Calibre (kælɪbər/ KAL-ih-bər) is a cross-platform free and open-source suite of e-book software. Calibre supports organizing existing e-books into virtual libraries, displaying, editing, creating and converting e-books, as well as syncing e-books with a variety of e-readers. Calibre has a large collection of community contributed plugins.
On 31 October 2006, when Sony introduced its PRS-500 e-reader, Kovid Goyal started developing libprs500, aiming mainly to enable use of the PRS-500 formats on Linux. With support from the MobileRead forums, Goyal reverse-engineered the proprietary Broad Band eBook (BBeB) file format. In 2008, the program, for which a graphical user interface was developed, was renamed "calibre", displayed in all lowercase.
In 2025, starting with version 8.11.1, Goyal began integrating large language models into Calibre. Supported platforms include Google, GitHub, OpenRouter, Ollama, and LM Studio.
From the Wikipedia article “Calibre (software)”, CC BY-SA 4.0
What is calibre?
calibre by Kovid Goyal is open-source Windows software in the e-book readers category. It ranks 1st by popularity among e-book readers in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 2006. It is written in Python, C, and JavaScript. Besides Windows, it is available for GNU/Linux, macOS and BSD.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides MSI installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches. An MSI package is available for deployment with Group Policy, Intune or Configuration Manager.
Updates and version history
The current version is 9.17.0, released on October 23, 2026. The version history goes back to March 30, 2021: 110 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 20 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 1,487,698 times. The source code on GitHub (kovidgoyal/calibre) has 26,217 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 26 of our languages. On Windows it registers 38 file types, including .xhtml, .shtml, .txt, .md and .epub. Similar programs include SumatraPDF, Sigil and BlueGriffon.
Project description on GitHub: “The official source code repository for the calibre ebook manager”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- MSI package for managed deployment
- Documented silent install
- Frequent updates (about 20 a year)
- Opens 38 file types
- Also runs on GNU/Linux, macOS and BSD
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: calibre is an open-source e-book reader tool for 64-bit PCs. It is actively maintained. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is calibre safe to download?
- The file is served by download.calibre-ebook.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
A91EA9B26AF6CD057D8B193B86EDB66D1535F7C5CB0A106965FA74F8168A6BD5· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the kovidgoyal/calibre repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No dangerous workflows10
- Security policy10
- Restricted token permissions10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Static code analysis9
- Code review4
- Branch protection3
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Fuzzing0
- Signed releases0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 110 versions ›110 versions over 6 years · about 20 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.17.0Latest | October 23, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSI |
| 9.16.0 | October 9, 2026 | 238.9 MB | 64-bit MSI |
| 9.15.0 | September 18, 2026 | 226.5 MB | 64-bit MSI |
| 9.14.0 | August 28, 2026 | 223.6 MB | 64-bit MSI |
| 9.13.0 | August 7, 2026 | 223.3 MB | 64-bit MSI |
| 9.12.0 | July 31, 2026 | 223.3 MB | 64-bit MSI |
| 9.11.0 | July 2, 2026 | 223.2 MB | 64-bit MSI |
| 9.10.0 | June 25, 2026 | 223.1 MB | 64-bit MSI |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id calibre.calibre -echoco install calibre -yscoop install extras/calibremsiexec /i calibre-64bit-9.17.0.msi /qn /norestartmsiexec /x {267CBFE3-8ACF-4757-B728-CED8725D96DA} /qn /norestartRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install --cask calibreflatpak install flathub com.calibre_ebook.calibreInformation
- Publisher
- Kovid Goyal
- Category
- E-book readers
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre
- Written in
- Python, C, and JavaScript
- Content rating
- 12+
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- MSI
- Other platforms
- GNU/Linux, macOS, BSD
- Version
- 9.17.0
- Released
- October 23, 2026
- First release
- 2006
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 110
- Updates / year
- 19.8
- Chocolatey downloads
- 1,487,698
- GitHub stars
- 26,217
- GitHub forks
- 2,727
- Website
- calibre-ebook.com
- winget ID
- calibre.calibre
- Chocolatey package
- calibre
- Scoop package
- extras/calibre
- MSI product code
- {267CBFE3-8ACF-4757-B728-CED8725D96DA}
File types it opens (38)
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to calibre
See all ›-
SumatraPDF3.6.1SumatraPDF is a multi-format (PDF, EPUB, MOBI, CBZ, CBR, FB2, CHM, XPS, DjVu) reader for Windows.Open source3M ↓ -
Sigil2.8.1Sigil is a free, open source, multi-platform ebook editor that uses Qt (and QtWebEngine). It is designed to edit books in ePub format (both ePub 2 and ePub 3).Open source34.5K ↓ -
Open source34K ↓ -
Kindle Comic Converter12.0.0Kindle Comic Converter is a Python app to convert comic/manga files or folders to EPUB, Panel View MOBI or E-Ink optimized CBZ.Open source6K ↓ -
Open source9.3K ↓ - Open source88K ↓
-
Suwayomi Serverv2.4.2366A free and open source manga reader that runs extensions built for Mihon(Tachiyomi).Open source4.7K ↓ -
PDF-XChange Editor11.1.1.0The smallest, fastest and most feature-rich free PDF viewer/editor on the market.Proprietary1.3M ↓
Frequently asked questions
Is calibre free?
Yes. calibre is open-source software under the GPL-3.0 licence.
Is calibre safe to download?
The download comes from download.calibre-ebook.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install calibre with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can calibre be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer, including msiexec for the MSI package.
Does calibre run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of calibre?
The versions page lists all 110 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 30, 2021.
What are alternatives to calibre?
SumatraPDF, Sigil, BlueGriffon, Kindle Comic Converter and YACReader. The alternatives page compares them.
