Linkwarden
FreeBookmarks that keep a screenshot and PDF, even after the page is gone
A self-hosted bookmark manager and web archiver. Every saved link gets an automatic screenshot, PDF and single-file HTML copy, with optional submission to the Wayback Machine. It offers a reader view, highlights and annotations, shared collections, a browser extension and official mobile apps. Self-hosting is free; the official cloud is paid.
Why we picked it
AGPL-3.0, 19,834 stars.
Leave bookmarks alone for a few years and a page of 404s is normal. Linkwarden's core is archiving: the moment you save a link it stores a screenshot, a PDF and a single-file HTML copy, so redesigns, deleted posts and dead sites no longer matter. Optionally it submits a copy to archive.org as well.
The rest is built around actually reading what you saved: a reader view strips page clutter and lets you highlight and annotate; links are organized into collections and tags, collections can be shared so others add to them, or published as a public list. RSS subscriptions, image and PDF uploads and SingleFile imports are supported, and optional local AI tags links by content.
Self-hosting uses Docker Compose, bringing up PostgreSQL and Meilisearch for full-text search alongside the app, which is heavier than single-container tools. The official iOS and Android apps can connect to a self-hosted instance.
To be clear about:
- Self-hosting is free; the official cloud is paid. The cloud costs $3 per user per month, or the equivalent of $2.25 billed yearly, with a 14-day trial and a 30,000-link limit per user. The README states self-hosting is free, at the cost of deploying and maintaining it yourself.
- Self-hosting needs an always-on server, and archive files keep consuming disk as your collection grows.
- The mobile apps require an account first, on either the cloud or a self-hosted instance.
- The similar Karakeep leans toward automatic organization and AI tagging, while Linkwarden leans toward complete archiving and team sharing. Pick by need.