OpenReadervspolar
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| OpenReader | polar | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 59/100 | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 15 in Audiobook Management | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 550 | 10 436 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +34 | +157 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 19 | 1 |
| Latest release | v5.4.0 · 28 Oct 2026 | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |
Which one should you pick?
polar scores 71/100 against 59/100 for OpenReader, so it is the safer default.
OpenReader ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.
If you want the quickest setup, OpenReader is easier to run; polar needs more configuration.
polar is growing faster right now (+157 stars in 30 days).
OpenReader details →polar details →
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