Squirrel vs Raindrop: Which Bookmark Manager Is Better for Privacy?

Raindrop is one of the most popular bookmark managers available. It's polished, feature-rich, and works across every device. But it has one fundamental characteristic that isn't always front of mind: every bookmark you save goes to Raindrop's servers.

Squirrel takes the opposite approach. Your bookmarks stay in your browser — no account required, no data ever leaving your device. This comparison looks at both tools honestly, so you can decide which fits what you actually need.

At a glance

Feature	🐿️ Squirrel	Raindrop
Account required	No	Yes
Data storage	Your browser only	Raindrop's servers
Works offline	Yes	Partial
Cross-device sync	Via backup file	Yes, automatic
Tags	Yes	Yes
Full-text search	Yes	Yes (Pro)
Collections / Sections	Yes	Yes
Browser extension	Bookmarklet	Yes
Broken link checker	No	Yes (Pro)
Page snapshots	No	Yes (Pro)
Import from browser	Yes	Yes
Export / backup	Yes, JSON file	Yes
Keyboard shortcuts	Yes (Ctrl+K)	Yes
Price (free tier)	Free up to 25	Free (limited)
Paid plan	$9 one-time	$28/year

Privacy: a fundamental difference

This is the core trade-off. Raindrop needs your data on their servers to power sync, search, and snapshots. That's a legitimate engineering choice — but it means Raindrop can see every URL you save, when you saved it, and how you've organised it. Their privacy policy covers what they do with that data, but the data still leaves your device.

Squirrel uses IndexedDB — your browser's built-in local database — to store everything. Nothing is ever transmitted. The company that built Squirrel has no visibility into what you've saved, because there's nothing to see on our end. Your bookmarks are yours in the most literal sense.

Cross-device sync

This is where Raindrop has a genuine advantage. If you work across multiple devices — a laptop, a desktop, a phone — Raindrop's sync is seamless. You save on one device and it's everywhere.

Squirrel's approach is manual: export a backup file, move it to your other device, import it. Premium users can point Squirrel at a folder in OneDrive or Dropbox, which makes this more automatic — but it's still not as seamless as Raindrop.

If cross-device sync is essential to how you work, Raindrop wins here. If you primarily work from one device, it doesn't matter.

Features: what Raindrop has that Squirrel doesn't

Raindrop has a richer feature set, particularly on its Pro plan:

• Page snapshots — saves a copy of the page so you can access it even if the original is taken down
• Broken link checker — scans your collection and flags links that no longer work
• Browser extension — a proper extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari
• Public collections — share a curated list of links with others
• Highlights — highlight text on a page and save it with the bookmark

These are real features. If any of them are important to your workflow, Raindrop is the better choice for you.

Price: one-time vs subscription

Raindrop's Pro plan costs $28 per year. That's reasonable — but it's a recurring charge. Over three years that's $84.

Squirrel's upgrade is $9 once. No renewal, no annual charge, no subscription to cancel if you stop using it.

For a tool you'll use indefinitely, the one-time model is significantly cheaper over time.

Who should use Raindrop

• You work across multiple devices and need automatic sync
• You want page snapshots or a broken link checker
• You share curated link collections publicly
• You prefer a native browser extension over a bookmarklet

Who should use Squirrel

• Privacy matters to you — you don't want your browsing habits on a third-party server
• You work primarily from one device
• You want to pay once and never think about it again
• You don't need an account just to save a link
• You need something that works offline, always

The bottom line

Raindrop is a better tool if cross-device sync and advanced features like snapshots and broken link detection matter to you. It's well-built and the Pro plan is fairly priced.

Squirrel is the better choice if privacy is a priority, you work from one main device, and you'd rather pay $9 once than $28 a year. There's no account, no cloud, and nothing leaves your browser.

They're solving slightly different problems. Pick the one that matches what you actually need.