Omnivore: An Open-Source Read-It-Later App for Serious Readers
Ever stumbled upon an interesting article but didn’t have time to read it? Or worse, saved it somewhere and forgot about it entirely? Omnivore is here to fix that—and it’s open source.
Unlike proprietary alternatives, Omnivore gives you full control over your reading list. It’s designed for people who actually want to read what they save, not just hoard links. And since it’s self-hostable, you’re not locked into someone else’s ecosystem.
What It Does
Omnivore is a read-it-later service that lets you:
- Save articles, newsletters, and PDFs in one place.
- Highlight and annotate text (and actually remember it).
- Sync across devices (web, mobile, browser extensions).
- Self-host if you don’t want to rely on the cloud.
It strips away clutter, making long-form reading distraction-free—think of it as Pocket or Instapaper, but open and hackable.
Why It’s Cool
- Open Source & Self-Hostable – AGPL-licensed, so you can tweak it or run your own instance. No vendor lock-in.
- Highlighting That Sticks – Unlike most bookmarking tools, Omnivore treats highlights as first-class citizens.
- PDF Support – Save and annotate PDFs alongside web articles.
- Active Development – The GitHub repo (15k+ stars) shows steady updates, including recent work on self-hosting and removing third-party dependencies.
How to Try It
- Quick Start: Use the hosted version at omnivore.app.
- Self-Host: Check the GitHub repo for Docker setups and guides.
- Browser Extensions: Available for Firefox and Chrome.
Final Thoughts
Omnivore is a rare gem: a polished, open-source alternative to commercial read-it-later apps. If you’re a developer who reads a lot (or just hates closed ecosystems), it’s worth a look. The self-hosting options make it especially appealing for privacy-conscious users.
Give it a spin—your future self (and your unread tabs) will thank you.
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