LinkDing
$9.00 / month with a 7-day free trial and a $1.00 sign-up fee
Fast, minimal self-hosted bookmark manager — tags, full-text search, browser extensions, single-file archive snapshots. The Pinboard alternative that’s still being built.
A managed instance of LinkDing on ElfHosted — the bookmark manager that finally feels right after Delicious died, Pinboard stagnated, and Raindrop.io became a freemium upsell. Tag links, search across the entire library by content, archive copies of pages locally, and connect via Firefox/Chrome browser extensions. MIT-licensed.
Bookmarks aren't a solved problem. The good ones (Delicious, Pinboard) either died or stalled; the new ones (Raindrop, GoodLinks) lock you into someone's pricing strategy. LinkDing just keeps shipping.
What is LinkDing?
LinkDing is a self-hosted bookmark manager — fast, minimal, opinionated about not adding bloat. Save URLs from your browser via the Firefox / Chrome / Edge extension; tag, search, organise; archive a snapshot of the page so the bookmark survives the source going offline. Django/Python under the hood, MIT-licensed, single-developer-led but actively shipped.
It does not try to be a read-it-later (that's Wallabag's job). It does not try to be a notes app (FlatNotes/Obsidian/etc.). It's a focused bookmark library — exactly what Pinboard would be if Pinboard were still under active development.
Features
- 🏷️ Tags & full-text search — every bookmark gets a tag set; the search box matches across URL, title, description, tags, and your private notes.
- 🌐 Browser extensions — official Firefox & Chrome extensions; one click on any page → saved to your LinkDing.
- 📸 Single-file archive snapshots — optionally store a complete offline copy of each saved page (HTML + inlined assets) so the bookmark survives link-rot.
- 📝 Per-bookmark markdown notes — annotate why you saved a link, paste relevant excerpts, leave breadcrumbs for future-you.
- 👥 Multi-user with sharing — give household / team members their own accounts; share specific tag groups publicly.
- 🤖 REST API — for scripts, integrations, and third-party clients.
- 📰 RSS feeds for tag groups — your "to-read" tag becomes a feed any RSS reader can consume.
- 📥 Import from Pinboard / Pocket / Raindrop / Firefox / Chrome / Netscape HTML — bring your existing collection over without re-tagging.
- 🔓 FOSS & MIT-licensed — no premium tier, no telemetry, no upsell.
LinkDing vs Other Bookmark / Read-Later Tools
- vs. Wallabag — different jobs. Wallabag is a read-it-later: fetches the full article, gives you a reader-mode UI, optimised for reading. LinkDing is a bookmark manager: stores URL + metadata + (optional) snapshot, optimised for finding. Many users run both — Wallabag for "I'll read this later", LinkDing for "I'll need to find this again".
- vs. Pinboard — same shape, but Pinboard hasn't received meaningful updates in years. LinkDing is the modern equivalent: same focused scope, actively maintained, plus snapshot archiving Pinboard never added.
- vs. Raindrop.io — Raindrop is feature-rich and free-tier-limited (premium for unlimited bookmarks). LinkDing has no tiers, no caps, and no upsell — but also no built-in collaboration features beyond "share a tag publicly". Pick Raindrop if you want shared collections; LinkDing if you want owned-and-bounded.
- vs. browser bookmarks — browser bookmarks have no full-text search, no archive snapshots, no cross-device sync without a vendor account, and become unmanageable past a few hundred entries. LinkDing solves all four problems.
Why Run LinkDing on ElfHosted?
LinkDing is straightforward to self-host (Django + SQLite/Postgres), but most users don't want to maintain even a small Django app. ElfHosted handles:
- Pre-configured Python/Django + database stack — no LAMP/Postgres setup.
- HTTPS on your own ElfHosted subdomain — required for the browser extensions to talk to your instance over the public internet.
- Persistent storage for both the bookmark database and the single-file archive snapshots (which can grow over time).
- Updates handled across versions; LinkDing ships releases regularly with improvements.
- Single subscription: $9/month all-in.
Technical Specifications
- 🛠️ Software: LinkDing (FOSS, MIT)
- ⚙️ Stack: Python / Django + SQLite or PostgreSQL
- 🌐 Browser extensions: official Firefox & Chrome (works on Edge, Brave, Vivaldi via Chrome extension); third-party Safari, iOS, Android apps available
- 📸 Archive engine: single-file Chromium for HTML snapshots; on-demand or auto-on-save
- 📥 Import: Pinboard, Pocket, Raindrop, Firefox/Chrome HTML export, Netscape format
- 📤 Export: Netscape HTML, JSON
- 🤖 API: REST API with token auth; third-party clients (LinkAce, Hoarder companion clients) connect
- 📰 Feeds: RSS for any tag or filter
- 🔑 Subscription: $9/month — LinkDing itself is fully free
- 🌐 Access: HTTPS on your own ElfHosted subdomain
- 🔄 Updates: handled by ElfHosted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I run LinkDing without self-hosting it?
Add it to your ElfHosted subscription — this product is a managed LinkDing instance with HTTPS, persistent database, automatic updates, snapshot storage, and SSO via your ElfHosted account. No Django setup, no database admin.
Is LinkDing the same thing as Wallabag?
No. Wallabag is a read-it-later — it fetches the full article and presents a reader-mode UI for offline reading. LinkDing is a bookmark manager — it stores the URL, your tags/notes, and (optionally) a snapshot for archive purposes. Different jobs; many users run both.
What does the snapshot feature actually save?
A single-file HTML archive of the page at save-time (HTML + inlined CSS + inlined images). When the source site dies, link-rots, or paywalls, the snapshot still works. Stored in your ElfHosted backup-included storage.
Can I import my Pinboard / Pocket / Raindrop bookmarks?
Yes — LinkDing supports import from Pinboard, Pocket, Raindrop, Firefox/Chrome bookmark exports, and Netscape HTML. Tags transfer where the source format includes them.
Is there an iOS / Android app?
LinkDing's web UI is responsive and works fine on mobile. Third-party native apps exist (e.g. for iOS, "LinkDing for iOS"), and you can use the share sheet to send URLs via the REST API. The PWA install on iOS/Android also gives a near-native experience.
How does this compare to browser bookmarks?
Browser bookmarks have no full-text search, no archive snapshots, and no cross-device sync without a vendor account. LinkDing solves all three plus tagging plus sharing. Once a library passes a few hundred entries, browser bookmarks become unmanageable.
LinkDing is the bookmark manager Pinboard would have been if Pinboard had stayed actively developed — fast, minimal, focused, plus single-file archive snapshots that survive link-rot. Hosted on ElfHosted with HTTPS, automatic backups, and zero Django administration for $9/month.
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