There's calibre, and then there's everything else. Also take a look koreader. You can also use koreader from calibre
this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2026
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I hear these names thrown around a lot. I've only briefly tried Calibre, and not KOReader yet.
I'm kinda curious, what's the difference between them and the roles they fill?
Calibre is an ebook library manager with a reader built-in. Koreader is purely reader software, and it works particularly well on touch and eink screens.
This👆
That's why I referred to it as "plain": it's just the reader. And it is mostly made to replace the original reader software on eBook devices, but you can also use it on desktop if you want.
The question is if you are looking for just a reader, or a library manager. But you can also mix the two, so use calibre fo manage the library and have it use koreader to open books
You already received a reply to this, but I recently had both installed and also recently reviewed my apps to uninstall duplicate-purpose apps.
KOreader looks like what comes on a Kindle, Nook, etc. I have it loaded on an old Kindle 4th Generation I inherited from my Grandpa. If you like eBook readers, this one is for you. Librera is for people who are Android users, especially those who download and store books on their devices. It follows more typical Android design conventions and functions more like a full eBook suite vs a reader tool.
I think I'm going to go with KOreader for my uses, but have immense admiration for the developers of both.
Librera is for people who are Android users
I'd reword this a little, to
Librera is better for people who are Android readers exclusively
Because if you're the type who uses a dedicated e-ink device for reading, also having the same application and book library on your phone has some obvious benefits. But if your phone is your one reading device, you'd probably try the Android version of KOReader and be like "wtf is with this UI?"
I really like Foliate. Great interface, easy to use, enough customization. It's available through Flatpak.
If you want something more feature rich and don't care too much about UI, then Calibre.
Seconding this. I use Foliate for epub, and Okular for the rest.
pandoc file.epub -t plain > file.txt
less file.txt
interesting approach
Based af
If you read epubs frequently, just on your pc: foliate
If you read epubs frequently, and want to also manage your ereader library: calibre
If you read epubs occasionally and want the same software for reading everything: okular
Calibre's ereader is quite good.
I like KDE Arianna.
Unfortunately, while in the past (I think version 24) it would show 2 columns in portrait mode, now it only shows 1 page in the middle, which I personally consider a regression.
Aside from that there've been some improvements. While in the past I had to flip pages by pressing arrow buttons at the bottom, it now supports swiping the pages, which is much nicer on a touchscreen.
I use foliate
I use Calibre. I've tried others but many of them are not very customizable.
Calibre isn't terrible and comes with a reader that can open books without adding it to the library.
For actual reading on linux I use fbreader. For eBook management I use calibre.
But 95% of my reading is actually on old eInk devices (kindle, nook).
I use Zathura. Not really meant to be an epub reader (ie missing ways to change the font)—afaik it just converts it to a pdf then displays the epub using the pdf engine. But it works fine for my purposes and means I can use my preferred pdf reader for epubs too.
same here! I prefer the simplicity of zathura, and whatever the default font is set to when I open the file tends to be what I want anyway, so no complaints. ^^
Sioyek.
The greatest e-book reader
Firefox with some extension when in a pinch.
Otherwise, Calibre.
Readest and Foliate are the best ones
Foliete FTW
This is a tough one. All readers I tried had something that annoyed me. If forced to read on desktop, I will use Calibre. But nowadays I prefer calibre-web to put the epub automatically on my ereader.
Foliate is lovely on my tablet, and OK on my laptop.
I only read on mobile (android) using Readest but they do have desktop versions and I assume they're just as good as the mobile version.
They just added functionality to play audio overlay, too, which is something I've wanted for a while.
That seems like a promising app. I was using Librera for Android, which also handles just about every format and has a lot of settings to play with. But Readest seems like that, plus with a nicer, less clunky look and feel.
I just use Foliate but on my current system Foliate has a weird bug for me that it cannot open any books for some reason so I'm using Readest now.
I use epy from the command line. It's available in the official Void repo, or in the AUR in Arch.
Calibreweb
KOReader is goated. So many options, I use use it mainly on phones but it works on PC as well.
That's weird. On F-Droid, it says that it was made for an older version of Android, so it can't be updated, but the version listed is 4.3+.
It does say that but it works perfectly fine.
You could look at the screen, but there’s also braille terminal support.
Some people do tts but that’s questionable, even if you don’t recognize that audiobooks aren’t reading, why burn power doing tts when you could just dl the mp3s instead and make it easier on yourself.
"don't recognize that audiobooks aren't reading"
What a cringe take.
If you could read youd be very upset by my reply.
Your name is literally troll account 69.
What a loser.
Please read. Listening to podcasts and audiobooks is no substitute. When you listen you’re thinking in a different way than when you’re reading and it’s important not to lose those cognitive capacities.
My entire job is reading bud. What are you even on about. It sounds like you should go work on that cognitive capacity.
Listening to audiobooks engages a different way of thinking than reading the written word does. Listening to audiobooks is not reading.
That isn’t to say it’s not fun or interesting or a way to occupy your mind but it’s not the same as reading.
Why are you still talking.
You do not need to keep replying to me with insults and vitriol. I’m not trying to fight you.
I’m trying to make sure that anyone who reads your comments understands that audiobooks are not in any way a substitute for reading. I want you and anyone who also listens to podcasts or audiobooks or even those long yts to understand that they are different things.
I think that’s an important thing to do because one of the biggest differences is the type of thought each one requires and reading the written word is associated with better cognitive outcomes as a person ages.
I want you to live a long healthy life so I’m still replying :)