If you’re looking to move off Pocket, you have options. Real ones. Here are the 4 open-source, self-hostable alternatives I’ve tested, with honest notes on what each does well and where each falls short.
Why leave Pocket?
- Mozilla shut down Pocket in 2025 — service ends July 8.
- Premium tier was $45/year for basics like full-text search.
- Your reading history was quietly used to train recommendation systems.
The 4 best self-hosted alternatives to Pocket
Wallabag
The direct Pocket replacement. Save articles, read offline, mobile apps, full-text search.
Visit Wallabag website →Readeck
Newer, single-binary self-hosted read-later. Cleaner UI than Wallabag.
Visit Readeck website →Quick comparison
| Alternative | Difficulty | License |
|---|---|---|
| Wallabag | Easy | MIT |
| Readeck | Easy | AGPL-3.0 |
| Shiori | Easy | MIT |
| Omnivore | Medium | AGPL-3.0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Pocket?
Yes. Every tool listed above is free and open source. Some, like Wallabag, also have optional paid hosted tiers if you don’t want to run the server yourself. Everything else is genuinely free to self-host — you pay only for your own hardware and time.
Which one should I pick if I’ve never self-hosted anything before?
Start with Wallabag. It’s the lowest-friction option here — realistic to have running in an afternoon on a small server or Raspberry Pi. If it doesn’t fit your workflow, Readeck is a good second try.
Can I run these on a Raspberry Pi?
Most of them, yes — the tools marked Easy here will comfortably run on a Pi 4 or Pi 5 with 4GB+ of RAM. The Medium tools may work but appreciate a mini PC or a spare desktop. Hard-tagged tools generally want real server hardware.
What about mobile apps?
It varies. Tools like Vaultwarden and Immich have native iOS/Android apps that connect to your server. Others rely on the web UI through your phone browser — fine for occasional use, not a full app experience.