If you're looking for a self-hosted way to manage your ebook collection, there are more good options than ever. Whether you want a simple web frontend for your Calibre library, a full-featured manga reader, or an audiobook server with mobile apps, there's something here for you.
Here are five tools worth considering — each with a different focus.
1. Calibre-Web — best for existing Calibre users
If you already manage your ebooks in Calibre, this is the easiest path. Calibre-Web puts a clean browser interface on top of your existing Calibre database. You get OPDS feeds, Kobo sync, send-to-Kindle, and multi-user support without changing your workflow.
The tradeoff: you need an existing Calibre library — you can't build one from scratch in the web UI. Performance can also slow down past ~20,000 books. But if you're already a Calibre user, nothing else comes close in terms of compatibility.
Supports: EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, and 50+ formats via Calibre conversion
Deploy: Docker (LinuxServer.io image) · GitHub · 16.7k stars
2. Kavita — best all-in-one reading server
Kavita is the most versatile option. It handles ebooks, manga, comics, and light novels in a single app — no Calibre dependency required. Point it at your files and it auto-organizes everything into series.
The built-in reader supports single page, dual page, and webtoon scroll modes. You get reading progress sync across devices, full-text search, smart filters, and OIDC authentication. There's an optional Kavita+ subscription ($4/month as of April 2026, $2 first month) that adds AniList/MAL progress scrobbling, external reviews and ratings, recommendations, MAL stack import, and metadata download — though metadata download is currently manga/light-novel only; book and comic metadata support is planned. The core app is fully functional without it.
Supports: EPUB, PDF, CBZ, CBR, CB7, image folders
Deploy: Docker · kavitareader.com · 10.1k stars
3. Komga — best for comics and manga
If your collection is primarily comics or manga, Komga is purpose-built for you. It has first-class Tachiyomi/Mihon integration, OPDS v1.2 and v2.0, Kobo sync for EPUBs, and excellent metadata management. It's built with Kotlin/Spring Boot and runs as a single Docker container or standalone JAR.
Komga is mature (v1.24+), MIT-licensed, and rock-solid. It doesn't try to do everything — it does comics extremely well and handles ebooks as a secondary feature.
Supports: CBZ, CBR, PDF, EPUB
Deploy: Docker or standalone JAR · komga.org · 6k stars
4. Audiobookshelf — best for audiobooks (obviously)
Audiobookshelf is in a category of its own. It's a full audiobook and podcast server with on-the-fly streaming, chapter management, and — crucially — a production Android app. The iOS app is still TestFlight-only (beta was full as of April 2026, with spots clearing roughly 90 days after each release), but several solid third-party iOS clients exist — ShelfPlayer and SoundLeaf are the two most commonly recommended. No other tool on this list has this level of mobile coverage.
It streams audio without transcoding, syncs playback progress across devices, scrapes metadata from Google Books and Open Library, and even generates personal RSS feeds per user. Ebook support (EPUB, PDF, comics) exists but is basic — this is first and foremost an audiobook tool.
Supports: MP3, M4B, M4A, FLAC, OGG (audio); EPUB, PDF, CBR, CBZ (ebooks)
Deploy: Docker · audiobookshelf.org · 12k stars
5. Stump — one to watch
Stump is a newer, Rust-based alternative aiming to be a fast, modern comics/ebook server. It has OPDS support, user management, a clean React UI, and an alpha React Native mobile app shipped alongside v0.1.0 with offline reading, progress sync, and OIDC auth.
The catch: it's still pre-v1.0. A breaking v0.1.0 on 2026-03-29 required data migration, and the maintainer — a solo developer working on it in spare time — explicitly cautions against treating the current state as stable (v0.1.1 followed on 2026-04-04 with bug fixes, but the warning stands). Not recommended for daily use yet, but worth keeping an eye on if you value performance and a modern tech stack.
Supports: EPUB, PDF, CBZ, CBR
Deploy: Docker · GitHub · 2k stars
A note on BookLore
If you arrived here looking for BookLore — a sixth option we deliberately left out — here's why. Its solo maintainer lost the community in March 2026 after a cascade of AI-generated PR dumps, an undisclosed "critical" security patch with no CVE, and hints of a retroactive license change and paid-tier split. Former contributors forked the project as Grimmory on 2026-03-12; it's AGPL-3.0, offers a one-line BookLore migration path, and is moving fast — though the project itself notes it's still stabilizing. That's where the self-hosted community went.
Quick comparison
| Calibre-Web | Kavita | Komga | Audiobookshelf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Calibre users | All-in-one | Comics/manga | Audiobooks |
| OPDS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Kobo sync | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | No | No | No | Yes |
| Send to Kindle | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Requires Calibre | Yes | No | No | No |
| Paid tier | No | $4/mo optional | No | No |
Bottom line
For most people starting fresh: Kavita. It handles the widest range of formats, doesn't require Calibre, and the free tier covers everything you need.
Already using Calibre? Calibre-Web is the path of least resistance.
Mostly comics/manga? Komga.
Audiobooks? Audiobookshelf — nothing else comes close.
All four are actively maintained, Docker-deployable, and free. You can realistically try each one in under 10 minutes.
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