The wallabag Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about wallabag 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.
wallabag
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source read-it-later app you can self-host or use hosted
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among read-later and bookmark apps, read from wallabag’s own pages.
Made by Nicolas Lœuillet and wallabag contributors · 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 wallabag’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on wallabag’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
3.2
GPA, above 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade
wallabag is an open-source read-it-later application that saves the readable text of web articles into a personal archive with tags, full-text search and annotations. It can be installed on your own server at no charge under the MIT license, or used through wallabag.it, a paid service hosted in Europe and run by one of the project's developers. Saved articles can be read on the web, in mobile apps with offline reading, through feeds in an RSS reader or on an e-reader.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about wallabag, taken from its own pages and our grades.
There's no desktop app, and the iPhone app went closed source with paid features of its own, so the project no longer calls it official.
- 1
Best for an open-source read-later archive
wallabag is an open-source read-later app that saves an article's text into your own archive, with tags, full-text search and highlights.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $1.03 a month
As its pricing page puts it: 11 € per year, or 4 € for 3 months (wallabag.it hosted service).
- 3
There is a free plan
The open-source software is free to install on your own server under the MIT license. The hosted wallabag.it service has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Article extraction and reading view
wallabag pulls the article content out of a saved page and stores the readable text in your account, shown in a distraction-free view that adapts to phones and tablets.
- 6
Tags, filters and full-text search
Saved articles can be tagged, marked as favorites, filtered and found again through a search engine that covers their full text.
- 7
Highlights and annotations
An annotation system lets you highlight extracts in an article and write notes against them.
- 8
A 3.2 GPA, above 32 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 wallabag you could make: read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
wallabag at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from 11 € per year, or 4 € for 3 months (wallabag.it hosted service)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of wallabag.it with no credit card; saving by email, feeds and imports are held back for subscribers
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Nicolas Lœuillet and wallabag contributors, since 2013
- Category
- Read Later & Bookmarks
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
The report card
Best for an open-source read-later archive
wallabag is an open-source read-later app that saves an article's text into your own archive, with tags, full-text search and highlights. It's free if you host it yourself, and the hosted wallabag.it costs 11 € a year, in euros only, after a 14-day trial with email saving, feeds and imports switched off. There's no desktop app, and the iPhone app went closed source with paid features of its own, so the project no longer calls it official.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | wallabag.it is 11 € a year, under a euro a month, where the lowest-priced quarter of reading tools here starts at $2.42 a month. Every feature is included and nothing renews automatically. The software itself is free on your own server, and a 30 € option is the same service with extra going to the project. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The full application is free under the MIT licence with nothing held back, as long as you have a server for it and don't mind doing the backups and upgrades. The hosted service is the part with no free plan: 14 days, no credit card, with saving by email, feeds and imports switched off during the trial. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole read-later job: the article pulled out of the page into a clean view, tags, filters, full-text search, highlights and notes, exports as PDF, ePUB and mobi, private RSS feeds of your list, and imports from Pocket, Instapaper, Pinboard and Omnivore with tags intact. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. On wallabag.it you sign up and save pages in one click from Chrome or Firefox, but the free route is installing it on your own server and handling backups and upgrades, and that's a different afternoon entirely. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, Android and iOS apps with offline reading, Chrome and Firefox add-ons, an API, and feeds that plug into Miniflux, FreshRSS and other readers, with Kobo and PocketBook covered by community apps. No desktop app, and the iOS app went closed source from version 7.6. |
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 wallabag is for
- Fits if you want a read-later archive on a server you control
- Works for readers who'll pay 11 € a year for a hosted service based in Europe
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want a free hosted plan: wallabag.it has a 14-day trial, then 4 € for 3 months or 11 € a year
- Watch out: during the hosted trial, saving by email, RSS feeds and imports are switched off
- Skip it if you want an official iPhone app, as the iOS app went closed source with its own paid features from 7.6
- Tight if you go the free route, since that means installing it on your own server and doing backups and upgrades
- Not for you if you want to pay in dollars or want a desktop app: prices are in euros and there's no desktop app
Good to know
Good for
- People who want a read-later archive on a server they control
- Readers looking for a low-cost hosted service based in Europe
- Reading saved articles on a Kobo or PocketBook e-reader
- Former Pocket and Omnivore users moving an existing archive
Worth knowing
- The hosted wallabag.it service has no free plan: after the 14-day trial it costs 4 € for 3 months or 11 € a year, and prices are in euros only.
- During the wallabag.it trial, saving by email, RSS and Atom feeds and imports from other services are switched off.
- Using wallabag at no cost means installing it on your own server and handling backups and upgrades yourself.
- The iOS app went closed source with its own paid features from version 7.6, and the project no longer presents it as the official iOS app.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$1.03
A month to start. There is a free plan too
wallabag has a free plan. Paid plans start at 11 € per year, or 4 € for 3 months (wallabag.it hosted service).
Every feature is included and nothing renews automatically.
Self-hosted
Free
The full open-source application on a server you install, back up and upgrade yourself.
3 months
4 €
for 3 months, not renewed automatically
The complete hosted wallabag.it service for one quarter, with every feature included.
1 year
11 €
per year, not renewed automatically
The complete hosted service for a year in a single payment; the vendor marks it as its most popular plan.
The ❤️ subscription
30 €
per year
The same hosted service and features, priced higher to give extra funding to the open-source project and its maintenance.
