Does Bookmark Manager Zero Store My Bookmarks, or Use My Browser's Own?

Updated

Your browser's own bookmarks remain the source of truth. The Bookmark Manager Zero browser extension for Firefox and Chrome reads directly from your native bookmarks and writes changes back to them, so nothing is moved into a separate account or ecosystem. The only exception is optional GitLab sync, which you turn on yourself to reach your bookmarks from mobile devices or other computers.

How the extension handles your data

According to the project's own description, the extension works with your native Firefox or Chrome bookmarks rather than importing them into a hosted service. That means:

  • Reads from your browser: the extension pulls in whatever is already in your browser's bookmark manager.
  • Writes back to your browser: changes you make in Bookmark Manager Zero are saved to your browser's native bookmarks.
  • Stays in sync both ways: edit something in your browser's built-in bookmark manager and it appears in Bookmark Manager Zero; edit in Bookmark Manager Zero and it lands in your browser.

The practical result is that you can keep using your browser's bookmark manager as you always have, and the extension layers organization, tagging, search, and link checking on top of the same data.

What "no lock-in" means here

The project contrasts itself with services like Raindrop.io, which it says move your bookmarks into their ecosystem. With Bookmark Manager Zero, there is no migration step and no separate copy that becomes the "real" one. If you stop using the extension, your bookmarks are still exactly where they were: in your browser.

When GitLab sync comes in

Mobile browsers and web apps can't read your browser's native bookmarks because of platform restrictions. To bridge that gap, Bookmark Manager Zero offers optional GitLab sync:

  1. Generate a GitLab personal access token (PAT).
  2. Connect the extension using that token.
  3. Your bookmarks sync to a private repository in your own GitLab account.
  4. The web app and the Android app (a dedicated wrapper around the web app) sync with that same repository.

The project notes that GitLab was chosen partly because setup takes minutes and you never enter your actual login credentials on devices you don't fully trust — you paste a PAT instead. GitHub was considered first but its API made the integration impractical.

Sync is designed not to delete silently

The project states that sync never removes anything behind your back. New bookmarks travel in both directions on their own, but anything that would remove, rename, or move a bookmark stops and asks first, showing exactly what would change and on which device. A rename you make yourself syncs silently; one arriving from another device waits for confirmation because it could overwrite a choice you made.

Deciding whether this fits you

Your situation What to expect
You only use bookmarks on one desktop browser The extension alone is enough; your browser stays the source of truth and no sync is needed
You want bookmarks on your phone or another computer You'll need to set up optional GitLab sync with a personal access token
You want to avoid a hosted bookmark service This design keeps your data in your browser and, if you opt in, in your own GitLab account
You might stop using the tool later Your bookmarks remain in your browser; there's no export or migration step required

If your main concern is where your bookmarks live, the answer is simple: in your browser, under your control, with GitLab sync as an opt-in bridge for other devices rather than a requirement.