LinkAce

LinkAce is a link archive for people and teams who want to keep bookmarks organized, checked, and shareable. It is strongest when you want control over how the archive is hosted, with a managed option for those who do not. The trade-off is that search works on link data, not page text.

Overview

LinkAce goes beyond collecting URLs: it regularly checks saved sites and can notify users when one becomes unavailable or moves. It also asks the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to archive a site when its link is saved. For reference collections that need upkeep and a preservation trail, those functions add practical value; neither replaces the other.

Tags and custom lists provide two ways to organize a collection. Search can filter and sort by properties such as URL and creation date, and duplicate detection helps prevent redundant entries. The lack of full-text search is a meaningful limitation: LinkAce is less suited to finding a page when you remember its contents but not its URL or other saved data.

Key features

Multiple users and OAuth or OIDC single sign-on support shared archives. Guest access can expose links, tags, and lists that are not marked private. Item-level visibility gives users control over what guests see, but requires care when setting access; review visibility before opening the archive to guests.

A browser bookmarklet opens a form for saving the page currently being viewed. The REST API and Zapier integration offer routes to connect the archive with other applications. LinkAce is available in 15 languages.

Self-hosters can choose SQLite, MySQL/MariaDB, or PostgreSQL for the database. The maker recommends Docker for most installations and also documents Kubernetes Helm, cloud deployment, and manual PHP setup. Backups can be stored on Amazon AWS or S3-compatible services. This flexibility suits people comfortable managing deployment and backups; it also leaves that operational work in their hands.

Pricing

The self-hosted plan is free and open source at no cost. It is the natural choice for users willing to run and maintain the software themselves, with no hosting charge.

LinkAce Hosting costs €4 a month, billed per Month and paid annually. It includes unlimited links, lists and tags, and users, with a fair-use traffic policy. The annual payment commitment matters even though the price is expressed monthly. Manual setup is part of the plan, so managed hosting does not mean a setup-free start. No user, link, or stored-data limits are stated for managed hosting, subject to the traffic policy.

LinkAce also invites donations through GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, Patreon, and Liberapay.

Platforms

LinkAce supports Android, iOS, web, Linux, and self-hosted use, alongside an API and browser extension. Mobile apps and an extension extend access beyond the web archive, while self-hosting provides deployment choice. The combination will appeal to people who want their links available across device types without giving up control of the main service.

Who it's for

Choose LinkAce for a maintained link library shared among users, especially when link availability checks, Wayback archiving, and control over deployment or visibility are priorities. It is less compelling if you need to search inside saved page text, or want to avoid the work of self-hosting without accepting an annual hosting commitment.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Availability checks and notifications help keep a reference collection current instead of letting broken or moved links go unnoticed.
• Pro: Wayback Machine archive requests add a preservation step when links are saved.
• Pro: Multiple users, SSO, and item-level guest visibility support shared use with selective access.
• Pro: Free, open-source self-hosting and a paid managed option serve different levels of technical involvement.
• Con: No full-text search means users need to remember link data, not just page contents, to find an item.
• Con: Self-hosting requires users to handle deployment and backups; the managed plan is billed annually and includes manual setup.
• Con: Guest access can expose any links, tags, and lists not marked private, making visibility settings important.

Alternatives

Diigo is a better fit for readers who want highlights, screenshots, outliners, or a private group, and can work within its free plan caps of 1,000 bookmarks and notes, 200 highlights, 50 screenshots or images, five outliners, and one three-member private group. Its free plan does not include PDF annotation.

Karakeep is worth considering for readers who want mobile and web apps, browser extensions, and self-hosting; its free hosted plan is limited to 10 bookmarks and 20MB storage.

Raindrop.io suits readers who prefer a free plan with unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights, and devices, accepting a 100 MB monthly file-upload limit.

Delinqs is an option for readers who want unlimited bookmarks and all features on a free plan for up to three users.

Start.me is aimed at readers who want start pages with widgets; its free plan allows three pages, basic widgets, and includes advertising.

Atavi is a free web bookmarking service for readers who want to save as many bookmarks as they like.

floccus is a free, open-source alternative for readers seeking bookmark syncing across supported platforms.

Shiori is a free, self-hosted alternative distributed as a single binary under the MIT license.

Browse more options in Bookmark Managers.

Verdict

LinkAce is a strong choice for individuals and teams who want an organized archive that checks links, requests web archiving, and supports selective sharing. Its free self-hosted plan keeps cost down for people prepared to manage deployment; those who want hosting should weigh the annual billing and manual setup. Look elsewhere if full-text search is essential or you want a frictionless hosted start.