Koharu without a GPU
Why Koharu wants a graphics card and gigabytes of models, and how Serifu moves that work to the cloud.
Koharu is an excellent open-source manga translator: it finds the text, reads it, translates it, cleans the page and lets you edit every line. It is also heavy, because all of that runs on your own computer.
Why Koharu needs so much
To work offline, Koharu downloads its own AI runtimes (PyTorch, llama.cpp, a diffusion engine) and a set of models for detection, OCR, translation and inpainting. Depending on what you enable, that is roughly 10–16 GB, and it runs best on a recent NVIDIA graphics card. On a laptop without one, it is slow or does not start.
If you have a strong GPU and enjoy tuning models, that is a great setup, and it is free.
What Serifu changes
Serifu keeps Koharu's editor and replaces the local AI with a cloud service:
- On your computer: a small text detector (under 100 MB, runs on the processor) and the editor.
- In the cloud: reading and translating each page with its context, and redrawing text that sits on artwork.
Nothing else is downloaded, and there are no API keys to manage. You pay per page instead of paying in hardware and setup time.
What stays the same
Every line is still an editable text layer. You can still export layered PSD. Your files still live on your computer; pages are sent only while they are translated and are not stored.
Serifu is built on Koharu's code under its MIT / Apache-2.0 license and credits it. We are not affiliated with Koharu's authors.