Karakeep vs Servas
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
Servas
Self-hosted bookmark and note management tool
| Feature | Karakeep | Servas |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 66 · Good |
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 29,250 | ★ 831 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Raindrop.io | Raindrop.io, Pinboard |
What are Karakeep and Servas?
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
Servas
Servas is a self-hosted application for managing bookmarks alongside notes and tags. Built with Laravel and Livewire, it lets you group links and attach contextual notes for personal knowledge management.
- Bookmarks with attached notes
- Tag and group organization
- Built with Laravel and Livewire
- Self-hosted single instance
Karakeep vs Servas: key differences
Karakeep is written in TypeScript, while Servas is built with Svelte. Servas is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Karakeep. Servas is the more established project (first released 2022), while Karakeep arrived in 2024. Karakeep has the considerably larger community, at 29,250 GitHub stars versus 831.
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 Servas if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Svelte
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Karakeep or Servas better?
Neither is universally better. Karakeep has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Karakeep and Servas free and open-source?
Yes. Karakeep is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Servas under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Karakeep and Servas with Docker?
Karakeep: yes. Servas: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Karakeep or Servas?
Servas 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.