Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Kindle Cloud Reader

Kavita is a self-hosted digital library server focused on reading and managing manga, comics, and ebooks from a browser. It scans folders into a structured library, enriches items with metadata, and provides a responsive reader experience for individuals, families, or small groups.

Key Features

• Organizes content into libraries with series/volumes/issues and rich metadata
• Web-based readers tailored for manga/comics and ebooks
• Multi-user support with access control and user-specific progress/reading state
• “Continue reading”, reading lists, and library browsing/searching for large collections
• Metadata and cover management (including automatic matching for many titles)
• Runs well in Docker and supports common reverse-proxy setups

Use Cases

• Host a personal manga/comics server accessible from any device on your network/VPN
• Share a curated family library with separate accounts and reading progress
• Centralize scattered CBZ/CBR/EPUB/PDF folders into a searchable, browsable catalog

Kavita is a strong choice if you want a modern, web-first reading experience and library organization for comics/manga/ebooks, with multi-user progress tracking and metadata management. It’s commonly used as a lightweight alternative to larger media servers for reading-focused collections.

BookLore is a self-hosted web application for managing a personal ebook library. It helps you ingest and organize ebooks, enrich them with metadata and cover art, and browse, search, and read your collection from a web UI.

Key Features

• Library management for ebooks with browsing, sorting, and filtering
• Metadata handling (title/author/series/tags) and cover management
• Full-text and/or fielded search across your collection
• Built-in web reader for supported ebook formats
• OPDS catalog support for connecting external reading apps
• Multi-user support with authentication and user-specific experience
• Docker-based deployment for straightforward installation and updates

Use Cases

• Host a private “home Calibre-like” library accessible from any device
• Provide an OPDS endpoint for ereaders/mobile reading apps on your network
• Centralize and standardize metadata/cover art for a messy ebook collection

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature set and format/DRM support depend on the ebook types you import (DRM-protected titles typically cannot be managed/read without prior removal).

BookLore is a practical choice for readers who want a clean web interface for managing ebooks, plus OPDS for integrating with existing reading clients. It focuses on library organization, discoverability, and convenient access to your collection.

Komga is a self-hosted media server focused on comics, manga, and ebooks. It organizes files into libraries and series, provides a responsive web UI to browse and read, and exposes catalogs through OPDS for compatible reader apps and devices.

Key Features

• Library management for comics/ebooks (e.g., CBZ/CBR, PDF, EPUB) with automatic scanning and series grouping
• Web-based reader optimized for comics/manga (page navigation, reading modes)
• Metadata management and editing, including reading status and progress tracking
• OPDS support to browse and download from external reader apps (e.g., Kobo/OPDS clients)
• User management with per-library access control and multiple users
• Collections/reading lists and browsing by series, authors, tags, and more
• REST API for integrations and automation
• Docker images and straightforward deployment options

Use Cases

• Host a private manga/comics library for multiple users with a browser-based reader
• Provide an OPDS catalog to e-readers and mobile reader apps while keeping files on your server
• Organize large comic archives, fix metadata, and build curated reading lists/collections

Limitations and Considerations

• Focused on comics/manga/ebooks; it is not a general-purpose video/music media server
• Feature parity and compatibility can vary across OPDS clients depending on device/app support

Komga is well-suited for anyone maintaining a local comics/manga collection who wants a modern library UI, a solid web reader, and OPDS access for external reading apps. Its API and user/library permissions make it practical for personal, family, or small community setups.