Tool profile
Karakeep: cost, fit and limits
Karakeep is a bookmark and read-later service made by Localhost Labs Ltd that saves links, notes and images, tags them with AI, and runs either as a hosted cloud product or as free open source software you host yourself.
What to know first
Karakeep sells a free hosted tier, a Pro plan at $4 a month, a custom Corporate plan and a free self-hosted edition with every feature. The AI work is tagging, summaries and semantic search, and the privacy policy names OpenAI as the processor for those features. Cloud data sits primarily in Europe, with some subprocessors outside the EEA and UK.
Karakeep at a glance
| Maker | Localhost Labs Ltd, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $0 free; Pro $4 per month or $40 per year |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Bookmark Managers in 2026, rank 1 of 13 |
| Website | karakeep.com |
Who Karakeep is best for
Self-hosters who want AI tagging
The open source edition has unlimited bookmarks and storage with all features, so a home server owner can use AI tags without paying a monthly fee.
Link hoarders with a growing library
Pro holds 50,000 bookmarks and 50GB, which covers years of saving, while semantic search helps find a link when the exact words are forgotten.
Small teams sharing research lists
Shared lists carry editor and viewer roles, and the Corporate plan adds single sign-on and user management for groups that need central control.
Karakeep plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 bookmarks, 100MB storage, mobile and web apps and browser extensions; a way to test the workflow before paying. |
| Pro | $4 per month or $40 per year | 50,000 bookmarks, 50GB storage, AI-powered tagging, full-text search, mobile and web apps and browser extensions; paid plans carry a 7-day money back guarantee. |
| Self-Hosted | Free forever | Unlimited bookmarks and storage, complete data control and all features, as open source software that you install and update yourself. |
| Corporate | Custom per seat | Everything in Pro plus custom deployment and domain, single sign-on, user management and priority support for organizations. |
Checked November 2026.
What Karakeep does
- AI tagging and summaries
- Saved links get automatic tags and AI-written summaries. The privacy policy says OpenAI handles content processing for these features, so pages you save are sent to that provider on hosted plans.
- Hybrid and semantic search
- Three search modes exist: keyword, hybrid and semantic. Semantic search finds a bookmark by meaning, which helps when you remember a topic but none of the words in the title.
- Screenshot OCR
- OCR makes text inside images and screenshots searchable on Karakeep's homepage description, so a saved infographic or a chat screenshot can be found by a phrase it contains, rather than by remembering which folder you dropped it in.
- Automation rules
- Rules react to events, for example when a bookmark is added and the URL contains amazon.com, a tag and a list are applied automatically without manual filing.
- RSS saving
- RSS feeds are checked every hour and new posts are saved on their own, so the library can collect blog posts you follow without a separate reader.
How Karakeep handles your data
Karakeep Cloud stores primary data in Europe, and the privacy policy warns that some subprocessors may process data outside the EEA and UK. Deleting an account deletes the data, though residual copies can remain in encrypted backups for up to 90 days. The policy names OpenAI for features such as automatic tagging and summaries. Whether saved content is used to train models was not stated on the pages read, and no certifications are named. The pricing FAQ says data stays available for 30 days after cancellation, and export is possible at any time.
Where Karakeep falls short in practice
- Small free allowance. The free hosted tier holds 50 bookmarks and 100MB, which is a sampler rather than a working library. Anyone with an existing archive will need Pro or a self-hosted install right away.
- AI runs through a third party. Tagging and summaries depend on OpenAI per the privacy policy. Buyers who cannot send page content to an outside model provider should self-host or avoid the AI features entirely.
Works with
Alternatives to Karakeep
Karakeep: common questions
How much does Karakeep cost?
Karakeep Cloud has a free tier at $0 with 50 bookmarks and 100MB, and Pro at $4 per month or $40 per year with 50,000 bookmarks and 50GB. A Corporate plan is priced per seat on request. The self-hosted edition is free forever with every feature, and paid plans carry a 7-day money back guarantee.
Can I run Karakeep on my own server?
Yes. The self-hosted edition is open source, costs nothing and includes unlimited bookmarks and storage with all features. The repository on GitHub carries the install instructions. You handle updates and backups, and you choose whether to enable AI features that call an outside model provider.
Which AI provider does Karakeep use?
The privacy policy names OpenAI for content processing in features such as automatic tagging and summaries. The pages we read did not say whether OpenAI or Karakeep may train on saved content, so ask the vendor if that matters for your material.
What happens to my data if I cancel Karakeep Pro?
The pricing FAQ says data stays available for 30 days after cancellation, and export is possible at any time. If you delete the account, the privacy policy says data is deleted, though residual copies can persist in encrypted backups for up to 90 days.
Can AI assistants connect to my Karakeep library?
Karakeep lists an MCP server and a command line tool for AI assistants, plus agentic skills installed with npx skills add karakeep-app/karakeep. That lets an assistant search and add bookmarks, though you should check what access you grant before connecting a private library.