Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pinboard VS SharpKeys

Compare Pinboard VS SharpKeys and see what are their differences

Pinboard logo Pinboard

Pinboard is a personal archive for things you find online and don't want to forget.

SharpKeys logo SharpKeys

SharpKeys is a utility that manages a Registry key that allows Windows to remap one key to any...
  • Pinboard Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-16
  • SharpKeys Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-02

Pinboard features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Pinboard offers a clean, minimalist interface, making it easy to use without unnecessary complexities or distractions.
  • Speed
    The service operates quickly, with fast loading times and efficient bookmarking processes.
  • Privacy
    Pinboard values user privacy and does not serve ads. They also avoid tracking user activity across the web.
  • Data Portability
    Pinboard allows easy export of your bookmarks, enabling you to retain control of your data and migrate it to other platforms if needed.
  • API Availability
    Pinboard provides a robust API, enabling users to integrate their bookmarking activities with other applications and services.
  • Archiving Feature
    For a fee, Pinboard offers an archiving feature that saves a copy of the bookmarked page, ensuring you can access the content even if it gets taken down.
  • No Algorithmic Feeds
    Pinboard does not use algorithmic feeds, so users see an unfiltered, chronological list of their bookmarks.

Possible disadvantages of Pinboard

  • Cost
    Pinboard is not free; it requires a one-time fee for new users, which might deter those looking for completely free solutions.
  • Outdated Interface
    The user interface, while simple, can appear outdated compared to modern web applications, possibly affecting user experience.
  • Limited Social Features
    Pinboard has limited social features and community engagement options, which may not appeal to users seeking more community involvement and sharing capabilities.
  • Learning Curve for API
    While the availability of an API is a pro, it may present a learning curve for users not familiar with APIs, reducing its accessibility to non-developers.
  • Basic Search Functionality
    The search functionality is relatively basic compared to other bookmarking services that offer more advanced search and filter options.
  • No Mobile Apps
    Pinboard does not have official mobile apps, which could be less convenient for users who prefer native mobile applications for bookmarking.

SharpKeys features and specs

  • Open Source
    SharpKeys is available on GitHub, which means it is open source. This allows users to inspect the code, contribute to development, or customize it for their needs.
  • Free of Cost
    SharpKeys is entirely free to use, making it accessible to anyone without the need for a commercial license.
  • Simple User Interface
    The interface is straightforward and easy to use, which makes the process of remapping keys simple even for non-technical users.
  • Registry-Based Remapping
    SharpKeys makes changes directly to the Windows registry, ensuring that the remapped keys work across all applications without the need for additional software running in the background.
  • Minimal Resource Usage
    Because SharpKeys modifies the registry rather than running a constant background process, it uses minimal system resources.
  • Portability
    Once the registry changes are made, SharpKeys does not need to remain installed on the system, making it a lightweight, one-time-use tool.

Possible disadvantages of SharpKeys

  • Windows Only
    SharpKeys is designed to work exclusively on Windows operating systems, which limits its usability for users on macOS, Linux, or other platforms.
  • Limited to Registry
    The tool operates by modifying the Windows registry, so it cannot handle complex remapping scenarios that need real-time processing, such as conditional key mappings.
  • No Advanced Features
    SharpKeys lacks advanced features found in more sophisticated key remapping software, such as macro recording, multi-key remapping, or application-specific profiles.
  • Requires Admin Rights
    Since changes are made to the Windows registry, administrative privileges are required, which might be restrictive in some organizational environments.
  • Potential for Errors
    Incorrect registry changes could potentially lead to system instability or errors, especially for users who are not familiar with the Windows registry.
  • Reboot Required
    For registry changes to take effect, a system reboot is necessary, which can be inconvenient for users needing immediate results.

Analysis of Pinboard

Overall verdict

  • Pinboard is a highly regarded bookmarking service, especially for those who appreciate simplicity and privacy. However, it may not be suitable for users seeking more interactive or collaborative features found in social bookmarking platforms.

Why this product is good

  • Pinboard is a minimalist bookmarking service valued for its simplicity, speed, and ad-free experience. It offers features like saving bookmarks with tags, full-text search, easy import/export of links, and archival of saved pages. The platform is favored by users who prefer a straightforward, reliable tool for managing their online bookmarks without the distraction of social networking features.

Recommended for

  • Users who prefer a minimalist design and fast performance.
  • Individuals looking for a bookmarking tool with strong privacy features.
  • Researchers and digital scholars who need archival capabilities.
  • People who want an ad-free and straightforward bookmarking experience.

Analysis of SharpKeys

Overall verdict

  • SharpKeys is generally considered a good tool for users who need an easy and effective way to remap keys on Windows. It has a straightforward interface and does not require advanced technical skills to use, making it accessible to a wide range of users. It is also open-source and has a supportive community on GitHub, which contributes to its reliability and improvement over time.

Why this product is good

  • SharpKeys is a utility that allows users to remap keys on their Windows keyboards. It modifies the Windows Registry to achieve this, which is particularly useful for users who want to change the function of a specific key, disable a key, or swap keys to better match their personal typing preferences or overcome keyboard limitations.

Recommended for

    SharpKeys is recommended for Windows users who need to customize their keyboard layout, such as programmers, writers, or anyone who frequently uses specific key combinations. It is also suitable for users who want to disable keys that are accidentally pressed often, such as Caps Lock or Insert, as well as those who want to swap keys for ergonomic reasons or due to a damaged key on their keyboard.

