Karakeep vs Linka
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted bookmarks & read-it-later options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Karakeep
Self-hosted bookmark everything app with AI tagging
VS
Linka
Fast bookmark manager with keyboard-driven search
| Feature | Karakeep | Linka |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 0 · At risk |
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 29,250 | ★ 33 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Raindrop.io | Raindrop.io |
What are Karakeep and Linka?
Karakeep
Karakeep, formerly Hoarder, is a self-hosted app for bookmarking links, notes, and images with AI-powered automatic tagging and full-text search. It targets users who want a smart digital scrapbook. It is deployed via Docker.
- Bookmark links, notes and images
- AI-based automatic tagging
- Full-page archiving
- Mobile apps and extensions
Linka
Linka is a self-hosted bookmark manager focused on speed and quick capture, with fast tag-based filtering and keyboard search. It offers a lightweight web UI and import support for browser bookmark exports.
- Tag-based filtering
- Fast keyboard search
- Browser bookmark import
- Lightweight UI
Karakeep vs Linka: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Karakeep versus MIT for Linka. Linka is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Karakeep. Linka is the more established project (first released 2021), while Karakeep arrived in 2024. Karakeep has the considerably larger community, at 29,250 GitHub stars versus 33.
Why pick each one
Choose Karakeep if…
- Smart AI tagging
- Archives full pages
- Polished apps
Watch out for
- Heavier than simple tools
- AI features need an API key
Choose Linka if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Watch out for
- Basic feature set
- No mobile app
Frequently asked questions
Is Karakeep or Linka better?
Neither is universally better. Karakeep has the larger community, while Linka is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Karakeep and Linka free and open-source?
Yes. Karakeep is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Linka under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Karakeep and Linka with Docker?
Karakeep: yes. Linka: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Karakeep or Linka?
Linka has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Karakeep. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.