Linkding vs Linkwarden: Which Bookmark Manager?
Quick Verdict
Linkding is the better choice for most people. It’s lightweight (single container, ~50 MB RAM), fast, and does exactly what a bookmark manager should do without unnecessary complexity. Choose Linkwarden if you specifically need page archiving, team collaboration features, or a more visual interface.
Overview
Linkding is a minimal, fast bookmark manager built with Django. Single container, SQLite by default, browser extension, REST API. It does bookmarks and does them well — nothing more.
Linkwarden is a feature-rich bookmark manager with page archiving (saves full HTML and screenshots), team collaboration, collections, and a polished Next.js UI. It requires more resources (Next.js + Prisma + optional Chrome for screenshots).
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Linkding | Linkwarden |
|---|---|---|
| Page archiving | No (saves metadata only) | Yes (full HTML + screenshots) |
| Full-text search | Yes (page content via optional scraping) | Yes (archived content) |
| Tags | Yes | Yes |
| Collections/folders | Tag-based only | Yes (hierarchical collections) |
| Browser extension | Yes (Chrome, Firefox) | Yes (Chrome, Firefox) |
| Mobile app | Via browser (PWA) | Via browser (PWA) |
| REST API | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-user | Yes | Yes (with team features) |
| Sharing | Public links per bookmark | Collections sharing + public profiles |
| Import/export | Yes (Netscape HTML) | Yes (various formats) |
| RSS feeds | Yes (per tag/search) | No |
| Preview images | Optional (requires headless Chrome) | Yes (built-in) |
| Docker containers | 1 | 2-3 (app + optional Chrome) |
| RAM usage | ~50 MB | ~300-500 MB |
| Database | SQLite (default) or PostgreSQL | PostgreSQL (required) |
| License | MIT | MIT |
Installation Complexity
Linkding: One container, zero configuration needed beyond basic env vars. Start it and it works. PostgreSQL optional but SQLite handles thousands of bookmarks without issues.
Linkwarden: Requires PostgreSQL as a dependency. The Next.js app needs more RAM. Optional Chrome container for screenshot archiving. More moving parts, more configuration.
Winner: Linkding — dramatically simpler to set up and maintain.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Metric | Linkding | Linkwarden |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | ~50 MB | ~300 MB |
| RAM (with Chrome) | ~250 MB | ~500 MB |
| CPU | Very low | Low-moderate |
| Disk per 1000 bookmarks | ~5 MB | ~500 MB (with archives) |
| First load time | <1 second | 2-3 seconds |
Linkding is 5-10x lighter. On a Raspberry Pi or low-resource VPS, the difference matters.
Community and Support
Linkding: Mature project, active single developer (sissbruecker), consistent releases, good documentation. ~7K GitHub stars.
Linkwarden: Newer, growing community, active development with frequent feature additions. ~10K GitHub stars. More ambitious roadmap.
Use Cases
Choose Linkding If…
- You want a fast, no-fuss bookmark manager
- You run on a Raspberry Pi or small VPS
- You don’t need page archiving (links to live pages is enough)
- You want RSS feeds of your bookmarks
- You prefer simplicity over features
Choose Linkwarden If…
- You need page archiving (pages disappear — Linkwarden saves them)
- You work in a team and need shared collections
- You want a more visual interface with preview images
- You need full-page screenshots of saved links
- You have the resources (500+ MB RAM)
Final Verdict
For personal bookmark management, Linkding wins on efficiency, speed, and simplicity. It does one thing well and uses minimal resources. Linkwarden is the better choice if you treat bookmarks as an archive — if pages you save might disappear and you want permanent copies. Both are excellent; they serve slightly different needs.
FAQ
Can I migrate between them?
Both support Netscape HTML bookmark format for import/export. Export from one, import to the other. Tags transfer; collections and archives don’t.
Does Linkding archive pages?
Not by default. It saves titles, descriptions, and URLs. You can enable ebook-mode archiving to save page content as HTML snapshots, but it’s not as comprehensive as Linkwarden’s full-page archiving with screenshots.
Which is better for a homelab dashboard?
Linkding. Its lightweight nature and RSS feed support make it more suitable as a quick-reference tool alongside your dashboard.
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