# Calibre Web Automated vs polar

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

| | Calibre Web Automated | polar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 19 in Ebook Management | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 6 509 | 10 437 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +173 ✓ | +158 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 9 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v4.0.8 · 28 Sept 2026 | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Calibre Web Automated scores 73/100 against 71/100 for polar, so it is the safer default.

Calibre Web Automated ships more often: 9 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.

If you want the quickest setup, Calibre Web Automated is easier to run; polar needs more configuration.

## Details

- [Calibre Web Automated](https://selfhost.directory/project/calibre-web-automated) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/calibre-web-automated.md)
- [polar](https://selfhost.directory/project/polar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/polar.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/calibre-web-automated-vs-polar