ArchiveBox vs Linkwarden
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
Linkwarden
Collaborative bookmark manager with page archiving
| Feature | ArchiveBox | Linkwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 96 · 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 | ★ 28,580 | ★ 19,833 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Raindrop.io |
What are ArchiveBox and Linkwarden?
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
Linkwarden
Linkwarden is a collaborative bookmark manager that saves links and automatically archives full webpage snapshots. It targets individuals and teams who want preserved, organized bookmarks. It is deployed via Docker.
- Automatic webpage archiving
- Collections and collaboration
- Full-text search
- Browser extension
ArchiveBox vs Linkwarden: key differences
ArchiveBox is written in Python, while Linkwarden is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for ArchiveBox versus AGPL-3.0 for Linkwarden. ArchiveBox is the more established project (first released 2017), while Linkwarden arrived in 2022.
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 Linkwarden if…
- Preserves pages permanently
- Good collaboration
- Modern UI
Watch out for
- Requires Postgres
- Archiving uses more storage
Frequently asked questions
Is ArchiveBox or Linkwarden better?
Neither is universally better. ArchiveBox has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ArchiveBox and Linkwarden free and open-source?
Yes. ArchiveBox is licensed under MIT and Linkwarden under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ArchiveBox and Linkwarden with Docker?
ArchiveBox: yes. Linkwarden: yes.