Top Self-Hosted Alternatives to Pocket in 2025
Looking for a way to manage your saved articles without relying on third-party services? Discover the best self-hosted alternatives to Pocket that put you in control of your reading list.
Hostly Team
Self-Hosting Enthusiast
Why Self-Host Your Read-It-Later Service?
While Pocket (now owned by Mozilla) is a popular read-it-later service, many users prefer self-hosted alternatives for several compelling reasons:
- Privacy - Your reading habits and saved articles aren't tracked by third parties
- Data ownership - You control your data and can export or migrate it whenever needed
- Customization - Self-hosted solutions can often be modified to suit your specific needs
- No subscription fees - Avoid recurring costs for premium features
- Longevity - Your service won't suddenly shut down or change its terms
With these benefits in mind, let's explore the top self-hosted alternatives to Pocket available in 2025.
Top Self-Hosted Alternatives to Pocket
1 Wallabag
Wallabag is the most popular self-hosted alternative to Pocket. It allows you to save web pages for later reading with a clean, distraction-free interface. With browser extensions, mobile apps, and an API, Wallabag offers a complete ecosystem for managing your reading list.
Key Features:
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Browser extensions
- API for third-party integration
- Article tagging
- Full-text search
- EPUB export
2 Shiori
Shiori is a simple bookmarking manager with a clean interface. While more focused on bookmarking than read-it-later functionality, it offers excellent organization features with tags and collections. It's lightweight and easy to set up.
Key Features:
- Responsive web interface
- Tag-based organization
- Full-text search
- Page archiving
- Simple installation
3 LinkAce
LinkAce is a self-hosted, bookmark archive with advanced features like automatic backups of bookmarked websites. It's perfect for users who want to ensure they never lose access to important content, even if the original site goes offline.
Key Features:
- Automatic website backups
- Lists and tags organization
- Link checking
- Browser extensions
- RESTful API
4 Omnivore
Omnivore is a modern, open-source read-it-later solution with sleek apps across platforms. It features highlighting, annotations, and excellent article parsing. While it offers a hosted solution, it can also be self-hosted.
Key Features:
- Highlighting and annotations
- Modern UI
- Mobile apps
- Newsletter integration
- Social features
5 Readflow
Readflow is a lightweight feed reader and read-it-later application designed for simplicity. It offers a minimalist interface that focuses on the reading experience, with responsive design for both desktop and mobile use.
Key Features:
- Feed aggregation
- Article categorization
- Mobile-friendly interface
- Reading progress tracking
Installation Considerations
All of these alternatives can be self-hosted using Docker containers, making deployment relatively straightforward. However, they vary in resource requirements and complexity:
- Lightest option: Shiori is the most lightweight and easiest to set up, perfect for resource-constrained environments.
- Most feature-rich: Wallabag offers the most complete feature set that closely matches Pocket's functionality.
- Best UI experience: Omnivore provides the most modern and polished user interface.
- Best for archiving: LinkAce excels at preserving content for the long term.
Migration from Pocket
Most users will want to bring their existing Pocket articles with them. Here's how each alternative handles Pocket imports:
- Wallabag: Built-in Pocket importer that works with Pocket's export format
- Shiori: Requires a simple script for conversion (available on GitHub)
- LinkAce: Supports importing from Pocket export files
- Omnivore: Offers direct import from Pocket via API
- Readflow: Limited import capability, best for starting fresh
Conclusion
Self-hosting your read-it-later service gives you greater control, privacy, and customization options. While Pocket is convenient, these alternatives offer compelling features without the drawbacks of a third-party service.
We recommend Wallabag for most users looking for a direct Pocket replacement, Omnivore for those who value a modern UI and highlighting features, and Shiori for users who prefer a lightweight solution.
Have you tried any of these Pocket alternatives? Let us know your experience in the comments below or share your favorite self-hosted read-it-later solution that we missed!