Grimoire 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.
Grimoire
Archived
Bookmark manager for your reading list and inspiration
VS
Shaarli
Personal, minimalist link-sharing bookmark app
| Feature | Grimoire | Shaarli |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,856 | ★ 3,899 |
| First released | 2023 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Raindrop.io, Pocket | Pocket, Delicious |
What are Grimoire and Shaarli?
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
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
Grimoire vs Shaarli: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Grimoire's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Shaarli is actively maintained. Grimoire is written in TypeScript, while Shaarli is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Grimoire versus GPL-3.0 for Shaarli. Shaarli is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Grimoire. Shaarli is the more established project (first released 2013), while Grimoire arrived in 2023.
Why pick each one
Choose Grimoire if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
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 Grimoire or Shaarli better?
Shaarli is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Grimoire if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Grimoire and Shaarli free and open-source?
Yes. Grimoire is licensed under MIT and Shaarli under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Grimoire and Shaarli with Docker?
Grimoire: yes. Shaarli: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Grimoire or Shaarli?
Shaarli has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Grimoire. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.