# Alternatives to Kavita

Self-hosted manga and book server.

Kavita ranks #8 of 11 in Media servers, with an Alt Score of 42. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kavita/
Category: Media servers

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: People who own personal digital collections of manga, comics, and ebooks and want to host and read them themselves rather than rely on a third-party cloud service; suits both solo readers and small groups sharing a family or community server.
- **What you get**: A self-hosted server with dedicated in-browser readers for formats like EPUB, PDF, comics, and manga, including webtoon and dual-page spread modes. It provides automatic library scanning, folder watching, metadata and full-text search, plus user accounts with granular per-user access permissions. Reading lists, ratings/reviews, and OPDS support for third-party reader apps are built in. An optional paid Kavita+ tier adds automated metadata enrichment via AniList/MyAnimeList.
- **How it works**: You install Kavita on your own server (Docker or other supported methods) and point it at folders containing your ebook/comic files, which it scans and organizes automatically. Users then log in through a browser or an OPDS-compatible app to browse, search, and read the library, with admins managing access and permissions per user.

## Profile

- **License**: GPL-3.0 (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Emby](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/emby.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 2 | [Jellyfin](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/jellyfin.md) | 91 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 3 | [Kodi](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kodi.md) | 78 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [Navidrome](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/navidrome.md) | 60 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 5 | [Audiobookshelf](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/audiobookshelf.md) | 46 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 6 | [Calibre-Web](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/calibre-web.md) | 46 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 7 | [Komga](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/komga.md) | 46 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 8 | [Plex](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/plex.md) | building | Proprietary | ? |
| 9 | [Stremio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/stremio.md) | building | ? | ? |
| 10 | [Universal Media Server](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/universal-media-server.md) | building | ? | ? |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Media servers checklist | Kavita | Emby | Jellyfin | Kodi | Navidrome | Audiobookshelf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Starts at | ? | $4.99/mo (or $119 lifetime) | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Transcoding (hardware) | No | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | ? |
| Live TV & DVR | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Mobile sync/downloads | Partial | Yes | Partial | ? | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-user profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Metadata scraping | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Music support | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Photos support | No | Yes | Partial | Yes | No | ? |
| Plugin ecosystem | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? |
| Client apps (TV platforms) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No |
| Fully offline / no account | Yes | Partial | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Kavita. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://wiki.kavitareader.com/kavita+/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Kavita+ is an optional premium service offered by the main developer of Kavita”
- **License**: GPL-3.0 — <https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita/blob/develop/LICENSE> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 29 June 2007”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — <https://wiki.kavitareader.com/installation/native/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Pre-built binaries will be available on GitHub. Supported platforms are: Linux, macOS, and Windows.”
- **Transcoding (hardware)**: No — <https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Serve up Manga/Webtoons/Comics (cbr, cbz, zip/rar/rar5, 7zip, raw images) and Books (epub, pdf)”
- **Live TV & DVR**: No — <https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Serve up Manga/Webtoons/Comics (cbr, cbz, zip/rar/rar5, 7zip, raw images) and Books (epub, pdf)”
- **Mobile sync/downloads**: Partial — <https://wiki.kavitareader.com/guides/admin-settings/users/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “If checked, allows the user to download files. Controls download through both the webUI and 3rd party applications that also allow downloads.”
- **Multi-user profiles**: Yes — <https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Ability to manage users with rich Role-based management for age restrictions, abilities within the app, OIDC, etc”
- **Metadata scraping**: Partial — <https://wiki.kavitareader.com/guides/metadata/general/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Kavita reads metadata from within your .cb* archives (cbz, cbr, cb7, cbt) and epubs.”
- **Music support**: No — <https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Serve up Manga/Webtoons/Comics (cbr, cbz, zip/rar/rar5, 7zip, raw images) and Books (epub, pdf)”
- **Photos support**: No — <https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Serve up Manga/Webtoons/Comics (cbr, cbz, zip/rar/rar5, 7zip, raw images) and Books (epub, pdf)”
- **Plugin ecosystem**: Partial — <https://wiki.kavitareader.com/guides/3rdparty/kavita-dedicated/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “This KOReader plugin provides a seamless way to read manga from Kavita without going through OPDS”
- **Client apps (TV platforms)**: No — <https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “First class responsive readers that work great on any device (phone, tablet, desktop)”
- **Fully offline / no account**: Yes — <https://wiki.kavitareader.com/kavita+/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Kavita+ is an optional premium service offered by the main developer of Kavita”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/