Alternatives to Kavita
A self-hosted reading server for ebooks, comics and manga, with readers built for each format and OPDS for everything else. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Kavita
A self-hosted reading server for ebooks, comics and manga, with readers built for each format and OPDS for everything else.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Kavita.
Komga
A self-hosted media server for comics, manga, BDs, magazines and ebooks with a built-in web reader.
Komga serves comics, manga, magazines and ebooks with a web reader, OPDS and a Mihon extension, but its license terms are not stated.
BookLore
A self-hosted, multi-user digital library for organizing and reading ebooks, PDFs and comics.
BookLore is a self-hosted multi-user library with smart shelves and Kobo and KOReader sync, more focused on ebooks than comics.
Calibre-Web Automated
A self-hosted fork of Calibre-Web that automates ebook ingest, conversion and metadata handling.
Calibre-Web Automated handles automatic ingest, conversion and metadata for an ebook library, but it is tied to the Calibre library format.
Stump
A free and open-source self-hosted server for comics, manga and digital books with OPDS support.
Stump is an open source self-hosted server for comics, manga and ebooks with OPDS and Docker deployment, with fewer listed features than Kavita.
Calibre-Web
A self-hosted web app for browsing, reading and downloading ebooks stored in a Calibre database.
Calibre-Web serves an existing Calibre database for browser reading or download, but depends on a library created with Calibre.
Ubooquity
A free, lightweight home server for sharing and reading your comics and ebooks from any device.
Ubooquity is a closed source Java home server for comics and ebooks with per-folder user access rights and Calibre and ComicRack metadata support.
LANraragi
A lightweight self-hosted web application for archiving and reading manga and comic archives.
LANraragi is a lightweight self-hosted reader for manga and comic archives suited to NAS devices, but it is not aimed at ebooks.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Kavita as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
BookFusion
An ebook reader and cloud library that syncs your own EPUB and PDF collection across devices.
Kavita is a self-hosted GPL-3.0 reading server with readers for EPUB, PDF and comics plus OPDS, replacing the hosted cloud with a server you maintain.
Calibre
The ebook library manager: view, convert, edit and catalogue books in every major format, and talk to e-readers.
Kavita manages ebooks, comics and manga on a self-hosted server with multi-user access and OPDS, but it does not convert formats or edit EPUB files.
Codex
A self-hosted comic archive server that lets you browse and read comics in a browser.
Kavita serves comics, manga and ebooks with multi-user logins, OPDS and folder watching under GPL-3.0, though some metadata features need the paid Kavita+ add-on.
Suwayomi-Server
A self-hosted manga reader server that rewrites Tachiyomi for the desktop and uses compatible extensions.
Kavita includes its own readers for comics, manga and ebooks with multi-user logins, so no separate client is needed, and is open source under GPL-3.0.
YACReader
Read digital comics with a dedicated desktop application.
Kavita is a self-hosted server with comic, manga and webtoon readers used through the web, adding multi-user access, but you must run and maintain it.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Koodo Reader
A modern ebook reader for fifteen-plus formats that syncs your library and reading progress through storage you already own.
Jellyfin
A free media server for your own films, shows and music, with no premium tier and no account.
KOReader
A reader you install on a Kindle, Kobo or PocketBook that opens the formats the stock software refuses.
Readest
A modern ebook reader for EPUB, PDF, MOBI and comics, with highlights, notes, translation, text to speech and sync across every platform.
