Wallabag vs Hoarder: Read Later vs AI Bookmarks
Quick Verdict
These tools solve different problems. Wallabag is a read-later app — it strips articles to clean text for comfortable reading (like Pocket). Hoarder is an AI-powered bookmark manager — it saves links with screenshots and auto-tags them for organization. If you save articles to read later, use Wallabag. If you save links for reference and search, use Hoarder.
Overview
Wallabag is a self-hosted Pocket alternative focused on the reading experience. It extracts article content from web pages, strips ads and navigation, and presents clean, readable text. It supports offline reading via mobile apps and has an excellent browser extension.
Hoarder is a bookmark manager with AI-powered auto-tagging, full-page screenshots, and full-text search. It’s about organizing and finding links later — not about reading them in a clean interface.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Wallabag | Hoarder |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Read articles later | Save and organize links |
| Article extraction | Excellent (clean reader view) | Full page archive (raw) |
| AI auto-tagging | No | Yes (OpenAI or Ollama) |
| Full-text search | Yes | Yes (MeiliSearch) |
| Screenshots | No | Yes (Chrome headless) |
| Reading progress | Yes (tracks unread/read) | No |
| Mobile apps | Yes (iOS, Android, native) | Yes (PWA) |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes |
| Annotations/highlights | Yes | No |
| Tags | Yes (manual) | Yes (manual + AI) |
| Multi-user | Yes | Yes |
| Import from Pocket | Yes | Yes |
| RSS feeds | Yes (per tag/unread) | No |
| Offline reading | Yes (via apps) | No |
| E-reader export | Yes (EPUB, PDF) | No |
| Docker containers | 2-3 (app + DB + Redis) | 3 (app + MeiliSearch + Chrome) |
| RAM usage | ~300 MB | ~700 MB |
| Database | MySQL/PostgreSQL/SQLite | Built-in |
Installation Complexity
Wallabag: Requires a database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite) and optionally Redis for async processing. Standard PHP application. Moderate setup.
Hoarder: Requires MeiliSearch for search and Chrome headless for screenshots. Optionally Ollama for AI tagging. More containers but simpler configuration.
Both are moderate complexity — neither is a single-container setup.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Metric | Wallabag | Hoarder |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | ~300 MB | ~700 MB (with Chrome) |
| CPU | Low | Low (spikes during AI tagging) |
| Disk per 1000 items | ~50 MB | ~500 MB (with screenshots) |
Hoarder uses significantly more resources, primarily due to Chrome for screenshots and MeiliSearch for search indexing.
Community and Support
Wallabag: Mature project, active since 2013, large community, comprehensive documentation. Well-established as the go-to Pocket replacement. ~11K GitHub stars.
Hoarder: Newer project (2024), rapidly growing community, very active development. Exciting but less battle-tested. ~12K GitHub stars.
Use Cases
Choose Wallabag If…
- You read long articles and want a distraction-free reader
- You use a Kindle or e-reader (Wallabag exports EPUB/PDF)
- You want offline reading via native mobile apps
- You highlight and annotate articles
- You want RSS feeds of your saved content
- You’re replacing Pocket or Instapaper
Choose Hoarder If…
- You save links for reference, not necessarily to read
- You want AI to automatically organize your bookmarks
- You need full-text search across all saved pages
- You want screenshots of saved pages
- You’re replacing Raindrop or Pocket’s bookmark features
- You run Ollama and want AI-powered self-hosted tools
Final Verdict
Run both if your resources allow. They complement each other: Wallabag for articles you want to read in a clean format, Hoarder for links you want to save, organize, and find later. If you must choose one, Wallabag is better for readers, Hoarder is better for researchers and link collectors.
FAQ
Can I use both together?
Yes. Save articles for reading in Wallabag, save reference links in Hoarder. Use different browser extension triggers (e.g., Wallabag for long-form content, Hoarder for everything else).
Which handles link rot better?
Hoarder. It saves full-page HTML and screenshots, preserving content even if the original page disappears. Wallabag extracts article text, which is good but doesn’t capture the full visual layout.
Can either replace Notion’s web clipper?
Hoarder is closer — it saves full pages with AI tagging and search. Wallabag is more like a read-later queue than a knowledge management tool.
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