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.
Calibre vs Calibre Web
Two self-hosted Document Management - E-books apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Calibre | Calibre Web | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | 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. | Browse, read and download eBooks using an existing Calibre database. |
| GitHub stars | 26,351 | 18,532 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 3k | 260 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-05 | 2026-09-20 |
| Latest release | v9.17.0 (2026-10-23) | 0.6.27 (2026-08-08) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | Python, deb | Python |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | Document Management - E-books | Document Management - E-books |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Calibre is more popular on GitHub: 26.4k stars vs 18.5k for Calibre Web.
- Calibre had more commits in the last 12 months (2,989 vs 260).
- Calibre has more recent repository activity (2026-11-05 vs 2026-09-20).
- Calibre published a release more recently (v9.17.0 on 2026-10-23; Calibre Web's latest is 0.6.27 on 2026-08-08).
- Both are licensed under GPL-3.0.
- Both are written in Python.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Calibre: deb; Calibre Web: none listed.
Summary: Calibre leads on GitHub popularity, commit activity and recent activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Calibre or Calibre Web more popular?
Calibre has more GitHub stars (26,351 vs 18,532 for Calibre Web, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Calibre or Calibre Web?
Calibre had more commits over the last 12 months (2,989 vs 260). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-05 for Calibre and 2026-09-20 for Calibre Web. Our health labels: Calibre is “Active”, Calibre Web is “Active”.
What licenses do Calibre and Calibre Web use?
Both use GPL-3.0.
Can I run Calibre and Calibre Web with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Calibre Web
Browse, read and download eBooks using an existing Calibre database.
Browse all self-hosted Document Management - E-books apps.