Karakeep vs Toby (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Karakeep grades higher than Toby: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Karakeep grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Karakeep
Open-source bookmark app that tags saved links, notes and images
Toby
Browser extension that saves open tabs into shared Spaces
Which one is for you
Pick Karakeep if
- Fits if you keep links, notes, images and PDFs and want them in one searchable place
- Works for self-hosters, who get every feature free with no cap on bookmarks or storage
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want it hosted and free, as Karakeep Cloud's Free plan stops at 50 bookmarks and 100 MB
- Skip it if Docker means nothing to you and you won't pay, because free here means running your own server
- Not for you if your team needs single sign-on on the hosted service, as that's the custom-priced Corporate plan
- Watch out: Pro is capped at 50,000 bookmarks and 50 GB, and it has a 7-day money-back guarantee rather than a trial
- Skip it if you want a desktop app, as it's web, phone apps and browser extensions
Pick Toby if
- Fits if you keep a pile of open tabs and want them filed away
- Works for a small team sharing a set of research links
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 60 saved tabs per workspace fills fast
- Pricey if you need unlimited tabs or advanced search, which are Productivity at $4.50 a member a month
- Not for you if you need SSO or priority support, as those are Team at $8 or Enterprise
- Watch out: Enterprise has no published price
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAKarakeepGood | 2.4GPATobyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree only if you run it yourself, and that means a server and a Docker afternoon. Anyone else pays for Karakeep Cloud Pro: $4 a month, or $40 a year, which is this category's middle to the penny. The hosted free plan holds 50 bookmarks, so it isn't a way of using the thing. | CProductivity is $4.50 a member a month billed yearly, or $6 monthly, between the middle and dearer quarter for reading apps, and Team is $8. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free route one person could really live on is the self-hosted one, with the lot and no limits. Karakeep Cloud's free plan is only a taster at 50 bookmarks and 100 MB, and even AI tagging and full-text search are listed under Pro there. | CStarter is free for good with unlimited members, but a workspace stops taking new tabs at 60. Saved tabs stay viewable and exportable. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job: links, notes, images and PDFs tagged and summarised for you, full-text and semantic search with OCR reading the words inside screenshots, a reader view with highlights, full-page archives, rules, RSS feeds saved automatically, and an API, CLI and MCP server. Linkwarden does much the same. | BSpaces, collections, session saving, sharing, sync, search with duplicate removal and AI organization. The listing names no gap in saving tabs. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but on Karakeep Cloud there's nothing to set up: sign up, start saving, and the tagging is done for you. Hosting your own copy is a Docker afternoon, which is a different proposition. | CNo rating on record. You set up spaces and collections yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android apps and browser extensions, with a REST API, webhooks, a command-line tool and a first-party MCP server, plus local models through Ollama if you self-host. No desktop app, which is what holds it to a B. | BWeb, a browser extension, iOS and Android. No desktop app is listed, and there are no integrations on record. |
| Best for | self-hosted bookmarks that tag themselves | saving and sharing browser tabs in collections |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Karakeep and Toby. How we grade
Price against what you get
Karakeep starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Toby starts at $4.50 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Karakeep scores higher and starts $1.17 a month lower. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Karakeep for less, and 7 score higher than Toby for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Karakeep is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Karakeep also covers read later and highlights.
- Toby also covers web clipper and templates.
At a glance
| Karakeep | Toby | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4 per month, or $40 per year (Pro, Karakeep Cloud) | $4.50 per member / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Karakeep Cloud's Free plan holds 50 bookmarks and 100 MB of storage. The self-hosted version is free with every feature and no cap on bookmarks or storage. | Starter: up to 60 saved tabs, unlimited members and basic tab management features. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Localhost Labs Ltd | Launch Labs, Inc. dba Axiom Zen |
| Price read from | karakeep.com | gettoby.com |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Karakeep
- The free Karakeep Cloud plan stops at 50 bookmarks and 100 MB of storage, so regular hosted use needs Pro at $4 a month.
