Omnivore Alternative: Slax Reader — Open Source, Still Running
Omnivore shut down in late 2024. Slax Reader is the open-source read-later that's still maintained — Apache 2.0, permanent archives, AI outlines.
Omnivore was beloved. Open source, well-designed, free, with an active community. Then in late 2024 the team announced they were joining ElevenLabs, and the hosted version went dark. Self-hosters could keep their instance running, but for most users, that’s not a real option.
If you’re an Omnivore refugee — and there are a lot of you — Slax Reader is the closest thing to “Omnivore, but still running.” Open source under Apache 2.0, permanent archives free for founding members, AI outlines that Omnivore never had time to ship.
This page is for anyone who picked Omnivore because it was open source, and now needs the same property in their next tool.
At a glance
Slax Reader is a clean replacement if…
- You picked Omnivore because it was open source
- You used Omnivore mostly for web articles
- You want permanent snapshots so source 404s don’t hurt
- You want AI features Omnivore was working toward but never shipped
- You don’t want to self-host
Stick with self-hosted Omnivore if…
- You’re already running your own instance and it works for you
- You insist on full local control with no cloud dependency
- You’re comfortable maintaining a Docker stack indefinitely
One sentence: Omnivore had the right principles but stopped shipping. Slax Reader picks up where it left off.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Omnivore (R.I.P. hosted) | Slax Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Status | ⚠️ Hosted shut down 2024; self-host only | ✅ Active, hosted + open source |
| Open source | ✅ AGPL | ✅ Apache 2.0 |
| Self-host option | ✅ (required now) | 🚧 Roadmap |
| Web articles | ✅ | ✅ |
| Permanent archives (anti-404) | ✅ | ✅ Free for founding members |
| Unlimited highlights | ✅ | ✅ Free |
| AI summary | Limited | ✅ Free |
| AI clickable outline | ✗ | ✅ Pro |
| AI chat with article | ✗ | ✅ Pro |
| Auto-tagging | ✗ | ✅ |
| Full-text search | ✅ | ✅ Free |
| PDF / EPUB | ✅ | 🚧 Roadmap |
| TTS | ✅ | ✗ |
| RSS | ✅ | 🚧 Roadmap |
| Obsidian / Notion / Logseq sync | ✅ | 🚧 Roadmap |
| Cross-platform (Web · iOS · Android · Mac) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Omnivore import | — | 🚧 Roadmap |
| Price | Free (when hosted) | Free / $5.99/mo |
Why Did Omnivore Shut Down?
The Omnivore team was acquired by ElevenLabs in late 2024 and announced they would stop running the hosted service. The repo stayed up; the code is still public. But “open source” alone doesn’t keep an app alive — running a hosted service costs money, and without a sustainable funding model, even great open-source apps get retired.
This is the part of “free + open source” that gets glossed over. The principle is real, but principles don’t pay infrastructure bills. Slax Reader’s answer: open source the code (Apache 2.0), but charge a Pro tier for sustainable operations. Founding members get the most-loved features — permanent archives, unlimited highlights, AI summary — free, forever. Pro funds the rest.
We’ve been running our business for nearly 20 years. We’re not going anywhere.
What Slax Reader Inherits from Omnivore
The things that made Omnivore feel different from Pocket / Instapaper:
Permanent archives, free
Omnivore archived the full article on save — you weren’t just bookmarking a link, you were saving the content. Slax Reader does the same. Source goes 404? Your copy stays.
Open source
Apache 2.0, on GitHub. Frontend, backend, mobile clients all public. We chose Apache 2.0 (vs. Omnivore’s AGPL) because it’s friendlier for self-hosters and integrators. The principle is the same: your reading data shouldn’t be hostage to one team’s runway.
Highlights and notes that travel
Omnivore had clean export to Obsidian, Notion, Logseq. We’re shipping these in stages — they’re on the roadmap. Until then, all your highlights are visible in Slax and exportable manually.
What Slax Reader Adds
AI features Omnivore didn’t have time to ship
- Clickable AI outline — see the structure of a 5,000-word piece in 10 seconds, jump to the section that matters
- AI summary — bulleted, ~100 words, free
- AI chat — ask anything about the article from a sidebar
- Auto-tagging — Slax learns your tag system and applies it for you
A community layer
Slax Reader has two-way reader discussions: highlight a sentence, leave a note, see what others annotated. Omnivore was solo; Slax can be solo or social, your call.
A team that’s still here
Two decades of running the same business. Slax Reader is what we use every day. The code is on GitHub. The roadmap is public. We’re not getting acquired into something else next year.
Migrating from Omnivore
If you have an Omnivore export (JSON or HTML — the official “Export Library” feature still works in self-hosted instances), Omnivore import is on our roadmap. We’ll re-fetch each URL into a fresh Slax permanent snapshot, preserve your tags, dates, and notes.
Drop your email → and we’ll ping you the day Omnivore import ships.
If you don’t have an export and your hosted instance is gone, you’re not stuck. Sign up at r.slax.com, start saving fresh into Slax today, lock in founding-member permanent snapshots before that perk closes.
Other alternatives we considered
If Slax Reader isn’t quite right:
- Self-host Omnivore — Code is still public on GitHub. Best if you’re comfortable running Docker and Postgres yourself.
- Readwise Reader — Bigger feature set: PDF, EPUB, YouTube transcripts. Closed source, $9.99–$12.99/mo. See comparison →
- Instapaper — Eighteen years of polish, no AI. Closed source. See comparison →
- Cubox — Polished, feature-rich, strong for Chinese content. Closed source. See comparison →
FAQ
Can I import my Omnivore library? Omnivore import is on our roadmap. If you have a JSON or HTML export from your hosted or self-hosted instance, drop your email and we’ll let you know the day it ships.
Is Slax Reader really open source? Yes — Apache 2.0, on GitHub. Frontend (Vue), backend (TypeScript), and Android client (Kotlin) are all public.
Why Apache 2.0 instead of AGPL? AGPL is stricter (server-side modifications must be open). Apache 2.0 is friendlier for self-hosters, forks, and integrations. We don’t want to make it harder for people to remix our work.
Can I self-host Slax Reader? Self-hosting is on our roadmap. The code is already public, but we haven’t shipped a clean Docker / one-click install yet. If this is a hard requirement for you, tell us — it’s the most-requested item from Omnivore refugees.
What about my privacy? We don’t sell data. Reading data is yours. See our privacy policy.
Try Slax Reader for Free
If you picked Omnivore because of the principle and now need a tool that’s still running:
Join as a Founding Member today: get 1 month of Pro free (check pricing) and keep your unlimited snapshots forever.