Skip to content
Repoly

Open source alternatives to Kindle

We track 6 open-source Kindle alternatives, of which 6 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 4 ship a Docker image. Audiobookshelf leads on health at 97/100 with 104 commits in the last 90 days; across all 6 projects you are choosing between GPL-3.0, MIT.

6
Alternatives
83k
Combined stars
1,142
Commits / 90 days
4
With Docker
Licence family Licence

Showing 6 of 6 tools

All 6 Kindle alternatives, ranked by health

  • Top pick · highest health

    Audiobookshelf

    97 GOOD

    Audiobook and podcast server. It streams all audio formats, keeps and syncs progress across devices. Comes with apps for Android and iOS.

    ★ 14k · ⟳ 3 days ago · v2.36.0 · GPL-3.0

    DockerdebNodejs
    Website ↗ Source ↗

  • Kavita

    96 GOOD

    Cross-platform e-book/manga/comic/pdf server and web reader with user management, ratings and reviews, and metadata support.

    ★ 12k · ⟳ today · v0.9.1.4 · GPL-3.0

    Docker.NET
    Website ↗ Source ↗

  • Komga

    95 GOOD

    Media server for comics/mangas/BDs with API and OPDS support, a modern web interface for exploring your libraries, as well as a web reader.

    ★ 6.7k · ⟳ today · 1.26.3 · MIT

    DockerJava
    Website ↗ Source ↗

  • Calibre Web Automated

    93 GOOD

    All-in-one solution, combining the modern lightweight web UI from Calibre-Web with the robust, versatile feature set of Calibre (fork of Calibre Web).

    ★ 6.3k · ⟳ 1 months ago · v4.0.6 · GPL-3.0

    Docker
    Website ↗ Source ↗

  • Calibre

    88 GOOD

    E-book library manager that can view, convert, and catalog e-books in most of the major e-book formats and provides a built-in Web server for remote clients.

    ★ 26k · ⟳ today · v9.14.0 · GPL-3.0

    Pythondeb
    Website ↗ Source ↗

  • Calibre Web

    87 GOOD

    Browse, read and download eBooks using an existing Calibre database.

    ★ 18k · ⟳ 9 days ago · 0.6.27 · GPL-3.0

    Python
    Website ↗ Source ↗

Kindle alternatives: common questions

What is the most maintained open source alternative to Kindle?

Audiobookshelf scores highest at 97/100, with 104 commits in the last 90 days, 14k GitHub stars and its latest release (v2.36.0) published 2 months ago. Calibre has the most raw commit activity at 678 commits in 90 days.

Which Kindle alternatives use a permissive licence?

1 of 6 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): Komga (MIT). 5 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.

Which Kindle alternatives run in Docker?

4 of 6 publish a Docker image or Compose file: Audiobookshelf, Kavita, Komga, Calibre Web Automated. Docker support contributes 10 of the 100 available health points, because it is the clearest signal that self-hosting is a supported path rather than an afterthought.