- On Karakeep Cloud, AI-powered tagging and full-text search are listed under Pro and not under the Free plan.
- Pro is capped at 50,000 bookmarks and 50 GB of storage; only the self-hosted version is unlimited.
- Single sign-on and user management on the hosted service are part of the custom-priced Corporate plan.
Toby
- The free plan stops you from saving new tabs once a workspace holds 60; saved tabs stay viewable and exportable.
- Unlimited saved tabs, advanced search and AI start on the paid plans.
- SSO and priority support are limited to Team and Enterprise.
Key features
Karakeep
- Links, notes, images and PDFs
- Save links, text notes, images and PDFs from any device. For links, the title, description and preview image are fetched automatically.
- AI tagging and summaries
- A language model tags and summarizes what you save. Self-hosted installs can run local models through Ollama; on Karakeep Cloud, AI tagging is listed under Pro.
- Full-text and semantic search
- Search covers the full text of saved content in keyword, hybrid or semantic mode, and OCR makes the text inside images and screenshots searchable.
- Reader view, highlights and archives
- Articles open in a reader view where passages can be highlighted, the mobile apps keep content for offline reading, and full-page archives protect against link rot.
- Rules, RSS feeds and shared lists
- A rule engine tags or files new bookmarks by conditions such as the URL, subscribed RSS feeds are saved automatically, and a list can be shared with editors or viewers.
- API, CLI and MCP server
- A REST API with scoped keys, webhooks, a command-line tool and a first-party MCP server let scripts and AI assistants search and save bookmarks.
Toby
- Spaces and collections
- Create a Space for each project or team and sort saved tabs into collections inside it, with tags and notes on each saved tab.
- One-click save and sessions
- Save all open tabs in one click, store them as a session, and restore them later; organize them when you have time.
- Shared Spaces and links
- Invite teammates into a Space so anyone can add and organize links, or turn a collection into a share link.
- Sync across browsers and devices
- Spaces stay in sync across the browsers and devices you sign in to; the site lists web, iOS and Android apps beside the extension.
- Search and duplicate removal
- Basic search is on every plan. Advanced search through history and removal of duplicate tabs need Productivity or Team.
- AI organization
- The comparison table lists AI features on the paid Productivity and Team plans.
Plans
Karakeep
Free$0
Karakeep Cloud for trying the product: 50 bookmarks and 100 MB of storage, with the mobile and web apps and browser extensions.
Self-HostedFree
Unlimited bookmarks and storage on your own server, with every feature and community support.
Pro$4
per month, or $40 per year
Karakeep Cloud with 50,000 bookmarks, 50 GB of storage, AI-powered tagging and full-text search. 7-day money-back guarantee.
CorporateCustom
Managed deployment for teams, priced per seat: everything in Pro plus a custom domain, single sign-on, user management and priority support.
Toby
Starter$0
Up to 60 saved tabs, unlimited members, spaces, collections, session saving, tags, notes and basic search.
Productivity$4.50
per member / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
Unlimited saved tabs, advanced search through history and duplicate-tab removal.
Team$8
per member / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
Everything in Productivity plus SSO, priority support and centralized billing.
EnterpriseCustom
The pricing page tells larger organizations to contact the vendor; no price is published.
Ways to pay less
Karakeep
- Annual discount
Save 17% with yearly billing
The pricing page lists Pro at $4 a month or $40 a year, and labels the yearly option as a 17% saving.
Toby
- Annual discount
Save 20-25% with yearly billing
Productivity is $4.50 per member a month billed yearly against $6 billed monthly; Team is $8 against $10.
- Education
Student and educator discount
The pricing page links a student and educator verification request for a discount; the amount is not stated.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Karakeep or Toby?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Karakeep starts at $4 per month, or $40 per year (Pro, Karakeep Cloud), and Toby starts at $4.50 per member / month, billed yearly. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Karakeep or Toby?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Karakeep and Toby have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.