Key Takeaways
- Formerly named Hoarder β the GitHub repository README now reads "Karakeep (formerly Hoarder)," and the Android app's package name (
app.hoarder.hoardermobile) still carries the old name as a leftover from the rename - Self-hosted via Docker Compose using the official docker-compose.yml; a managed cloud version is also available at cloud.karakeep.app for anyone who does not want to run their own server
- AI-based automatic tagging and summarization run through a configured LLM provider β the OpenAI API, or a local Ollama endpoint if you want the tagging step to stay fully local too
- Saves links, notes, images, and PDFs, with automatic metadata fetching and full-page archiving to fight link rot
- Full-text, hybrid, and semantic search, plus OCR that indexes text found inside saved images
- Native iOS and Android apps, and Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browser extensions for one-click capture
- AGPL-3.0 license; free to self-host; the GitHub repository (github.com/karakeep-app/karakeep) shows roughly 29,100 stars as of September 2026
- Also offers a first-party MCP server and CLI, plus a markdown-first REST API for scripting and AI-assistant integrations
π In One Sentence
Karakeep is a free, open-source (AGPL-3.0), self-hostable bookmark-and-notes app β formerly named Hoarder β that automatically tags, summarizes, and indexes everything you save using an AI model you configure, either a cloud provider or a local Ollama endpoint.
π¬ In Plain Terms
Instead of letting links pile up in a folder of browser bookmarks, Karakeep saves the page content, generates tags and a summary with AI, and makes everything searchable later β and because it is self-hosted, your saved content lives on a server you control instead of a company's cloud.
πNote: This review is the deep-dive companion to Karakeep's entry in the Local LLM Software Directory β see that page for how Karakeep compares at a glance to dozens of other local AI tools.
What Is Karakeep?
Karakeep is a self-hostable application for saving and organizing links, notes, images, and PDFs, with an AI model doing the tagging and summarizing for you. Its own GitHub description calls it "a self-hostable bookmark-everything app (links, notes and images) with AI-based automatic tagging and full text search." The project is a hybrid tool by design: your saved content and search index live entirely on infrastructure you control, but the AI features that auto-tag and summarize what you save depend on a configured LLM provider β either a cloud API (OpenAI) or a local one (Ollama) that you point Karakeep at.
- Core function: capture links, notes, images, and PDFs from a browser extension, mobile app, or the web UI, then let AI tag, categorize, and summarize each item automatically
- Data store: fully self-hosted β your bookmarks, archived pages, and search index live on your own Docker host, not a third party's server, unless you choose the managed cloud.karakeep.app option instead
- AI provider: configurable per deployment β point Karakeep at the OpenAI API, or at a local Ollama endpoint so the tagging model itself runs on your own hardware too
- Developer: an open-source community project (GitHub organization karakeep-app), with over 150 contributors per the repository's own contributor count
- Canonical repository: github.com/karakeep-app/karakeep β the project's current name and organization, after its earlier "Hoarder" branding
From Hoarder to Karakeep: Project History
Karakeep was originally released under the name Hoarder, and later rebranded to its current name. The project's GitHub repository README describes it plainly: "Karakeep (formerly Hoarder) is a self-hostable bookmark-everything app." The rename is also visible in a few places the team has not fully scrubbed yet β the Android app on Google Play, for example, still ships under the package identifier app.hoarder.hoardermobile, even though the app itself is branded and listed as Karakeep. PromptQuorum could not independently verify an exact rename date from the GitHub README or the karakeep.app website alone; if the project publishes a dedicated migration announcement with a specific date, treat that as the authoritative source over this summary.
What has stayed consistent across the rename is the project's core positioning and its open-source AGPL-3.0 license. The GitHub repository has grown to roughly 29,100 stars, over 150 contributors, and more than 2,200 commits on its main branch as of this review, putting it among the more actively developed self-hosted bookmark managers available.
What Can You Do With Karakeep?
Karakeep's feature set covers three things: capturing content from anywhere, letting AI organize it automatically, and making all of it searchable later. Here is what each part actually does, per Karakeep's own website and documentation.
