Best Self-hosted Alternatives to OverDrive Libby

Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted server for managing and streaming audiobooks and podcasts. It provides library organization, metadata handling, and playback progress syncing across devices via web and mobile clients.

Key Features

• Audiobook and podcast library management with search, organization, and cover art/metadata fetching
• Streaming playback with per-user progress tracking and sync across devices
• Podcast discovery with episode downloads and auto-download support
• Multi-user support with custom permissions
• Web client plus Progressive Web App (PWA) experience
• Mobile apps (Android and iOS in beta)
• Bulk uploads via drag-and-drop folders for books and podcasts
• Automated library update detection (no manual re-scan required)
• Metadata backup with automated daily backups
• Tools for chapters and audio file handling (e.g., merge to M4B, embed metadata)

Use Cases

• Run a private audiobook server for a family with separate users and synced progress
• Manage and download podcasts centrally for offline listening across devices
• Organize large audiobook collections with consistent metadata, chapters, and cover art

Limitations and Considerations

• Reverse proxy setups must support WebSocket connections for the web app to work correctly
• Subfolder deployments are constrained to a fixed path ("/audiobookshelf")

Audiobookshelf fits users who want a private, feature-complete alternative for audiobook and podcast hosting with strong library management and multi-device playback. It is especially useful for multi-user households and homelabs that need centralized media control and backups.

Komga is a media server for managing and reading digital comics, manga, magazines, and eBooks from your own library. It provides a responsive web interface, rich library organization tools, and integrations through OPDS and a REST API.

Key Features

• Organize CBZ, CBR, PDF, and EPUB files into libraries, collections, and read lists
• Responsive web UI with an integrated web reader and multiple reading modes
• Metadata editing for series and books, including automatic import of embedded metadata
• Multi-user support with per-library access control, age restrictions, and label restrictions
• REST API for automation and community integrations
• OPDS v1 and v2 catalog support for compatible reading apps
• Device sync features including Kobo Sync and KOReader Sync
• Download books, whole series, or read lists
• Duplicate file detection and duplicate page detection/removal
• Import books directly into series folders and import ComicRack CBL read lists

Use Cases

• Run a central home library for comics and manga accessible from browsers and OPDS clients
• Sync and manage reading across Kobo or KOReader devices alongside a web reader
• Build scripts and integrations around your library using the REST API

Komga is a strong choice for anyone who wants a structured, multi-user comics and eBook library with modern reading options and broad client compatibility via OPDS and device sync.

Calibre-Web Automated is an extended Calibre-Web distribution focused on turning a Calibre library into a more automated, all-in-one web-based eBook library solution. It combines Calibre-Web’s lightweight browsing and reading experience with background services that handle ingest, conversions, and maintenance tasks.

Key Features

• Web UI for browsing, searching, filtering, and reading eBooks in-browser
• Automatic ingest service that watches an ingest folder and imports many eBook formats
• Automatic and multi-format conversion workflows (for common eReader formats)
• Metadata and cover management, including enforcement of changes made in the UI
• OPDS catalog support for compatible eReader apps
• Device and reading ecosystem features such as Kobo integration and KOReader syncing
• User management with per-user permissions and content visibility rules
• Enhanced OAuth 2.0 / OIDC authentication options
• Built-in update notifications, server stats, and automated backup tooling

Use Cases

• Running a home or team digital library with automated import and conversion pipelines
• Serving an OPDS catalog and syncing reading progress across supported devices/apps
• Reducing manual Calibre maintenance by automating library upkeep and backups

Limitations and Considerations

• SQLite-backed libraries can be unreliable on network shares (notably NFS/SMB) due to file locking and WAL behavior; special configuration may be required.

Calibre-Web Automated is a strong fit for users who like Calibre-Web’s interface but want more of Calibre’s practicality through background automation. It is especially useful when you want a hands-off workflow for ingesting, converting, and maintaining an eBook collection.

Autocaliweb is a web application that provides a clean, Bootstrap-based interface to browse, read, manage and serve eBooks, eComics and PDFs backed by a valid Calibre library database. It bundles user/admin management, OPDS support and automation services and is distributed as a Docker image with manual-install options.

Key Features

• Bootstrap 3 responsive web UI with multilingual support and admin/user role management.
• OPDS feed support for eReader clients and in-browser reading for multiple file formats.
• eBook conversion using Calibre binaries (installed in the container) and integration with kepubify for kepub generation.
• Advanced search/filtering, custom shelves, metadata editing and multiple metadata providers (ISBNDB, LitRes, Amazon JP, Hardcover).
• Kobo sync, send-to-eReader features, automatic ingestion/conversion/metadata/cover enforcement and backup services.
• Docker-first distribution (official gelbphoenix image), docker-compose template and Proxmox helper script; manual install script available.

Use Cases

• Self-hosted personal or small-team eBook library to browse, read and distribute content to eReaders (via OPDS or send-to-device).
• Automated ingestion and metadata enrichment pipeline for newly added eBooks (auto-convert, fix epubs, fetch metadata, generate covers).
• Manage and serve mixed libraries containing eBooks, comics and PDFs with per-user content visibility and Kobo/KOReader synchronization.

Limitations and Considerations

• Conversion features rely on externally provided Calibre binaries (installed at build/runtime); heavy conversions require adequate CPU/RAM and may be resource-intensive.
• Project documentation is primarily in-repo and the wiki is noted as "not finished"; some advanced integrations may require reading source/config and community support.

Autocaliweb is a pragmatic fork of Calibre-Web and Calibre-Web Automated focused on additional automation, Kobo/metadata integrations and Docker-friendly deployment. It is suitable for users who want an extensible, self-managed web front-end for Calibre libraries with automation features and broad eReader compatibility.