The free plan
The open-source software is free to install on your own server under the MIT license. The hosted wallabag.it service has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Trying it first
14-day free trial of wallabag.it with no credit card; saving by email, feeds and imports are held back for subscribers
Read from wallabag.it on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
A year costs less than four 3-month terms
The pricing page lists 11 € for one year against 4 € for 3 months, so a year bought in one payment costs 5 € less than four consecutive 3-month subscriptions.
Stated on wallabag.it
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 read-it-later app you can self-host or use hosted. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, works offline, public API, read later, highlights.
- Article extraction and reading view
- wallabag pulls the article content out of a saved page and stores the readable text in your account, shown in a distraction-free view that adapts to phones and tablets.
- Tags, filters and full-text search
- Saved articles can be tagged, marked as favorites, filtered and found again through a search engine that covers their full text.
- Highlights and annotations
- An annotation system lets you highlight extracts in an article and write notes against them.
- Mobile apps and browser add-ons
- Android and iOS apps download saved articles for offline reading, and Chrome and Firefox add-ons save the page you are on in one click.
- Feeds, e-readers and export
- Unread, starred, archived or tagged articles can be published as private RSS or Atom feeds, sent to Kobo and PocketBook e-readers with community apps, and exported as PDF, ePUB, mobi, JSON, CSV, txt or HTML.
- Imports from other services
- Reading lists can be imported from Pocket, Instapaper, Pinboard, Omnivore, Shaarli, another wallabag instance or any RSS or Atom feed, keeping tags and read and favorite status.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Miniflux
- FreshRSS
- Tiny Tiny RSS
- Unread
- Fiery Feeds
- Vienna RSS
- Kobo
- PocketBook
wallabag is made by Nicolas Lœuillet and wallabag contributors, and has been around since 2013.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
32/36
Other read-later and bookmark apps it is graded above
wallabag's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 26 of 36) and worst on ease of use (C, above 4).
Its paid plans start at about $1.03 a month, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 0 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. wallabag’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 23 of 36
- AFree plan and trialAbove 26 of 36
- BFeaturesAbove 10 of 36
- CEase of useAbove 4 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. wallabag 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 wallabag you could make: read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade. It costs $12.33 a year. wallabag is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- 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 plugs into other products, Miniflux, FreshRSS and Tiny Tiny RSS among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. wallabag’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
Readeck, Instapaper, Karakeep, Linkwarden and Readwise
The 5 tools wallabag is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Readeck
Free
Open-source, self-hosted read-later and bookmark archive.
- Only Readeck lists a macOS app.
- Readeck also covers bookmarks.
- 3.0GPA
Instapaper
Free plan · from $5.99/mo
Read-later app that strips articles down to clean text.
- Only Instapaper lists a macOS app.
- wallabag is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
Karakeep
Free plan · from $4/mo
Open-source bookmark app that tags saved links, notes and images.
- Karakeep also covers bookmarks.
- 2.8GPA
Linkwarden
Free plan · from $3/mo
Open-source bookmark manager that preserves a copy of each page.
- Linkwarden also covers bookmarks.
- 3.0GPA
Readwise
Free trial · from $5.59/mo
Highlight library with a daily review and a read-later app.
- wallabag has a free plan. Readwise does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Readwise lists macOS and Windows apps.
- wallabag is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
16
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 wallabag free?
wallabag has a free plan. The open-source software is free to install on your own server under the MIT license.
How much does wallabag cost?
wallabag lists 4 plans. Self-hosted: Free.
What platforms does wallabag work on?
wallabag is available on Web, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does wallabag offer any discounts?
wallabag publicly lists the following: A year costs less than four 3-month terms.
Does wallabag have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. wallabag is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does wallabag have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. wallabag is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is wallabag open source?
Yes. wallabag is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does wallabag work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Does wallabag have an API?
Yes. wallabag offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does wallabag integrate with?
wallabag's listing names Miniflux, FreshRSS, Tiny Tiny RSS, Unread, Fiery Feeds, Vienna RSS, Kobo and PocketBook.
Does wallabag have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial of wallabag.it with no credit card; saving by email, feeds and imports are held back for subscribers.
Who makes wallabag?
wallabag is made by Nicolas Lœuillet and wallabag contributors. It dates from 2013.
What are the alternatives to wallabag?
The closest alternatives to wallabag in our directory are Readeck, Instapaper, Karakeep, Linkwarden and Readwise.
How does wallabag compare with other read-later and bookmark apps?
wallabag's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 4.
Is wallabag good value for money?
ToolGPA grades wallabag A for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $1.03 a month, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 0 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of wallabag?
The plain part of wallabag you could make: read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from wallabag’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 wallabag's own pages on 6 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-01-28.
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 Nicolas Lœuillet and wallabag contributors. Prices change, so check wallabag.org before you buy.
- wallabag.it/en/pricing/
- wallabag.org/
- wallabag.org/apps-and-readers/
- wallabag.org/self-hosting/
- wallabag.org/news/20260327-important-change-ios-app/
- wallabag.it/en/
- wallabag.it/en/features/
- wallabag.it/en/applications/
- wallabag.it/en/faq/
- wallabag.it/en/legal-notice/
- github.com/wallabag/wallabag
- doc.wallabag.org/
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
- wallabag, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/wallabag
- 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, "wallabag: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/wallabag
Know someone choosing between read-later and bookmark apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/wallabag/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded read-later and bookmark apps after wallabag, 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 wallabag’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. wallabag is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Nicolas Lœuillet and wallabag contributors. Prices and plans change: check wallabag.org before you buy.