- Universal capture β save links, freeform notes, images, and PDFs from the web app, a mobile app, or a browser extension, with automatic metadata fetching (title, description, preview image) for links
- AI auto-tagging and summarization β an LLM you configure (the OpenAI API or a local Ollama endpoint) generates tags and a short summary for each saved item automatically, so you do not have to file things by hand
- Full-page and video archiving β Karakeep archives a saved page's full content, and can archive video, so a link still has value to you even after the original page changes or disappears
- Full-text, hybrid, and semantic search β search by exact keyword, a hybrid of keyword and meaning-based matching, or pure semantic search that finds relevant items even when they do not share your exact search terms
- OCR for images β text inside a saved screenshot or photo is extracted and indexed, so a screenshot of a receipt or a quote is searchable the same way a saved link is
- Lists and collaborative sharing β organize saved items into lists, and share a list with permission levels for people you collaborate with
- Automation rules, RSS auto-save, and an MCP server/CLI β custom rules for auto-tagging or sorting, RSS feed subscriptions that auto-save new items, and a first-party Model Context Protocol server plus CLI for scripting and AI-assistant integrations
Usage Examples: Three Ways to Use Karakeep
These are concrete workflows built from Karakeep's documented features above β not hypothetical use cases.
How to Self-Host Karakeep
Karakeep is self-hosted with Docker Compose. The steps below follow Karakeep's own Docker installation documentation β always check that page directly for anything that changes between releases.
# 1. Download the official docker-compose.yml
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/karakeep-app/karakeep/main/docker/docker-compose.yml
# 2. Create a .env file with required secrets
cat > .env << 'EOF'
KARAKEEP_VERSION=release
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=$(openssl rand -base64 36)
MEILI_MASTER_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 36)
NEXTAUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000
# Optional β enable AI auto-tagging with OpenAI:
# OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key_here
# Optional β enable AI auto-tagging with a local Ollama endpoint instead:
# OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://host.docker.internal:11434
EOF
# 3. Start Karakeep
docker compose up -d
# Karakeep is now running at http://localhost:3000Karakeep Apps and Browser Extensions
Alongside the self-hosted server, Karakeep ships native mobile apps and browser extensions so capture works the same way on every device. Links below are the official listings found during this review β always verify against karakeep.app/apps directly, since store listings can change.
Platform | Download |
|---|---|
| iOS (iPhone/iPad) | Karakeep on the App Store |
| Android | Karakeep on Google Play |
| Chrome / Chromium | Karakeep on the Chrome Web Store |
| Firefox | Karakeep on Firefox Add-ons |
| Safari (macOS) | Listed on the Karakeep Apps page β install via the Mac App Store |
The Android app's package identifier (app.hoarder.hoardermobile) still carries the project's original "Hoarder" name β a leftover from before the rebrand, not a sign it is a different or unofficial app. Every client connects to your own self-hosted server (or to cloud.karakeep.app if you use the managed cloud option) β none of them work standalone without a Karakeep server behind them.
Karakeep Pricing: Is It Really Free?
Self-hosting Karakeep costs nothing beyond your own server. The application is free and open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license, with no paid tier gating any feature of the self-hosted version.
- No license fee to self-host Karakeep; AGPL-3.0 covers the entire application, per the GitHub repository's license
- A managed cloud option is available at cloud.karakeep.app for people who would rather not run their own server β check that page directly for current pricing, since this review focuses on the self-hosted path
- AI auto-tagging is not free by itself if you connect the OpenAI API β you pay OpenAI directly for that usage; Karakeep does not add a markup
- Point Karakeep at a local Ollama endpoint instead of OpenAI, and AI tagging runs on your own hardware with no per-request API cost at all
Karakeep vs. Linkwarden
Karakeep and Linkwarden are two of the most-used self-hosted, AGPL-3.0-licensed bookmark managers, and they get compared often because both offer full-page archiving, native mobile apps, and AI-assisted tagging. The clearest differences are in how each handles search and collaboration.
Aspect | Karakeep | Linkwarden |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| AI tagging | OpenAI API or local Ollama endpoint | Local AI tagging option |
| Search | Full-text, hybrid, and semantic search, plus OCR on saved images | Full-text search |
| Archiving | Full-page archiving; video archiving | Full-page archiving to PDF and screenshot |
| Collaboration | Shared lists with permission levels | Shared collections, team invites, public collection pages |
| Mobile apps | Native iOS and Android apps | Native iOS and Android apps |
| Managed cloud | cloud.karakeep.app | Official cloud hosting (from $3/month) |
If your priority is search quality β semantic search plus OCR on saved screenshots β Karakeep's feature set is the broader of the two here. If your priority is deeper team collaboration with public collection pages, Linkwarden is worth evaluating directly at linkwarden.app. Both are free to self-host under the same AGPL-3.0 license; verify current feature details on each project's own site before deciding, since both ship updates frequently.
