wallabag review: a private reading archive

wallabag is a free, open-source read-it-later app.¹² It saves a web page into an archive you control, then gives you a clean copy.¹² It is for anyone who keeps too many tabs and wants that list on a server they run, or on the hosted service wallabag.it.² The project says the app itself has no ads or tracking.¹

Last checked October 28, 2026.

At a glance

What it is: A self-hosted read-it-later app that stores an extracted copy of articles.¹²

Works on: PHP 7.4 or newer (PHP 8.4 in 2.6.15), in a browser, plus extensions, Android, feeds, and e-readers.¹³

Price: Free to install. Hosted plans: €4 for 3 months, €11 a year, or €30 a year, after a 14-day trial with no card.²⁵

Licence: MIT for the server. The Android app is GPL-3.0 only.²⁷

Best for: A private pile of articles, on a computer you look after or on wallabag.it.

Official site: wallabag.org

What wallabag does (and how it protects your privacy)

wallabag takes a page you choose and pulls out the article. It keeps that copy in your archive. You can read it in a browser, on a phone, in an RSS reader (a feed of new posts), or on an e-reader.¹

The homepage says there are no ads or tracking.¹ On a server you run, you keep the updates, the backups, the data, and the access.¹ wallabag.it is the managed account, with support, automatic upgrades, daily backups, and a 14-day trial.¹ The operator says that host is paid by subscriptions, not by tracking, advertising, or selling data, and that it is hosted in Europe.⁵

You can bring in a library from Pocket, Omnivore, Instapaper, and Pinboard.¹ On wallabag.it, imports from other services, RSS imports, and saving by email wait for a paid subscription. Saving and reading still work on a trial.⁶ A copy you install uses MySQL by default.⁴ The FAQ says SQLite support was dropped in June 2017 because migrations can lose data, and that SQLite is still fine for development.⁴

Key features of wallabag

A clean reading view. wallabag extracts the article, removes distractions, and keeps that view for later.¹
An archive you can host, with updates, backups, data, and access on your server, or upgrades and daily backups on wallabag.it.¹
Imports from Pocket, Omnivore, Instapaper, and Pinboard.¹ On the hosted trial, imports wait until you subscribe.⁶
Tags, search, highlights, and annotations are listed for wallabag.it, and you can export your data.⁵
An Android app that syncs with your server, can download pictures for offline reading, keeps tags, and can read an article aloud.⁷
Firefox and Chrome add-ons, plus RSS readers and e-readers.¹⁵ Release 2.6.15, dated 28 October 2026, adds PHP 8.4 support.¹

Pros and cons

Pros

The server is free software under the MIT licence, copyright Nicolas Lœuillet.²
The project says there are no ads or tracking, and wallabag.it says it is not funded by tracking, advertising, or selling data.¹⁵
The Android app on F-Droid can keep pictures on the phone and speak an article.⁷
Release 2.6.15 came out on 28 October 2026.¹
On wallabag.it you can export your data, and a paid plan does not renew by itself.⁵

Cons

Your own copy needs PHP 7.4 or newer, Composer, the make tool, and MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite.³
The FAQ says SQLite support was dropped in June 2017, because migrations can lose data. MySQL is the default. SQLite is still described as fine for development.⁴
PHP 8.4 is supported in 2.6.15. PHP 8.4 may emit deprecation notices.³
After 14 days, wallabag.it is paid. Email saving, RSS import, and imports from other services need a subscription.⁵⁶
Articles on wallabag.it live on the operator’s European hosting, so that service stores the reading list.⁵
On 6 April 2026 the project said the iPhone app from version 7.6 is a closed-source app with paid features, and would no longer be announced as the official app. It said the wallabag/ios-app repository would be archived. GitHub now lists that repository as a public archive.⁸⁹

Is wallabag safe and private?

Nicolas Lœuillet holds the copyright, and the server is under the MIT licence.² The website lists release 2.6.15 on 28 October 2026, and that release also runs on PHP 8.4.¹³ On your own server, MySQL is the default database, and you keep the updates, backups, data, and access.¹⁴

The homepage says the software has no ads or tracking, and that it stores an extracted article.¹ wallabag.it says subscriptions pay for the service, not tracking, advertising, or data sales. It says hosting is in Europe and calls the service GDPR compliant. GDPR is the European privacy law. Stripe, Payplug, or PayPal handle cards, and the site says it never sees or stores your card details.⁵ The Android app syncs to the server you choose. F-Droid lists it as GPL-3.0 only.⁷

How to get started with wallabag

Open wallabag.org and choose a server you run, or a managed account on wallabag.it. The site lists wallabag 2.6.15, dated 28 October 2026.¹
For wallabag.it, start the 14-day trial. No credit card is required, and nothing is charged automatically. To stay, pick €4 for 3 months, €11 for a year, or €30 for a year, by card or PayPal. A subscription does not renew automatically.⁵
On a trial you can keep saving and reading. Saving by email, importing an RSS or Atom feed, and importing from another service need an active subscription.⁶
To install it yourself, use PHP 7.4 or newer (PHP 8.4 as of 2.6.15), Composer 1.8.0 or newer, make, and MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite.³ The FAQ says SQLite support was dropped in June 2017 because migrations can lose data.⁴
Clone the project and install it as the readme describes: git clone https://github.com/wallabag/wallabag.git, then cd wallabag && make install. Then configure a virtual host, the web address that points at the app.²
Save one article with the browser extension wallabagger. wallabag.it also lists Firefox and Chrome add-ons.²⁵
On Android, install wallabag 2.6.0 from F-Droid and sign in to your server.⁷ On an iPhone, wallabag.it still lists iOS apps.⁵ On 6 April 2026 the project said the App Store app would no longer be announced as its official application, and that the wallabag/ios-app repository would be archived. GitHub now lists that repository as a public archive.⁸⁹

Who should use wallabag (and who might prefer something else)

wallabag suits someone who wants the text of chosen articles in a library they host, or on wallabag.it on a paid plan.¹⁵ The hosted account includes upgrades and daily backups.¹

If you want new posts from sites you follow, Miniflux is a self-hosted feed reader. If you want saved links with a readable copy and notes in another self-hosted app, Linkwarden is the closer match. If you only need the addresses, linkding keeps bookmarks on your own server.

Frequently asked questions

Is wallabag free?

The server software is free under the MIT licence.² You supply the computer, or you use wallabag.it.² The host has a 14-day trial with no credit card, then €4 for 3 months, €11 a year, or €30 a year. Subscriptions do not renew automatically.⁵ Saving and reading work on the trial. Email saving, feed import, and imports from other services need a subscription.⁶

Is wallabag safe?

On your server, MySQL is the default database, and you keep the data and the backups.¹⁴ The project says the app has no ads or tracking.¹ wallabag.it says it is not funded by selling data, hosts in Europe, and does not store card details.⁵

Does wallabag work on iPhone?

wallabag.it still lists iOS apps.⁵ On 6 April 2026 the project said that from version 7.6 the iOS app is closed source, with paid features, and would no longer be announced as the official app. It said the wallabag/ios-app repository would be archived.⁸ GitHub now lists that repository as a public archive.⁹

Do I need my own server?

You need one for the free software on hardware you manage. That install needs PHP, Composer, make, and a database.³ wallabag.it is the paid host, with upgrades, daily backups, support, and a 14-day trial.¹