Archivy vs Shaarli
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted bookmarks & read-it-later options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Shaarli
Personal, minimalist link-sharing bookmark app
| Feature | Archivy | Shaarli |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 19 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,277 | ★ 3,899 |
| First released | 2020 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Evernote | Pocket, Delicious |
What are Archivy and Shaarli?
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
Shaarli
Shaarli is a personal, minimalist, database-free bookmarking application that can also act as a microblog of links. It targets individuals wanting a lightweight link log. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- No database, flat-file storage
- Public and private links
- Tagging and RSS feed
- Plugin support
Archivy vs Shaarli: key differences
Archivy is written in Python, while Shaarli is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Archivy versus GPL-3.0 for Shaarli. Shaarli is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Archivy. Shaarli is the more established project (first released 2013), while Archivy arrived in 2020.
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 Shaarli if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Easy to back up
- Can be public or private
Watch out for
- Dated default theme
- Single-user only
Frequently asked questions
Is Archivy or Shaarli better?
Shaarli is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Archivy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Archivy and Shaarli free and open-source?
Yes. Archivy is licensed under MIT and Shaarli under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Archivy and Shaarli with Docker?
Archivy: yes. Shaarli: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Archivy or Shaarli?
Shaarli has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Archivy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.