The Linkwarden Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Linkwarden in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Linkwarden
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source bookmark manager that preserves a copy of each page
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among read-later and bookmark apps, read from Linkwarden’s own pages.
Made by Linkwarden · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Linkwarden’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Linkwarden’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 16 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade
Linkwarden is an open-source, collaborative bookmark manager that saves a copy of every bookmarked page as a screenshot, a PDF and a single HTML file, so the content stays readable if the original goes offline. Saved articles open in a reader view with highlighting and annotation, and collections can be shared with other people or with the public. It can be self-hosted for free or used as Linkwarden Cloud, a paid hosted plan priced per user.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Linkwarden, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Running your own instance is the harder road.
- 1
Best for keeping a lasting copy of every bookmark
It's open source and free if you host it yourself.
- 2
Paid plans start at $3 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $3 per user / month, billed yearly ($4 billed monthly).
- 3
There is a free plan
The self-hosted version is free and open source under AGPLv3; you deploy and maintain the instance yourself. Linkwarden Cloud has no free plan.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Full-page preservation
Each saved page is captured as a screenshot, a PDF and a single HTML file, and can optionally be sent to the Wayback Machine for a snapshot.
- 6
Reader view with highlights
Saved articles open in a dedicated reader view where the font style can be adjusted and text can be highlighted and annotated.
- 7
Collections, tags and AI tagging
Links are organized into collections and sub-collections with multiple tags, and optional AI tagging labels new links based on their content.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 16 of 36
That is against the other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Linkwarden you could make: bookmarks, read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Linkwarden at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $3 per user / month, billed yearly ($4 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Linkwarden Cloud; a credit card is required and billing starts when the trial ends
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Linkwarden
- Category
- Read Later & Bookmarks
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for keeping a lasting copy of every bookmark
Linkwarden is a bookmark manager that saves each page as a screenshot, a PDF and a single HTML file, so it's still readable when the original goes. It's open source and free if you host it yourself. Cloud is $3 a user a month billed yearly plus tax, with no free plan, a trial that needs a card and bills automatically, refunds only within 3 days, and 30,000 links a seat.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Cloud is $3 a user a month billed yearly, above this category's $2.42 line for the cheapest quarter and short of its $6.99 dear end: ordinary money, in other words. The open-source version is free, but only if you run it on a server yourself, and tax goes on top of Cloud with refunds only inside 3 days. |
| Free plan and trial | B | There's a free route one person could really live on, but it means running the open-source version on your own server. Linkwarden Cloud has no free plan at all, just 14 days that need a credit card and bill you when they end. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole job: every page kept as a screenshot, a PDF and a single HTML file, optionally pushed to the Wayback Machine, plus a reader view with highlights, collections inside collections, AI tagging, full-text search with operators, RSS feeds and shared collections. Karakeep does much the same. |
| Ease of use | B | No store rating on record, but on Cloud there's nothing to set up: saving is the browser extension or the phone app, and the copies are made for you. Running your own instance is the harder road. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android apps, an extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari, an API with access tokens, and Floccus to keep your browser's own bookmarks in step. No desktop app, which is what holds it to a B. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Linkwarden is for
- Fits if you want a lasting copy of every page you bookmark, not just the link
- Works for self-hosters, since the open-source version is free and includes single sign-on
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want a free hosted plan, as Linkwarden Cloud doesn't have one
- Skip it if you dislike trials that need a card, because this one bills automatically when the 14 days end
- Pricey if you hoard, since each Cloud seat covers 30,000 links and more means paying for extra seats
- Watch out: refunds are only offered within 3 days of the first payment, and tax goes on top
- Tight if you need single sign-on on Cloud, as it's listed for Enterprise and self-hosted users only
Good to know
Good for
- Keeping a lasting copy of every page you bookmark
- Small teams collecting research links in shared collections
- Self-hosters who want a free, open-source bookmark manager
Worth knowing
- Linkwarden Cloud has no free plan, and its 14-day trial needs a credit card and bills automatically when it ends.
- Each Cloud seat covers 30,000 links; saving more means paying for extra seats at the same per-user price.
- Single sign-on is listed for Enterprise and self-hosted users only.
- Refunds are offered only when requested within 3 days of the first payment.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$3
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Linkwarden has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3 per user / month, billed yearly ($4 billed monthly).
There's a free route one person could really live on, but it means running the open-source version on your own server.
Self-hosted
Free
The open-source application on a server you deploy and maintain yourself, including single sign-on support.
Cloud
$3
per user / month, billed yearly ($4 billed monthly), plus tax
Hosted by Linkwarden: full-page preservation, optional AI tagging, full-text search, highlights, RSS feeds and 30,000 links per user.
The free plan
The self-hosted version is free and open source under AGPLv3; you deploy and maintain the instance yourself. Linkwarden Cloud has no free plan.
Trying it first
14-day free trial of Linkwarden Cloud; a credit card is required and billing starts when the trial ends
Read from linkwarden.app on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
25% off with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as 25% off: $3 per user a month when billed annually against $4 billed monthly.
