# Nowen Reader vs WriteFreely

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

| | Nowen Reader | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 51/100 | 65/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #4 of 19 in Ebook Management | #2 of 24 in Blogging |
| GitHub stars | 180 | 5 276 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +19 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v1.2.3 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.17.2 · 10 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

WriteFreely scores 65/100 against 51/100 for Nowen Reader, so it is the safer default.

Nowen Reader ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for WriteFreely.

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

WriteFreely is growing faster right now (+19 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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