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6 self-hosted options

Open-source alternatives to Kindle

The best open-source alternative to Kindle is Calibre (GPL-3.0, 26,254 GitHub stars). Calibre Web stands out for its Fluent codebase, and Audiobookshelf stands out for its JavaScript codebase.

About Kindle: Amazon's e-book store and reading ecosystem.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Calibre

    kovidgoyal/calibre

    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.

    Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026

    E-booksPython

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars.

  2. Rank 2:

    Calibre Web

    janeczku/calibre-web

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

    Active · last commit Oct 10, 2026

    E-booksFluent

    Stands out for its Fluent codebase.

  3. Rank 3:

    Audiobookshelf

    advplyr/audiobookshelf

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

    Active · last commit Oct 23, 2026

    Music StreamingJavaScriptDocker

    Stands out for its JavaScript codebase.

At a glance

Kindle alternatives compared

Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.

Kindle alternatives compared, data as of 2026-10-26
AppStands out forLicenseGitHub starsCommits (12 mo)Last commitDocker image
Calibrethe most GitHub starsGPL-3.026,2542,883Oct 26, 2026No
Calibre Webits Fluent codebaseGPL-3.018,467287Oct 10, 2026No
Audiobookshelfits JavaScript codebaseGPL-3.014,795505Oct 23, 2026Yes
Kavitaits C# codebaseGPL-3.011,939384Oct 25, 2026Yes
Komgaa permissive MIT licenseMIT6,786519Oct 25, 2026Yes
Calibre Web Automated–GPL-3.06,494671Oct 9, 2026Yes

Full list

All 6 Kindle alternatives

Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.

  1. 1

    Calibre

    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.

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Calibre has 26,254 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 2,883 commits in the last year.

  2. 2

    Calibre Web

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

    Stands out for its Fluent codebase. Calibre Web has 18,467 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 287 commits in the last year.

  3. 3

    Audiobookshelf

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

    Stands out for its JavaScript codebase. Audiobookshelf has 14,795 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 505 commits in the last year.

  4. 4

    Kavita

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

    Stands out for its C# codebase. Kavita has 11,939 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 384 commits in the last year.

  5. 5

    Komga

    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.

    Stands out for a permissive MIT license. Komga has 6,786 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 519 commits in the last year.

  6. 6

    Calibre Web Automated

    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).

    Calibre Web Automated has 6,494 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 671 commits in the last year.

FAQ

Kindle alternatives: FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is there a free alternative to Kindle?

Yes. All 6 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can replace Kindle without per-user fees. You pay only for the server.

Can I self-host an alternative to Kindle with Docker?

Yes. 4 of the 6 apps here publish a Docker image, including Audiobookshelf, Kavita and Komga, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.

Which Kindle alternative is the most actively developed?

Calibre (GPL-3.0), with 2,883 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.

How is this list ranked?

Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.