TagSpaces vs Shiori
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted bookmarks & read-it-later options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | TagSpaces | Shiori |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 81 · Excellent |
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,290 | ★ 11,650 |
| First released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Raindrop.io | Pocket, Raindrop.io |
What are TagSpaces and Shiori?
TagSpaces
TagSpaces is an offline, cross-platform application for organizing files and bookmarks using tags rather than folders. It works without a database and can be self-hosted as a web edition for browser-based access.
- Tag-based organization
- Works fully offline
- No database needed
- Browser and desktop editions
Shiori
Shiori is a simple bookmark manager that lets you save and organize web pages with offline archiving. It is distributed as a single portable binary with both a web UI and a CLI.
- Single portable binary
- Offline page archiving
- Web UI and CLI
TagSpaces vs Shiori: key differences
TagSpaces is written in TypeScript, while Shiori is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for TagSpaces versus MIT for Shiori. Shiori is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for TagSpaces. TagSpaces is the more established project (first released 2014), while Shiori arrived in 2017. Shiori has the considerably larger community, at 11,650 GitHub stars versus 5,290.
Why pick each one
Choose TagSpaces if…
- Strong privacy
- Cross-platform
Watch out for
- Pro features are paid
- Tagging workflow takes adjustment
Choose Shiori if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.7k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is TagSpaces or Shiori better?
Neither is universally better. Shiori has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are TagSpaces and Shiori free and open-source?
Yes. TagSpaces is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Shiori under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run TagSpaces and Shiori with Docker?
TagSpaces: yes. Shiori: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, TagSpaces or Shiori?
Shiori has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for TagSpaces. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.