Espial 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.
Not the right match-up?
Espial
Open-source self-hosted bookmarking inspired by Pinboard
VS
Shaarli
Personal, minimalist link-sharing bookmark app
| Feature | Espial | Shaarli |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Haskell | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 906 | ★ 3,888 |
| First released | 2019 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Pinboard, Pocket | Pocket, Delicious |
Why pick each one
Choose Espial if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Haskell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Espial or Shaarli better?
Shaarli is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Espial if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Espial and Shaarli free and open-source?
Yes. Espial is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Shaarli under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Espial and Shaarli with Docker?
Espial: yes. Shaarli: yes.