Buku vs Promnesia
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted bookmarks & read-it-later options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Buku
Command-line bookmark manager with tags
VS
Promnesia
Browser extension that turns your history into a memory aid
| Feature | Buku | Promnesia |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,177 | ★ 1,889 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Delicious | Pocket, Raindrop.io |
Why pick each one
Choose Promnesia if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Buku or Promnesia better?
Buku is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Promnesia if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Buku and Promnesia free and open-source?
Yes. Buku is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Promnesia under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buku and Promnesia with Docker?
Buku: check the project docs for container support. Promnesia: check the project docs for container support.