Top pick · highest health
Kavita
Cross-platform e-book/manga/comic/pdf server and web reader with user management, ratings and reviews, and metadata support.
Docker.NET
Document Management - E-books
Open source alternatives to Goodreads
We track 6 open-source Goodreads alternatives, of which 6 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 3 ship a Docker image. Kavita leads on health at 96/100 with 95 commits in the last 90 days; across all 6 projects you are choosing between Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, ⊘ Proprietary.
updated Oct 2026 6 alternatives best health 96 ★ 60k combined 1,458 commits / 90d 3 with Docker
Top picks to replace Goodreads
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Healthiest
Health 96/100: 95 commits in 90 days, latest release v0.9.1.4, Docker image available.
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Most starred
26,288 stars, the biggest community among Goodreads alternatives.
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Permissive licence
Apache-2.0, so you can fork or embed it without publishing changes; health 87/100.
Showing 6 of 6 tools
All 6 Goodreads alternatives, ranked by health
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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.
Pythondeb -
Calibre Web
Browse, read and download eBooks using an existing Calibre database.
Python -
BookLogr
Manage your personal book library with ease.
Docker -
Bookwyrm
Social network for tracking your reading, talking about books, writing reviews, and discovering what to read next.
Python -
Inkheart
Lightweight PDF library and reader.
Docker
Goodreads alternatives compared
Kavita edges Calibre 96 to 88, and most of the difference is Docker support: a Docker image against no Docker image. Calibre is the busier codebase, though, with 886 commits in 90 days to 95. Calibre has the largest following at 26k stars, yet ranks #2 of 6, held back mostly by Docker support (no Docker image).
The most recent release is Bookwyrm v0.9.4, published yesterday. None of the measured options scores under 40. By stack, Python (3) and .NET (1) are the most common. BookLogr and Inkheart are permissively licensed; Kavita, Calibre and Calibre Web are copyleft. Bookwyrm is source-available rather than open source, which limits commercial reuse.
| Tool | Health | Stars | Licence | Last commit | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kavita Steady at 96 since 11 Sep | 96 | 12k | GPL-3.0 | yesterday | Yes |
| Calibre Steady at 88 since 11 Sep | 88 | 26k | GPL-3.0 | today | No |
| Calibre Web Steady at 87 since 11 Sep | 87 | 18k | GPL-3.0 | 20 days ago | No |
| BookLogr Down 4 points since 11 Sep | 87 | 637 | Apache-2.0 | 18 days ago | Yes |
| Bookwyrm Steady at 84 since 11 Sep | 84 | 2.8k | ⊘ Proprietary | yesterday | No |
| Inkheart | 72 | 23 | Apache-2.0 | 7 days ago | Yes |
Goodreads alternatives: common questions
What is the most maintained open source alternative to Goodreads?
Kavita scores highest at 96/100, with 95 commits in the last 90 days, 12k stars on GitHub and its latest release (v0.9.1.4) published 2 months ago. Calibre has the most raw commit activity at 886 commits in 90 days.
Which Goodreads alternatives use a permissive licence?
2 of 6 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): BookLogr (Apache-2.0), Inkheart (Apache-2.0). 3 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.
Which Goodreads alternatives run in Docker?
3 of 6 publish a Docker image or Compose file: Kavita, BookLogr, Inkheart. 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.
Is Kavita or Calibre the better Goodreads alternative?
On measured health Kavita leads, 96 to 88. Kavita has 95 commits in 90 days, 12k stars and v0.9.1.4 from 2 months ago; Calibre has 886 commits in 90 days, 26k stars and v9.17.0 from 7 days ago. Calibre is ahead on stars, so it is the stronger pick if that is what you weigh most.
Are the Goodreads alternatives still maintained?
6 of the 6 measured options score 70 or above. Every measured option had commits in the last 90 days. None scores under 40.
What languages are the Goodreads alternatives written in?
Python: Calibre, Calibre Web and Bookwyrm. .NET: Kavita. The stack matters if you plan to extend or patch the tool yourself.
