Best Self Hosted Alternatives to The StoryGraph

BookLore is a self-hosted web application for organizing and reading a personal digital library. It supports multiple users, rich metadata management, and device/app connectivity via OPDS, with a built-in web reader for common ebook formats.

Key Features

• Smart shelves and dynamic “magic shelves” with rule-based, auto-updating collections
• Automatic metadata fetching (including covers) with tools to search, pick, and edit metadata
• OPDS catalog support for connecting external reading apps
• Built-in reader for EPUB, PDF, and comics with customization, notes, and reading position sync
• BookDrop folder-based imports and web uploads for adding books quickly
• Multi-user management with granular permissions and optional OIDC authentication
• Reading stats and visualizations (timeline, reader analytics)

Use Cases

• Run a private family or community ebook library with per-user access controls
• Centralize and enrich an existing ebook collection with automated metadata and fast search
• Serve ebooks to devices and apps via OPDS, including Kobo/KOReader workflows

BookLore combines library management, metadata tooling, and reading capabilities in a single web UI, making it suitable for anyone who wants a curated, multi-user digital library experience with broad device compatibility.

BookWyrm is a social reading platform for tracking what you read, writing reviews, and discussing books with friends. It is decentralized and federated, allowing independent communities to connect with each other and with other ActivityPub-compatible services.

Key Features

• Reading activity tracking (currently reading, read, want to read) and reading goals
• Create posts such as reviews, reading updates, and quotes tied to books
• ActivityPub federation between BookWyrm instances and other federated social services
• Community-focused discovery and recommendations driven by people
• Granular privacy controls for posts and moderation controls for administrators

Use Cases

• Run a private or public book club server with federated social features
• Replace centralized book review platforms with an independently hosted alternative
• Share and discuss reading progress across federated social networks

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires moderation and federation management decisions to maintain a healthy community
• Book metadata quality and coverage can vary depending on configured sources and federation

BookWyrm is well-suited for groups that want a community-run alternative to centralized social reading sites. Its federation and privacy controls make it flexible for both small trusted groups and public communities, while still connecting to the wider fediverse.

Yamtrack is a self-hosted media tracking web app for managing movies, TV shows, anime, manga, video games, books, and comics. It helps you record progress, status, scores, dates, and notes, and keeps a detailed history of your activity.

Key Features

• Track multiple media types, including per-season and per-episode progress for TV shows
• Store status, score, progress, rewatches/rereads, start/end dates, and personal notes
• Activity history timeline for tracking actions and changes over time
• Create custom/manual media entries when items are not available via supported APIs
• Personal lists with optional collaboration by adding other members
• Calendar view with iCalendar subscription support for upcoming media
• Notifications for upcoming releases via Apprise (supports many providers)
• Multi-user accounts with personalized libraries
• Flexible authentication, including OIDC and many social providers via django-allauth
• Import from Trakt, Simkl, MyAnimeList, AniList, and Kitsu; export/import via CSV

Use Cases

• Keep a unified personal watch/read/play log across many media types
• Maintain shared lists with friends or family for recommendations and planning
• Receive release reminders and sync upcoming items to an external calendar

Limitations and Considerations

• Some features rely on third-party APIs (keys and availability may vary)
• Integrations for automatic watch tracking depend on supported Jellyfin/Plex/Emby setups

Yamtrack is well-suited for individuals or groups who want a single, privacy-friendly place to track and organize media. It offers straightforward Docker-based deployment and supports both lightweight and more scalable database options.

Openreads is a privacy-oriented, open source book tracking app built with Flutter for Android and iOS. It helps you organize your reading across multiple lists while keeping your data under your control.

Key Features

• Four built-in lists: finished, currently reading, want to read, and did not finish
• Add books by searching Open Library, scanning barcodes, or entering details manually
• Custom tags and filtering to organize and browse your library
• Reading statistics and summaries
• CSV import and export, including imports from Goodreads and BookWyrm

Use Cases

• Maintain a personal reading log without relying on proprietary book-tracking platforms
• Catalog and tag your library, then filter by genre, status, or custom labels
• Migrate reading history from other services via CSV import/export

Limitations and Considerations

• Metadata lookup is currently limited to Open Library as the sole data provider
• Publishing to the iOS App Store typically requires an Apple Developer account for distribution

Openreads is a solid choice for readers who want a simple, organized way to track books across devices with a privacy-first approach. Its multiple intake methods (search, barcode, manual) and CSV portability make it practical for long-term use and migration.

Jelu is an open-source, self-hosted web application for tracking books you have read, are reading, or want to read. It provides a web UI and an API for importing, exporting and managing a personal reading library on a single-file database.

