# harness vs OpenReader

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

| | harness | OpenReader |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 59/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 28 in CI/CD | #4 of 15 in Audiobook Management |
| GitHub stars | 38 745 ✓ | 550 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +318 ✓ | +35 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 19 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.28.2 · 20 Apr 2026 | v5.4.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

harness scores 80/100 against 59/100 for OpenReader, so it is the safer default.

OpenReader ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for harness.

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

harness is growing faster right now (+318 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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