Omnivore
PaidOpen-source read-later app (shut down November 2024) — code available for self-hosting
What is Omnivore?
Omnivore was a popular open-source read-later app that served as a privacy-focused alternative to Pocket, offering article saving, highlighting, full-text search, and integrations with Obsidian and Logseq — all without the tracking and ads of commercial alternatives. The platform was fully free for end users, sustainable through community contributions and small-scale hosting. In October 2024, the Omnivore team announced they had been acquihired by ElevenLabs, the audio AI company, and the service would shut down. The service went offline permanently in November 2024, with all user data deleted 15 days after the announcement. Users who had existing reading libraries had to export their data or lose it permanently. This was a painful event for Omnivore's 500,000+ users, many of whom had accumulated years of reading history. The good news is that the Omnivore source code remains available on GitHub and is fully open-source under a permissive license — technically anyone can self-host their own instance. However, the self-hosted setup is complex, requiring PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and several microservices, and the code is no longer actively maintained since the core team moved to ElevenLabs. For most former Omnivore users, the practical path forward was migration to Readwise Reader, Matter, or Pocket (though Pocket also announced shutdown in 2025). For users evaluating read-later apps in 2026, Omnivore is no longer a working option — you should choose from the active alternatives listed below.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Historical: privacy-conscious readers who wanted an open-source Pocket alternative
Anyone expecting a currently-working hosted service
Free — service shut down November 2024; self-hosted source code available on GitHub
Yes — was fully free and open-source before shutdown
Was the leading open-source read-later app with no tracking and full data portability
Service permanently shut down in November 2024; all user data was deleted
Bottom line: Omnivore scores 4.3/5 — A historically important open-source read-later app that shut down after ElevenLabs acquihire.
Pricing
Omnivore was always free and open-source as a hosted service — there was no paid tier and no subscription required. The service permanently shut down in November 2024 after the team was acquihired by ElevenLabs. All user data was deleted two weeks after the shutdown announcement. The source code remains available on GitHub under a permissive open-source license, and technically anyone can self-host their own instance of Omnivore. However, self-hosting requires PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, several microservices, and significant DevOps experience to set up and maintain. The code is not actively maintained since the team moved to ElevenLabs, meaning security patches and bug fixes are community-driven at best.
Key Features
- Full open-source licensing (historical)
- Article saving, highlighting, and full-text search (historical)
- Integrations with Obsidian, Logseq, and note-taking apps (historical)
- No tracking or ads (historical)
- Self-hosted option via GitHub source code (still available)
- iOS, Android, and web clients (historical)
- Export tools to migrate data to other read-later apps (before shutdown)
- 500,000+ active users before shutdown
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Was fully free and open-source with no tracking
- Strong privacy and data portability
- Active community of contributors during its lifetime
- Source code still available on GitHub for self-hosting
Cons
- Service permanently shut down in November 2024
- All user data was deleted — no recovery option
- Self-hosting requires significant DevOps expertise
FAQ
Is Omnivore still working in 2026?
No. Omnivore shut down permanently in November 2024 after the team was acquihired by ElevenLabs. The hosted service is offline and all user data was deleted. The source code remains on GitHub for self-hosting, but the official hosted version no longer exists.
What happened to my Omnivore data?
If you had an Omnivore account and didn't export your data before November 2024, it's gone — all user data was permanently deleted two weeks after the shutdown announcement. This was a painful transition for many long-time Omnivore users who lost years of reading history.
Can I still self-host Omnivore?
Technically yes. The source code is available on GitHub under a permissive open-source license. However, self-hosting requires PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, several microservices, and significant DevOps experience to set up and maintain. The code is not actively maintained since the core team moved to ElevenLabs, so you'd be running a snapshot that doesn't receive security patches or new features.
What should Omnivore users switch to?
The best currently-active alternatives are Readwise Reader (most feature-rich, paid), Matter (best iOS experience), and Pocket (though Pocket also announced shutdown in 2025). For open-source enthusiasts, Wallabag is a solid self-hosted alternative that's still actively maintained.
Why did Omnivore shut down if it was successful?
The Omnivore team was acquihired by ElevenLabs, an AI audio company with deep resources and an appetite for talent. Rather than continuing to operate Omnivore as a side project, the team chose to join ElevenLabs full-time. This is a common pattern in tech — talented teams at free/open-source projects get hired away by larger companies, and the original project shuts down.
Is the ElevenLabs team still involved with Omnivore?
No. The team moved to ElevenLabs in late 2024 and are now working on AI audio products there. They informed the Omnivore community that they would not continue to maintain the source code. Any future development would need to come from the open-source community.
📋 Good to know
Service shut down November 2024. Self-hosted deployments require cloning the GitHub repo and configuring PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and multiple microservices.
Historical service did not track users. Current self-hosted deployments store data wherever the user chooses to host them.
Not applicable — service is shut down. Former users should migrate to an active alternative like Readwise Reader or Matter.
Very high for self-hosting. The codebase is complex and unmaintained since late 2024.