Key Features

• Track reading history (by year/month), mark books as reading/finished/dropped and view stats.(github.com)
• Manage a to-read list, tag books and create custom shelves via tags.(github.com)
• Import/export support: CSV import (Goodreads export or ISBN list), EPUB/OPF metadata import, and CSV export of your data.(github.com)
• Automatic metadata lookup using configurable providers (the default Java distribution can delegate to an external calibre metadata tool).(github.com)
• Multi-user support with LDAP or reverse-proxy authentication, review writing and shared reviews on an instance, plus an HTTP API for integrations.(github.com)
• Docker image and example Docker Compose provided for easy deployment; unofficial Helm/packaging integrations exist in third-party app catalogs.(github.com)

Use Cases

• Individuals who want a private, portable book library and reading history without relying on third-party hosted services.(github.com)
• Small communities or families sharing a single Jelu instance to track collective reading lists and reviews.(github.com)
• Integrations and automation (scripts or external tools) that import/export reading data via the provided API and CSV tools.(github.com)

Limitations and Considerations

• Metadata lookups currently rely on external providers and the included approach uses an external calibre metadata binary for some installs; that dependency requires extra configuration and the external providers’ availability can affect import quality.(github.com)
• Default CORS in the bundled configuration is permissive; administrators should tighten CORS and auth settings before exposing an instance to untrusted networks.(github.com)

In summary, Jelu is a focused, open-source personal book-tracking application with import/export tools, tagging, multi-user support and a frontend plus API aimed at replacing hosted book-tracking services. It is delivered as a JVM application and as a Docker image, with documentation and usage guides maintained by the project.

MyBibliotheca is a self-hosted personal library manager and reading tracker for logging books, organizing your collection, and visualizing your reading habits. It focuses on private, personal data ownership while offering multi-user accounts and administrative management.

Key Features

• Add books by ISBN with automatic metadata and cover fetching
• Search and import books using the Google Books API
• Track reading status (e.g., currently reading, plan to read, finished)
• Daily reading logs with pages/time and personal notes
• Bulk import from Goodreads and other CSV exports
• Multi-user authentication with user data isolation and admin user management
• Graph-backed data modeling for relationships (authors, genres, books) using KuzuDB
• Responsive web UI built with server-rendered templates

Use Cases

• Maintain a private, self-hosted catalog of your personal library
• Track reading progress and daily reading sessions across multiple books
• Create monthly or periodic wrap-ups from your finished reading list

Limitations and Considerations

• The project is under heavy development; upgrades may risk data persistence without careful backups

MyBibliotheca is well-suited for readers who want a private, self-managed alternative to public reading platforms. It combines simple book logging and reading analytics with multi-user support for households or small communities.

BookLogr is a lightweight web application for managing a personal book library. It provides tools to catalog books, track reading progress, record ratings and notes, and optionally publish a public profile of your collection.

Key Features

• Search millions of titles using OpenLibrary metadata for fast book lookup by title or ISBN
• Organize books into predefined lists: Reading, Already Read, and To Be Read
• Track current page and reading progress for individual books
• Rate books on a 0.5 to 5-star scale and save short notes and quotes
• Optional public profile to showcase your library and share reading activity
• Automatic sharing of reading progress to Mastodon
• Export your library and data in CSV, JSON, and HTML formats
• Supports SQLite (default) and PostgreSQL as database backends; includes Docker and docker-compose deployment support

Use Cases

• Maintain a private catalog of owned, read, and planned books with progress tracking
• Share a curated public reading list or personal library with friends and followers
• Export or back up reading history and notes for migration or analysis

Limitations and Considerations

• The project is under active development; users may encounter bugs or breaking changes between releases
• Feature set is focused on personal/single-user library management and may lack advanced multi-tenant or enterprise features

BookLogr is suitable for individuals who want a simple, private way to track and share their reading. It emphasizes simplicity, OpenLibrary integration for metadata, and straightforward deployment options.

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. (github.com)

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. (github.com)

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. (raw.githubusercontent.com)
• 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. (github.com)

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. (github.com)

BookHeaven is an open-source server application for managing personal ebook libraries. It provides a web UI and server-side APIs to organize, edit metadata, and expose an OPDS feed for client apps.

