has 24,470 GitHub stars and TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,424. 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 (24,470 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.