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Self-host Raindrop.io
Bookmark manager / collection-organized ·
Category: wiki, docs & notes
Raindrop.io is a polished bookmark manager — collections, nested folders, tags, browser button, beautiful previews. The self-hostable replacements all do the bookmark + tag + folder triangle; Raindrop's killer features (rich previews + collaboration + permanent backup) are the parts that take some work to recover.
Raindrop.io pricing anchor: Free up to 3 collaborators; Pro $3/mo for permanent backup + nested collections + 10GB uploads.
- GitHub
- ★ 10.6k · last commit 2mo ago · 214 open issues
- License
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MIT - Setup time
- 5min single-container docker run
- Monthly cost
- $3-5 VPS; SQLite-backed and very light.
Migration sketch. Run `docker run -p 9090:9090 -v $HOME/linkding-data:/etc/linkding/data sissbruecker/linkding:latest`. Raindrop has a built-in CSV export (Settings → Backups) — Linkding's import (Settings → Import → Netscape HTML or CSV) reads it directly. Tags and notes carry over; folders flatten to tags. Install the Linkding browser extension for one-click saves.
Good fit forUsers who valued Raindrop's tag/search speed but didn't lean on the rich previews — Linkding is fast and tag-first.
Weak atNo website previews / thumbnails by default — the Raindrop visual board is gone unless you bolt on SingleFile.
- GitHub
- ★ 25.0k · last commit today · 605 open issues
- License
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AGPL-3.0 - Setup time
- 20min docker-compose (app + Meilisearch + headless Chrome worker)
- Monthly cost
- $10 VPS — Chrome worker bumps memory.
Migration sketch. Deploy via the official compose at docs.karakeep.app. Raindrop CSV export → Karakeep Settings → Import → Generic CSV. Karakeep replaces Raindrop's previews with full-page screenshots stored locally, runs OCR on the screenshot, and (optionally) auto-tags with a local LLM (Ollama). Browser extension and iOS/Android apps round out the save-from-anywhere story.
Good fit forRaindrop power users who valued the rich previews and want them upgraded to full-page archival snapshots.
Weak atHeavier than Raindrop; the LLM-tagging step requires running Ollama somewhere.
- GitHub
- ★ 7.12k · last commit 3w ago · 1 open issues
- License
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GPL-3.0 - Setup time
- 2min `pip install buku` or distro package
- Monthly cost
- $0 — runs locally as a CLI; sync via Syncthing or git on the SQLite file.
Migration sketch. `pip install buku`. Export Raindrop bookmarks as Netscape HTML (Settings → Backups → HTML) and run `buku --import raindrop.html`. Buku's killer feature is the CLI — `buku --search 'self host'` is faster than any GUI. Pair with `bukubrow` (browser extension) or `oil` (TUI) if you want a UI; sync the SQLite database via Syncthing for cross-device.
Good fit forTerminal-first users; minimal install; great for shell-centric workflows where bookmarks live next to dotfiles.
Weak atNo web UI by default; mobile is awkward without a wrapper.
In a terminal? npx os-alt raindrop prints this table —
how the CLI works →