Instead of Kindle and ebook stores

Buy books, sync across devices, read on an e-reader.

Worth the work

Your library can live on your own server and your reader can fetch it. Buying the books is the part that does not move, and DRM is the wall.

You lose: One-click buying and Whispersync across a Kindle and a phone.

Start here

Calibre-Web Automated

GPL-3.0an eveningactive

A library with a web reader and OPDS for readers and apps. DRM-free files only.

github.com/crocodilestick/Calibre-Web-Automated

A compose file, a domain and a reverse proxy.

Also worth a look

KavitaGPL-3.0an eveningactive
Built for comics and manga. Books work, the reading experience is more basic.
github.com/Kareadita/Kavita www.kavitareader.com
CalibreGPL-3.0a containeractive
The desktop library everything else builds on. It is the source, not the server.
github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre calibre-ebook.com

Facts checked 8 November 2026. Licences, activity and archive status come from each project's own repository; the verdict and the cost lines are the desk's.