Top pick · highest health
Audiobookshelf
Audiobook and podcast server. It streams all audio formats, keeps and syncs progress across devices. Comes with apps for Android and iOS.
DockerdebNodejs
Document Management - E-books
Open source alternatives to Kindle
Kindle ties your e-books to Amazon's store and devices; the servers here hold a library you own and serve it to a browser or a reader app. Calibre manages and converts the books, Calibre Web and Calibre Web Automated put that library on the web, Kavita and Komga add comics and manga, and Audiobookshelf does the same for audiobooks and podcasts.
updated Oct 2026 6 alternatives best health 97 ★ 85k combined 1,716 commits / 90d 4 with Docker
Top picks to replace Kindle
-
Healthiest
Health 97/100: 129 commits in 90 days, latest release v2.37.2, Docker image available.
-
Most starred
26,288 stars, the biggest community among Kindle alternatives.
-
Permissive licence
MIT, so you can fork or embed it without publishing changes; health 95/100.
Showing 6 of 6 tools
All 6 Kindle alternatives, ranked by health
-
-
Kavita
Cross-platform e-book/manga/comic/pdf server and web reader with user management, ratings and reviews, and metadata support.
Docker.NET -
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.
DockerJava -
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).
Docker -
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
Kindle alternatives compared
We track 6 open-source Kindle alternatives, of which 6 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 4 ship a Docker image. Audiobookshelf leads on health at 97/100 with 129 commits in the last 90 days; across all 6 projects you are choosing between GPL-3.0, MIT.
Audiobookshelf edges Kavita 97 to 96. Calibre has the largest following at 26k stars, yet ranks #5 of 6, held back mostly by Docker support (no Docker image).
The most recent release is Komga 1.29.2, published 2 days ago. None of the measured options scores under 40. By stack, Python (2), .NET (1) and Java (1) are the most common. Komga is permissively licensed; Audiobookshelf, Kavita, Calibre Web Automated and 2 more are copyleft.
| Tool | Health | Stars | Last commit | Licence | Self-hosting | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audiobookshelf Steady at 97 since 11 Sep | 97 | 15k | 7 days ago | GPL-3.0 | Docker image | Long-term use: health 97/100 |
| Kavita Steady at 96 since 11 Sep | 96 | 12k | yesterday | GPL-3.0 | Docker image | Quick setup: ships a Docker image |
| Komga Steady at 95 since 11 Sep | 95 | 6.8k | today | MIT | Docker image | Fast development: 414 commits in 90 days |
| Calibre Web Automated Up 2 points since 11 Sep | 95 | 6.5k | 21 days ago | GPL-3.0 | Docker image | Fresh releases: v4.0.8, 1 month ago |
| Calibre Steady at 88 since 11 Sep | 88 | 26k | today | GPL-3.0 | Manual (Python) | Community size: 26k stars |
| Calibre Web | 87 | 18k | 20 days ago | GPL-3.0 | Manual (Python) | Python teams: health 87/100 |
How to choose a Kindle alternative
- Want the project most likely to keep shipping? Start with Audiobookshelf: health 97/100 and 129 commits in the last 90 days.
- Building it into a commercial product? Audiobookshelf is GPL-3.0; Komga (MIT, health 95) lets you modify and ship it without publishing your changes.
- Want the quickest install? Audiobookshelf, Kavita, Komga and 1 more ship a Docker image; the others install by hand on their own stack.
- Planning to patch or extend it? Match your stack: Python (Calibre and Calibre Web), .NET (Kavita), Java (Komga).
- The score measures maintenance, not features: shortlist two and try them with your own data before you migrate.
Kindle alternatives: common questions
Is there an open source Kindle alternative on GitHub?
Yes. 6 of the 6 Kindle alternatives we track are on GitHub, led by Audiobookshelf (github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf, health 97/100, 15k stars) and Kavita (github.com/Kareadita/Kavita, health 96/100). Each tool page links its repository and shows the health score we recompute from it every night.
What is the most maintained open source alternative to Kindle?
Audiobookshelf scores highest at 97/100, with 129 commits in the last 90 days, 15k stars on GitHub and its latest release (v2.37.2) published 7 days ago. Calibre has the most raw commit activity at 886 commits in 90 days.
Which Kindle alternatives run in Docker?
4 of 6 publish a Docker image or Compose file: Audiobookshelf, Kavita, Komga, Calibre Web Automated. 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 Audiobookshelf or Kavita the better Kindle alternative?
On measured health Audiobookshelf leads, 97 to 96. Audiobookshelf has 129 commits in 90 days, 15k stars and v2.37.2 from 7 days ago; Kavita has 95 commits in 90 days, 12k stars and v0.9.1.4 from 2 months ago. Audiobookshelf is ahead or level on every term Repoly measures.
Which Kindle alternatives use a permissive licence?
1 of 6 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): Komga (MIT). 5 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.