Stated on linkwarden.app
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4
Places it runs: Web, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Open-source bookmark manager that preserves a copy of each page. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, AI features, read later, bookmarks, highlights.
No desktop app, which is what holds it to a B.
- Full-page preservation
- Each saved page is captured as a screenshot, a PDF and a single HTML file, and can optionally be sent to the Wayback Machine for a snapshot.
- Reader view with highlights
- Saved articles open in a dedicated reader view where the font style can be adjusted and text can be highlighted and annotated.
- Collections, tags and AI tagging
- Links are organized into collections and sub-collections with multiple tags, and optional AI tagging labels new links based on their content.
- Sharing and collaboration
- Invite other people to gather links in a collection with permissions set per member, or share a collection and its preserved copies publicly.
- Search, RSS feeds and bulk actions
- Full-text search with advanced operators and filters, RSS feed subscriptions that add new articles to a collection, bulk editing, and import and export.
- Apps, browser extension and API
- iOS and Android apps, an open-source extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari, browser bookmark sync through Floccus, and an API secured with access tokens.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Floccus
- Wayback Machine
- SingleFile
Linkwarden is made by Linkwarden.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
16/36
Other read-later and bookmark apps it is graded above
Linkwarden's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 16 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 15 of 36) and worst on value for money (C, above 6).
Its paid plans start at $3 a month for each person, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 11 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Linkwarden’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 36
- BFree plan and trialAbove 15 of 36
- BFeaturesAbove 10 of 36
- BEase of useAbove 15 of 36
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 10 of 36
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 33 read-later and bookmark apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Linkwarden is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Linkwarden you could make: bookmarks, read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $36 a year. Linkwarden is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Bookmarks, read later and highlights: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Floccus, Wayback Machine and SingleFile among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Linkwarden’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Karakeep, Raindrop.io, linkding, Pinboard and wallabag
The 5 tools Linkwarden is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Karakeep
Free plan · from $4/mo
Open-source bookmark app that tags saved links, notes and images.
- 3.2GPA
Raindrop.io
Free plan · from $28/yr
Bookmark manager with collections, tags and highlights.
- Only Raindrop.io lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Linkwarden is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
linkding
Free
Minimal, self-hosted bookmark manager with tags and archiving.
- Only Linkwarden lists iOS and Android apps.
- Linkwarden also covers highlights.
- 2.2GPA
Pinboard
From $22/yr
Paid bookmarking site with tags, privacy and page archiving.
- Linkwarden has a free plan. Pinboard does not.
- Only Linkwarden lists iOS and Android apps.
- Linkwarden is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 3.2GPA
wallabag
Free plan · from €11/yr
Open-source read-it-later app you can self-host or use hosted.
- Linkwarden also covers bookmarks.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Linkwarden free?
Linkwarden has a free plan. The self-hosted version is free and open source under AGPLv3; you deploy and maintain the instance yourself.
How much does Linkwarden cost?
Linkwarden lists 2 plans. Self-hosted: Free.
What platforms does Linkwarden work on?
Linkwarden is available on Web, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does Linkwarden offer any discounts?
Linkwarden publicly lists the following: 25% off with yearly billing.
Does Linkwarden have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Linkwarden is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Linkwarden have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Linkwarden is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Linkwarden open source?
Yes. Linkwarden is open source, according to its own site.
Does Linkwarden have an API?
Yes. Linkwarden offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Linkwarden integrate with?
Linkwarden's listing names Floccus, Wayback Machine and SingleFile. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Linkwarden have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial of Linkwarden Cloud; a credit card is required and billing starts when the trial ends.
Who makes Linkwarden?
Linkwarden is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Linkwarden?
The closest alternatives to Linkwarden in our directory are Karakeep, Raindrop.io, linkding, Pinboard and wallabag.
How does Linkwarden compare with other read-later and bookmark apps?
Linkwarden's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 16 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 5.
Is Linkwarden good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Linkwarden C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $3 a month for each person, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 11 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Linkwarden?
The plain part of Linkwarden you could make: bookmarks, read later and highlights.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Linkwarden’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Linkwarden's own pages on 6 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-02-23.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Linkwarden. Prices change, so check linkwarden.app before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Linkwarden, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/linkwarden
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Linkwarden: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/linkwarden
Know someone choosing between read-later and bookmark apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/linkwarden/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded read-later and bookmark apps after Linkwarden, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Read Later & Bookmarks Insider's GuideEvery one of the 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, compared
- FeedFlow Insider's GuideFree, open-source RSS reader for mobile and desktop3.2 GPA
- Flipboard Insider's GuideFree news aggregator built around topics and shared Magazines3.2 GPA
- Miniflux Insider's GuideMinimalist open-source feed reader, self-hosted or hosted3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Linkwarden’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Linkwarden is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Linkwarden. Prices and plans change: check linkwarden.app before you buy.