Kavita vs Calibre-Web vs Komga: Which Ebook Server?
Quick Verdict
Kavita is the best all-rounder — fast scanning, great manga/comic reading, plus solid ebook support. Calibre-Web is best for ebook-heavy libraries with Calibre desktop integration, OPDS feeds, and send-to-Kindle. Komga is best for comics and manga specifically, with excellent metadata management and third-party reader integration.
Overview
Kavita is a fast, self-hosted digital library for manga, comics, ebooks, and light novels. It has a modern web reader, reading progress sync, OPDS-PS (page streaming), and metadata scraping. Written in .NET with an Angular frontend.
Calibre-Web is a web interface for Calibre ebook libraries. It provides a beautiful browsing experience, web reading for EPUBs, OPDS feeds for mobile apps, and send-to-email functionality. It requires a Calibre database as its backend.
Komga is a media server specifically for comics and manga. It excels at metadata management, has a built-in web reader, provides OPDS feeds, and integrates deeply with third-party readers like Tachiyomi/Mihon. Written in Kotlin/Spring Boot.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Kavita | Calibre-Web | Komga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebook reading (EPUB) | Good web reader | Excellent web reader | Basic |
| Comic/manga reading | Excellent | Basic (CBR/CBZ only) | Excellent |
| PDF reading | Yes | Yes (viewer) | Yes |
| Light novel support | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Send to email/Kindle | No | Yes | No |
| OPDS feed | Yes (OPDS-PS) | Yes (OPDS) | Yes (OPDS) |
| Calibre integration | No (file-based) | Required (uses Calibre DB) | No (file-based) |
| Metadata scraping | Yes (online sources) | Manual or Calibre | Yes (ComicVine, etc.) |
| Series tracking | Yes (automatic) | Manual | Yes (automatic) |
| Reading progress sync | Yes (per-page) | Yes (per-book) | Yes (per-page) |
| Multi-user | Yes (with restrictions) | Yes (with shelves) | Yes (with libraries) |
| Age restrictions | Yes | No | No |
| Third-party reader integration | Tachiyomi, OPDS apps | OPDS apps, KOReader | Tachiyomi, OPDS apps |
| File format support | EPUB, PDF, CBR/CBZ/CB7, RAR, ZIP | EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, CBR/CBZ | CBR/CBZ/RAR/ZIP, PDF, EPUB |
| Search | Full-text search | Metadata search | Metadata search |
| Docker complexity | Low (1 container) | Low (1 container) | Low (1 container) |
| RAM usage | 200-500 MB | 100-300 MB | 200-500 MB |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
Quick Picks by Use Case
| Use Case | Best Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed ebook + manga library | Kavita | Handles both well with one server |
| Ebook library (Calibre users) | Calibre-Web | Native Calibre DB integration |
| Pure manga/comic library | Komga | Best metadata and reader for comics |
| Kindle users | Calibre-Web | Send-to-email for Kindle |
| Tachiyomi/Mihon users | Kavita or Komga | Both integrate with manga readers |
| Lowest resource usage | Calibre-Web | Lightest footprint |
Installation Complexity
Kavita runs as a single container. Point it at your library directories and it scans them. No external database needed. Straightforward.
Calibre-Web runs as a single container but requires a pre-existing Calibre database (metadata.db). You either need Calibre desktop to create the library first or create the database manually. This is both a strength (deep Calibre integration) and a limitation (extra dependency).
Komga runs as a single container. Scans directories, no external dependencies. Similar to Kavita in simplicity.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Resource | Kavita | Calibre-Web | Komga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idle RAM | ~150 MB | ~80 MB | ~150 MB |
| Active RAM | 200-500 MB | 100-300 MB | 200-500 MB |
| Library scan speed | Fast | N/A (uses Calibre DB) | Moderate |
| Disk (app) | ~50 MB | ~30 MB | ~50 MB |
| Minimum server | 1 GB RAM | 512 MB RAM | 1 GB RAM |
Calibre-Web is the lightest because it doesn’t scan files directly — it reads a pre-built Calibre database. Kavita and Komga both scan and index files themselves, using more resources during scanning.
Community and Support
Kavita: ~8,500+ GitHub stars, active development (monthly releases), responsive maintainer. Growing rapidly. Strong manga/anime community.
Calibre-Web: ~13,000+ GitHub stars, mature project, steady development. Benefits from the massive Calibre ecosystem. LinuxServer.io maintains the popular Docker image.
Komga: ~4,500+ GitHub stars, active development, strong comics community. Good documentation. Active Discord.
Use Cases
Choose Kavita If…
- Your library is a mix of manga, comics, ebooks, and light novels
- You want one server that handles all formats well
- Fast library scanning matters
- You use Tachiyomi/Mihon for manga reading
- Full-text search across your library is valuable
- Age restriction features are needed
Choose Calibre-Web If…
- You already use Calibre desktop for library management
- Ebooks (EPUB, MOBI) are your primary format
- Send-to-Kindle/email functionality is important
- You want OPDS feeds for KOReader, Moon+ Reader, etc.
- Lightweight resource usage matters
- You prefer managing metadata in Calibre desktop
Choose Komga If…
- Comics and manga are your primary content
- Metadata scraping from ComicVine matters
- You use Tachiyomi/Mihon and want deep integration
- You want per-page reading progress for comics
- Multi-user with per-library access is needed
- MIT licensing is preferred
Final Verdict
There’s no single winner — it depends on your library:
Mixed library (ebooks + manga)? Kavita. It handles everything adequately and the reading experience for both formats is good.
Ebook-focused library? Calibre-Web. The Calibre integration, OPDS feeds, and send-to-email make it the best ebook server.
Comic/manga-focused library? Komga. The metadata management and comic reader are purpose-built for that content type.
Running two of these side by side is also reasonable — they’re all lightweight. Calibre-Web for ebooks + Komga for comics is a popular combination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Kavita without Calibre?
Yes. Kavita is completely independent from Calibre. It scans file directories directly and builds its own metadata database. Calibre-Web is the only option here that requires Calibre.
Which has the best mobile reading experience?
For manga: Kavita and Komga (via Tachiyomi/Mihon). For ebooks: Calibre-Web (via OPDS to KOReader or Librera Reader). All three support OPDS, but the reading experience depends more on the mobile app you choose than the server.
Can I migrate between these three?
All three use the original files as the source of truth. Moving between them means pointing the new server at your existing file directories. Metadata (reading progress, custom tags) doesn’t transfer, but your files work with any of them immediately.
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