# grimmory vs Nowen Reader

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

| | grimmory | Nowen Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 69/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Book Management | #4 of 19 in Ebook Management |
| GitHub stars | 4 623 ✓ | 180 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +204 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 19 ✓ | 10 |
| Latest release | v3.5.0 · 21 Sept 2026 | v1.2.3 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

grimmory scores 69/100 against 51/100 for Nowen Reader, so it is the safer default.

grimmory ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for Nowen Reader.

If you want the quickest setup, Nowen Reader is easier to run; grimmory needs more configuration.

grimmory is growing faster right now (+204 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [grimmory](https://selfhost.directory/project/grimmory) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/grimmory.md)
- [Nowen Reader](https://selfhost.directory/project/nowen-reader) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nowen-reader.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/grimmory-vs-nowen-reader