Calibre vs Kavita: catalog facts
 Calibre |  Kavita |
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Free Free and open source, funded by donations. |
Freemium The server is free and open source. An optional Kavita+ subscription adds external… |
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Windows, macOS, Linux |
Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
- Converts between all the major ebook formats, including for Kindle
- Fetches metadata and covers from the internet automatically
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- Purpose-built readers for EPUB, PDF and image-based comics, including webtoon mode
- Multi-user with per-library and age restrictions, through built-in logins or OIDC
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- The interface is dense and has accumulated two decades of features
- It will not remove DRM; that requires third-party plug-ins with their own legal questions
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- You have to run and maintain a server, and expose it safely if you want remote access
- Some metadata enrichment is only available through the paid Kavita+ add-on
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Downloadable app |
Self-hosted, Web application |
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Open source |
Open source |
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License: GPL-3.0 |
License: GPL-3.0 |
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No account needed |
Account needed |
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Works offline |
Works offline |
Checked September 20, 2026 | Checked September 20, 2026 |
Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.
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