ArchiveBox vs Karakeep
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted bookmarks & read-it-later options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
ArchiveBox
Self-hosted web archiving from bookmarks and feeds
VS
Karakeep
Self-hosted bookmark everything app with AI tagging
| Feature | ArchiveBox | Karakeep |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,574 | ★ 29,223 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Raindrop.io |
What are ArchiveBox and Karakeep?
ArchiveBox
ArchiveBox is a powerful self-hosted internet archiving tool that saves snapshots of webpages from URLs, bookmarks, and feeds. It targets users who want permanent, offline copies of pages. It is deployed via Docker.
- Saves HTML, PDF, screenshots and more
- Imports from many sources
- Self-hosted permanent archive
- Multiple extraction methods
Karakeep
Karakeep, formerly Hoarder, is a self-hosted app for bookmarking links, notes, and images with AI-powered automatic tagging and full-text search. It targets users who want a smart digital scrapbook. It is deployed via Docker.
- Bookmark links, notes and images
- AI-based automatic tagging
- Full-page archiving
- Mobile apps and extensions
ArchiveBox vs Karakeep: key differences
ArchiveBox is written in Python, while Karakeep is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for ArchiveBox versus AGPL-3.0 for Karakeep. ArchiveBox is the more established project (first released 2017), while Karakeep arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose ArchiveBox if…
- Thorough page preservation
- Imports from many sources
- Open formats
Watch out for
- Storage hungry
- Setup can be involved
Choose Karakeep if…
- Smart AI tagging
- Archives full pages
- Polished apps
Watch out for
- Heavier than simple tools
- AI features need an API key
Frequently asked questions
Is ArchiveBox or Karakeep better?
Neither is universally better. Karakeep has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ArchiveBox and Karakeep free and open-source?
Yes. ArchiveBox is licensed under MIT and Karakeep under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ArchiveBox and Karakeep with Docker?
ArchiveBox: yes. Karakeep: yes.