Promnesia 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?
Promnesia
Browser extension that turns your history into a memory aid
VS
Shaarli
Personal, minimalist link-sharing bookmark app
| Feature | Promnesia | Shaarli |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,889 | ★ 3,888 |
| First released | 2019 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Raindrop.io | Pocket, Delicious |
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 Promnesia or Shaarli better?
Shaarli 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 Promnesia and Shaarli free and open-source?
Yes. Promnesia is licensed under MIT and Shaarli under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Promnesia and Shaarli with Docker?
Promnesia: check the project docs for container support. Shaarli: yes.