Who Should Use Karakeep?
Whether Karakeep fits depends on whether you want a self-hosted bookmark manager with AI organization built in, and whether you are comfortable running a Docker stack.
Karakeep vs. Other Self-Hosted Knowledge Tools
Karakeep is one of several self-hosted tools for turning your own notes, bookmarks, and documents into a searchable personal knowledge base. Here is how it sits next to other options in that space β see the Local LLM Software Directory for the full catalog, and the dedicated Karakeep vs. Linkwarden comparison above for the closest head-to-head.
- Onyx β a self-hosted enterprise search and RAG platform (formerly Danswer) built for indexing much larger, team-scale document sets than a personal bookmark manager; see the Onyx review for full details.
- Vane β a self-hosted AI answering engine (formerly Perplexica) focused on AI-generated answers backed by web and local search rather than bookmark capture; see the Vane review.
- Joplin (AI Agent plugin) β an open-source, end-to-end-encrypted note-taking app with an AI agent plugin, closer to Karakeep in self-hosted philosophy but built around structured notes rather than bookmark-first capture; see the Joplin AI Agent review.
- Smart Connections β an Obsidian plugin that adds local AI-powered semantic search and chat over your existing vault, for readers who already keep notes in Obsidian rather than a dedicated bookmark app; see the Smart Connections review.
Common Mistakes When Evaluating Karakeep
Most confusion about Karakeep comes from its rename from Hoarder, its AI provider setup, or assuming it requires a cloud AI subscription to work at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Karakeep?
Karakeep (karakeep.app, source at github.com/karakeep-app/karakeep) is a free, open-source (AGPL-3.0), self-hostable app for saving links, notes, images, and PDFs, with AI-based automatic tagging, summarization, and full-text plus semantic search.
Is Karakeep the same thing as Hoarder?
Yes. Karakeep's GitHub repository README describes the project as "formerly Hoarder" β it is the same codebase and community under a new name, not a separate fork or rewrite.
Is Karakeep free?
Self-hosting Karakeep is free β it is licensed under AGPL-3.0 with no paid tier gating any feature. A managed cloud option exists at cloud.karakeep.app for people who would rather not self-host; check that page directly for its current pricing.
Does Karakeep require a cloud AI subscription to work?
No. Karakeep functions as a plain bookmark manager with no AI provider configured. Automatic AI tagging and summarization specifically need either an OpenAI API key or a local Ollama endpoint set in your configuration β without one of those, you keep search and manual organization but not automatic tagging.
Can Karakeep's AI tagging run fully locally?
Yes, if you set OLLAMA_BASE_URL to point at a local Ollama instance instead of using OPENAI_API_KEY. With that configuration, the AI model that generates tags and summaries runs on your own hardware rather than a cloud API.
How do you self-host Karakeep?
Download the official docker-compose.yml, create a .env file with NEXTAUTH_SECRET and MEILI_MASTER_KEY (plus an optional OPENAI_API_KEY or OLLAMA_BASE_URL for AI tagging), and run docker compose up -d. Karakeep is then reachable at http://localhost:3000 by default β see the official Docker installation guide for full details.
What platforms and apps does Karakeep support?
A self-hosted web app, native iOS and Android apps, and Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browser extensions, plus a CLI and a first-party MCP server for AI-assistant integrations.
What license is Karakeep released under?
AGPL-3.0 (GNU Affero General Public License version 3), a copyleft license. Self-hosting privately for yourself or your team carries no obligation to publish anything; offering a modified version of Karakeep as a network service to others requires releasing your modified source, under AGPL Section 13.
How does Karakeep compare to Linkwarden?
Both are free, self-hosted, AGPL-3.0-licensed bookmark managers with mobile apps and archiving. Karakeep adds semantic search and OCR on saved images; Linkwarden has historically leaned further into team collaboration with public collection pages. See the Karakeep vs. Linkwarden comparison above for details.
Does Karakeep support OCR and searching inside images?
Yes. Karakeep extracts and indexes text found inside saved images through OCR, so a saved screenshot or photo becomes searchable the same way a saved link or note is.