Archivy vs Grimoire
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted bookmarks & read-it-later options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Archivy | Grimoire |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 19 · At risk | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,277 | ★ 2,856 |
| First released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Evernote | Raindrop.io, Pocket |
What are Archivy and Grimoire?
Archivy
Archivy is a self-hostable knowledge repository that lets you preserve useful web pages and notes so they are accessible and searchable offline. Saved bookmarks have their full content archived and indexed for full-text search.
- Full content archiving
- Offline searchable
- Markdown notes
- Extensible plugins
Grimoire
Grimoire is a self-hosted bookmarking app for keeping track of links, articles, and inspiration. It organizes bookmarks into categories with tags, notes, and full-text search.
- Category and tag organization
- Notes on bookmarks
- Full-text search
Archivy vs Grimoire: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Grimoire's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Archivy is actively maintained. Archivy is written in Python, while Grimoire is built with TypeScript. Archivy is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Grimoire. Archivy is the more established project (first released 2020), while Grimoire arrived in 2023.
Why pick each one
Choose Archivy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose Grimoire if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Archivy or Grimoire better?
Neither is universally better. Archivy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Archivy and Grimoire free and open-source?
Yes. Archivy is licensed under MIT and Grimoire under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Archivy and Grimoire with Docker?
Archivy: yes. Grimoire: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Archivy or Grimoire?
Archivy has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Grimoire. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.