Anchr Review, Pricing & Features

Anchr is an open-source toolbox for bookmark collections, encrypted image uploads, and link shortening — self-host it or use the hosted service.

Visit Anchr Website →

Category
Productivity
Pricing
Free (open source), from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2014
Headquarters
Germany
Web AppAndroidAPIOpen SourceSelf-Hosted

Overview

Anchr is an open-source toolbox combining a bookmark manager, encrypted image uploads, and a link shortener. It originated in 2014 and is maintained on GitHub, with the option to self-host via Docker or use the hosted service at anchr.io, built and hosted in Germany.

Key Features

Anchr organizes saved links into searchable collections, offers client-side encrypted image uploads, and generates shortlinks with malicious-URL checking. It exposes a REST API for automation, supports OAuth2 authentication, and ships browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, an Android app, Prometheus metrics, ShareX integration, and a Telegram bot.

Development History

Anchr's backend originated in the MEAN-stack era of 2014 and has since been refactored to modern JavaScript. The maintainer describes the project as mostly feature-complete but continuously maintained, with the latest release (3.5.2) shipping in November 2025.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Fully open source, so it can be self-hosted for free and audited.
  • Combines three useful utilities (bookmarks, image upload, shortlinks) in one tool.
  • Hosted option available for users who don't want to run their own server.

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires running your own MongoDB instance and reverse proxy setup.
  • The project describes itself as feature-complete, meaning a slower pace of new feature development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Anchr free?

Yes, Anchr is open source and free to self-host; a hosted version is also available at anchr.io.

Can I self-host Anchr?

Yes, via Docker, though you need to provide your own MongoDB instance.

What does Anchr do?

It's a toolbox combining a bookmark manager, encrypted image uploads, and a link shortener.

Where is the hosted Anchr.io service based?

It's made and hosted in Germany.

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