Kavita vs Komga

Kavita and Komga solve the same problem: you have a folder of comics, manga and books, and you want a web reader, user accounts and a library view on a server you own. Both run as one Docker container with two bind mounts, both are rated 1 out of 5 to deploy, and both are free. The differences are in the licence, the reading features each project leads with, and how each one talks to devices other than a browser.

What each one is for

Kavita (C#, .NET, Angular) describes itself as a reading server for "all your reading needs". Its README lists manga, webtoons and comics in cbr, cbz, zip, rar, 7zip and raw-image folders, and books in epub and pdf. The readers are built around those formats: a webtoon mode, a continuous reading mode that moves on to the next chapter without leaving the reader, virtual pages for epub, and epub annotations and highlights. Roles can restrict users by age rating, and sign-in through OIDC is listed.

Komga (Kotlin, Spring Boot, Vue) calls itself a media server for comics, manga, BDs, magazines and eBooks. Its README leads with library management: collections and read lists, embedded-metadata import, per-library access control, age and label restrictions, duplicate file and duplicate page detection, and importing books from outside the library straight into a series folder. It also exposes a REST API.

If your shelf is mostly books and you want to highlight text while you read, Kavita's epub annotation support is the concrete reason to pick it. If your shelf is comics and magazines and you spend your time tidying metadata and duplicates, Komga's tools are aimed at exactly that.

Devices outside the browser

Komga's README is the more specific one here. It lists OPDS v1 and v2 support, Kobo Sync for a Kobo eReader, and KOReader Sync, so an e-ink reader can pull from the server without a browser. Kavita's README concentrates on its own responsive web readers on phone, tablet and desktop, but its wiki documents OPDS and lists KOReader progress sync. We found no Kobo Sync for Kavita in its docs or source. We have not tested either project's e-reader integrations, so check the current docs for the device you actually own before you commit a library to one of them.

Paid layer

Kavita's README is open about a paid subscription, Kavita+, run by the creator. Metadata downloads, reviews, ratings, recommendations, scrobbling and smart collections are marked as available through it. The core reading server does not need it. Komga's README lists no paid tier; it points to sponsorship pages instead.

Footprint

Our minimum RAM estimates are 512 MB for Kavita and 1 GB for Komga, and the measurements agree on the order. Idle on our GCP test box, Kavita used about 327 MB and Komga about 406 MB; disk use was about 859 MB and 717 MB. Both numbers are for a fresh, empty library. Scanning a big collection and generating thumbnails will use more, so size the server for that, not for idle.

What the install looked like

Both installs were one docker run with a config directory and a library directory. Kavita's first registered account becomes the admin, and you add the mounted folder as a library. Komga needs --user $(id -u):$(id -g) so the container can read your files, then you create the admin account and add a library. Neither needed a database container.

Which to choose

Choose Kavita if you read books and manga in the same app and want epub highlights, OIDC and the lightest footprint of the two. Accept that the GPL-3.0 licence applies, and that some metadata features sit behind Kavita+.

Choose Komga if you run a comics and magazines library, want an MIT licence, and want Kobo Sync, which we found for Komga but not for Kavita. Komga also lists OPDS and KOReader Sync in its README, where Kavita documents them in its wiki.

Where to go next

Both have their own pages: Kavita and Komga. Either fits on the small end of our self-hosting VPS picks, and how we test explains where the measured figures come from.