Pinboard videos

Pinboard Bookmarking Review - Part 1

More videos:

  • Review - Using Pinboard to save your digital breadcrumbs as you read online
  • Review - Pinboard Bookmarking Review - Part 2

SharpKeys videos

[Windows] Changing Modifier Keys Using SharpKeys | Reassigning Modifier Keys & SharpKeys Tutorial

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Map Keys with SharpKeys

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pinboard and SharpKeys)
Bookmarks
100 100%
0% 0
Automation
0 0%
100% 100
Bookmark Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Note Taking
79 79%
21% 21

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pinboard and SharpKeys

Pinboard Reviews

  1. Simple but effective

    While all the other bookmarking sites have died, pinboard.in remains and is a reliable and handy place to save all those links you love but are sure to otherwise forget.


Pinboard vs. Raindrop: Two bookmark apps enterโ€ฆ
I donโ€™t think Pinboardโ€™s added a feature in ten years. It certainly hasnโ€™t added a feature useful to me in that space of time. A year or so ago I got some Twitter DMs from someone (not Cegล‚owski) indicating that a refactoring and new features were on the way, but I have heard nothing since and donโ€™t particularly expect to. Its documentation is similarly stale, and so are its...
Source: dsalo.info
11 Pocket Alternatives You Must Try Out!
With this tool, you can organize your pile of links into a clean space. With an easy tag option, finding your bookmarks becomes easier with Pinboard.
Source: blog.elink.io
XMarks is Dead on May 1st, 2018 : firefox
pinboard, $11/yr. It says it's a social bookmarking service but everything is private unless you make it public. I don't think bookmarking pages is done through the browser, though, but you can import your bookmarks and just use pinboard instead.
Source: www.reddit.com
Del.icio.us is closing down. Time for a roundup of alternative bookmark managers.
And as of recent events it was sold again to competing service Pinboard which plans - as I've foreseen this - to shut it down almost completely. Today (June 15, 2017) it will be set to read-only mode without ability to save new bookmarks as to preserve the "fascinating piece of web history" that contains around 1 billion of bookmarks.
Source: serafin.io

SharpKeys Reviews

We have no reviews of SharpKeys yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Pinboard might be a bit more popular than SharpKeys. We know about 76 links to it since March 2021 and only 54 links to SharpKeys. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Pinboard mentions (76)

  • How to Record and Retrieve Anything You've Ever Had to Look Up Twice
    Shout out to Pinboard for making bookmarking pages and adding notes incredibly easy. They have a bookmarklet that sits on my bookmarks toolbar and if I like a page/tweet/video etc I just hit the "Add pin", enter some tags and hit enter. This works so well that I went through and bookmarked and tagged all of my LinkedIn connections as well (inspired by a post from Derek Sivers [1]). People are generally amazed at... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Tabs Later: A Tab Hoarder's Journey to Sanity
    I switched to using Pinboard [0] for all bookmarking and never looked back. The real unlocks were: - using the bookmarklet that pops open a small browser window with the page title, suggested tags - doing the same on my iphone - have a couple in browser bookmarks that point to the tags for important things It's so good I even used it to track all of my LinkedIn connections tagged by location, job function etc... - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Ask HN: What operating systems, apps, etc. had your favorite UI designs?
    Https://pinboard.in Simple, usable, timeless. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Google Shifts Goo.gl Policy: Inactive Links Deactivated, Active Links Preserved
    Pinboard.in. Also pay the $20/yr for archiving if the links rot https://pinboard.in/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Mozilla shutdown Pocket on July 8, 2025
    The classic https://pinboard.in/, maybe? I haven't used it, but it tempts me a few times per decade. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
View more

SharpKeys mentions (54)

  • Keychron announces first open-source firmware for gaming mice
    Just remap it! If you're on Windows, SharpKeys will do that for you. https://github.com/randyrants/sharpkeys. - Source: Hacker News / 8 days ago
  • I Hate (Most) Keyboard 'Fn' Keys
    You can remap the keys so that "Special: Power" key button does nothing.. Or even to the original function (on my keyboard it would mean Volume Down would be F12 instead). One Windows software to do that: https://github.com/randyrants/sharpkeys / https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xpffcg7m673d4f?hl=en-US On Linux, heck it's Linux, for sure it's doable. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Shortcut for rotating canvas by 15ยฐ left or right without a mouse
    I don't like using my mouse while drawing and I couldn't find how to do this anywhere, but luckily when I was about to give up I achieved it! So, for this you'll need a program called SharpKeys. You can download it here: https://github.com/randyrants/sharpkeys/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Caps Lock Behaviour Disabled in Gnome
    Sharpkeys can swap keys, the readme says as much: > Things that SharpKeys will do: > ... > Allow you to swap two keys with each other - e.g. You can swap Left Windows with Left Control and vice versa I do have a vague recollection of Sharpkeys previously saying that it couldnโ€™t, but that I tried and it worked. Long time since I last used Windows though. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Total Commander
    > Total commander isnโ€™t FOSS. I'm aware of that. There are lots of FOSS equivalents, though. Including, I believe, on Windows. Wikipedia lists 23 of which I think -- haven't checked -- the majority are FOSS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_manager#Orthodox_file_managers > Ironically windows 11 canโ€™t do vertical taskbars. True. Easily fixed with Explorer Patcher, though. Which, ironically, is FOSS. > And... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pinboard and SharpKeys, you can also consider the following products

Raindrop.io - All your articles, photos, video & content from web & apps in one place.

Karabiner - Karabiner, previously called KeyRemap4MacBook, is a very powerful keyboard remapper for Mac OS X.

Diigo - Diigo is a powerful research tool and a knowledge-sharing community

Key Manager - ATNSOFT Key Manager, Key Remapper, Text Paster

Tagpacker - A free tool to quickly collect, organize, and share your favorite links.

Microsoft keyboard layout creator - Edit the windows keyboard layout.