Key Features

• Library organization by authors, series and tags with editable metadata persisted back into ebook files
• Supports EPUB and PDF ebook formats with cover and metadata fetching from the internet
• OPDS endpoint to browse and download books from client reading apps
• Reading progress tracking and multiple user profiles to separate progress/state
• Client auto-discovery to simplify pairing devices with the server
• Font management: add fonts to the server so devices can download them for reading
• Container-friendly deployment with Docker images and Docker Compose examples
• Modern responsive web UI with English and Spanish localization

Use Cases

• Host a personal ebook collection and serve it to mobile/tablet reading apps via OPDS
• Centralize metadata editing and cover fetching for a multi-device reading setup
• Provide synced reading progress and per-profile state for family members or shared devices

Limitations and Considerations

• Only EPUB and PDF formats are supported; there are no current plans to add additional ebook formats
• There is no built-in web reader; reading is performed through client applications
• Some management UI areas are noted by the project as less mature and may lack advanced import workflows
• Auto-discovery depends on a hardcoded UDP port (used by client discovery) and changing that port is not currently supported

BookHeaven is focused on a simple, reliable server experience for personal ebook management and device syncing. It is suitable for users who want an OPDS-enabled backend with metadata editing and progress sync for client apps.

Mantium is a self-hosted cross-site manga tracker. It collects manga metadata (name, URL, cover, and chapter metadata) from multiple source sites and displays them in a dashboard and an embeddable iFrame. Mantium does not download the chapter images. (github.com)

Key Features

• Self-hosted dashboard and API to manage mangas. (github.com)
• Metadata sync from multiple sources and multimanga support. (github.com)
• iFrame endpoint for embedding in dashboards. (github.com)
• Docker Compose deployment with a Postgres database. (github.com)
• Integrations with notifications and manga sources (Ntfy, Kaizoku, Tranga, Suwayomi). (github.com)
• No authentication system; you can add an authentication portal in front if needed. (github.com)

Use Cases

• Personal manga tracker across multiple sources. (github.com)
• Embed a lightweight iFrame dashboard into another site or dashboard. (github.com)
• Periodic updates and notifications when new chapters are released. (github.com)

Limitations and Considerations

• The platform does not include an authentication system; you should place an authentication portal before the dashboard/API if needed. (github.com)

Mantium provides a self-hosted, source-agnostic manga tracking solution with a dashboard and embeddable iframe, suitable for personal dashboards and integrations. It emphasizes metadata over images and supports multiple source sites and lightweight automation.

Obskurnee is a lightweight web application designed to help book clubs propose books, run voting rounds, track current and past reads, and collect member reviews and recommendations. It focuses on a small, opinionated workflow to keep the app simple and easy to use.

Key Features

• Create voting rounds where members can suggest books or topics and vote to choose the next read
• Add recommendations and copy a Goodreads URL to scrape book metadata automatically
• Member profiles with optional Goodreads integration to load "Currently Reading" shelf
• Shelf of previously read books with ratings and Markdown-formatted reviews (supports spoiler markup)
• Real-time activity updates and voting using SignalR / WebSockets
• Docker-ready with a single-container quickstart and persistent-data docker-compose example

Use Cases

• Coordinate book suggestions and democratic selection of the next book for an in-person or online book club
• Maintain a shared club history of books read, member reviews, and recommendations
• Load members' current reads from Goodreads to surface what people are reading now

Limitations and Considerations

• License restricts use to personal/non-commercial purposes only
• No built-in HTTPS; intended to run behind a reverse proxy for TLS and WebSocket proxying
• Minimal feature set by design; some common features (e.g., open user signup, advanced admin tooling) are intentionally limited or absent

Obskurnee is suitable for small to medium book clubs that want a focused, privacy-friendly tool to coordinate reading choices and store club reviews. It emphasizes simplicity, real-time voting, and Goodreads interoperability.

Inventaire is a libre web application for building personal and collective book inventories, creating lists, and sharing libraries with others. It focuses on mapping books and editions using open bibliographic knowledge, notably via Wikidata and ISBN-based metadata, and can be run as a federated instance.

Key Features

• Create and manage personal libraries and book lists
• Collaborative cataloging that links works, editions, and ISBN data
• Uses open knowledge sources (including Wikidata) for enrichment and disambiguation
• Social features for sharing, discovering, and organizing books with communities
• Federated deployments to run separate instances while remaining interoperable
• Web API for integrating catalog and inventory data with other tools

Use Cases

• Track your personal library, lending, and reading-related lists
• Build a community catalog for a school, association, or local group
• Enrich or reconcile bibliographic datasets using open identifiers and metadata

Inventaire is well-suited for people and communities who want a book inventory system that emphasizes open data, collaboration, and interoperable deployments. Its architecture also makes it a strong foundation for custom integrations around bibliographic catalogs.