# beam vs OpenReader

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | beam | OpenReader |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 61/100 ✓ | 59/100 |
| Rank in category | #29 of 125 in AI | #4 of 15 in Audiobook Management |
| GitHub stars | 1 834 ✓ | 550 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +47 ✓ | +35 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 364 ✓ | 19 |
| Latest release | gateway-0.1.837 · 26 Oct 2026 | v5.4.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

beam scores 61/100 against 59/100 for OpenReader, so it is the safer default.

beam ships more often: 364 stable releases in the past year, against 19 for OpenReader.

If you want the quickest setup, OpenReader is easier to run; beam needs more configuration.

## Details

- [beam](https://selfhost.directory/project/beam) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/beam.md)
- [OpenReader](https://selfhost.directory/project/openreader) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openreader.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/beam-vs-openreader