diff --git a/src/hooks/use-fetch-gif-first-frame.ts b/src/hooks/use-fetch-gif-first-frame.ts
index 97c86cba..88c85bd3 100644
--- a/src/hooks/use-fetch-gif-first-frame.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/use-fetch-gif-first-frame.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,14 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import localForageLru from '@plebbit/plebbit-react-hooks/dist/lib/localforage-lru/index.js';
 
-const GIF_FRAME_CACHE_KEY = 'gifFrameCache';
+const gifFrameDb = localForageLru.createInstance({ name: 'plebchanGifFrames', size: 500 });
 
-const getCachedGifFrame = (url: string): string | null => {
-  const cache = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(GIF_FRAME_CACHE_KEY) || '{}');
-  return cache[url] || null;
+const getCachedGifFrame = async (url: string): Promise<string | null> => {
+  return await gifFrameDb.getItem(url);
 };
 
-const setCachedGifFrame = (url: string, frameUrl: string): void => {
-  const cache = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(GIF_FRAME_CACHE_KEY) || '{}');
-  cache[url] = frameUrl;
-  localStorage.setItem(GIF_FRAME_CACHE_KEY, JSON.stringify(cache));
+const setCachedGifFrame = async (url: string, frameUrl: string): Promise<void> => {
+  await gifFrameDb.setItem(url, frameUrl);
 };
 
 export const fetchImage = (url: string): Promise<ArrayBuffer> => {
@@ -75,7 +73,7 @@ const useFetchGifFirstFrame = (url: string | undefined) => {
 
     const fetchFrame = async () => {
       try {
-        const cachedFrame = getCachedGifFrame(url);
+        const cachedFrame = await getCachedGifFrame(url);
         if (cachedFrame) {
           if (isActive) setFrameUrl(cachedFrame);
           return;
@@ -85,7 +83,7 @@ const useFetchGifFirstFrame = (url: string | undefined) => {
         const objectUrl = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
         if (isActive) {
           setFrameUrl(objectUrl);
-          setCachedGifFrame(url, objectUrl);
+          await setCachedGifFrame(url, objectUrl);
         }
       } catch (error) {
         console.error('Failed to load GIF frame:', error);
@@ -95,7 +93,6 @@ const useFetchGifFirstFrame = (url: string | undefined) => {
 
     fetchFrame();
 
-    // Cleanup function to avoid setting state on unmounted component
     return () => {
       isActive = false;
     };
diff --git a/src/lib/utils/media-utils.ts b/src/lib/utils/media-utils.ts
index 04807852..a003350c 100644
--- a/src/lib/utils/media-utils.ts
+++ b/src/lib/utils/media-utils.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import localForageLru from '@plebbit/plebbit-react-hooks/dist/lib/localforage-lru/index.js';
 import { Comment } from '@plebbit/plebbit-react-hooks';
 import extName from 'ext-name';
 import { canEmbed } from '../../components/embed';
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ export const getLinkMediaInfo = memoize(
     }
 
     try {
-      mime = extName(new URL(link).pathname.toLowerCase().replace('/', ''))[0]?.mime;
+      mime = extName(url.pathname.toLowerCase().replace('/', ''))[0]?.mime;
       if (mime) {
         if (mime.startsWith('image')) {
           type = mime === 'image/gif' ? 'gif' : 'image';
@@ -119,14 +120,41 @@ export const getLinkMediaInfo = memoize(
 const fetchWebpageThumbnail = async (url: string): Promise<string | undefined> => {
   try {
     let html: string;
+    const MAX_HTML_SIZE = 1024 * 1024;
+    const TIMEOUT = 5000;
+
     if (Capacitor.isNativePlatform()) {
       // in the native app, the Capacitor HTTP plugin is used to fetch the thumbnail
-      const response = await CapacitorHttp.get({ url });
-      html = response.data;
+      const response = await CapacitorHttp.get({
+        url,
+        readTimeout: TIMEOUT,
+        connectTimeout: TIMEOUT,
+        responseType: 'text',
+        headers: { Accept: 'text/html', Range: `bytes=0-${MAX_HTML_SIZE - 1}` },
+      });
+      html = response.data.slice(0, MAX_HTML_SIZE);
     } else {
       // some sites have CORS access, from which the thumbnail can be fetched client-side, which is helpful if subplebbit.settings.fetchThumbnailUrls is false
-      const response = await fetch(url);
-      html = await response.text();
+      const controller = new AbortController();
+      const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), TIMEOUT);
+
+      const response = await fetch(url, {
+        signal: controller.signal,
+        headers: { Accept: 'text/html' },
+      });
+
+      clearTimeout(timeoutId);
+
+      if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Network response was not ok');
+
+      const reader = response.body?.getReader();
+      let result = '';
+      while (true) {
+        const { done, value } = await reader!.read();
+        if (done || result.length >= MAX_HTML_SIZE) break;
+        result += new TextDecoder().decode(value);
+      }
+      html = result.slice(0, MAX_HTML_SIZE);
     }
 
     const parser = new DOMParser();
@@ -201,29 +229,27 @@ export const getMediaDimensions = (commentMediaInfo: CommentMediaInfo | undefine
   return '';
 };
 
+const thumbnailUrlsDb = localForageLru.createInstance({ name: 'plebchanThumbnailUrls', size: 500 });
+
+export const getCachedThumbnail = async (url: string): Promise<string | null> => {
+  return await thumbnailUrlsDb.getItem(url);
+};
+
+export const setCachedThumbnail = async (url: string, thumbnail: string): Promise<void> => {
+  await thumbnailUrlsDb.setItem(url, thumbnail);
+};
+
 export const fetchWebpageThumbnailIfNeeded = async (commentMediaInfo: CommentMediaInfo): Promise<CommentMediaInfo> => {
   if (commentMediaInfo.type === 'webpage' && !commentMediaInfo.thumbnail) {
-    const cachedThumbnail = getCachedThumbnail(commentMediaInfo.url);
+    const cachedThumbnail = await getCachedThumbnail(commentMediaInfo.url);
     if (cachedThumbnail) {
       return { ...commentMediaInfo, thumbnail: cachedThumbnail };
     }
     const thumbnail = await fetchWebpageThumbnail(commentMediaInfo.url);
     if (thumbnail) {
-      setCachedThumbnail(commentMediaInfo.url, thumbnail);
+      await setCachedThumbnail(commentMediaInfo.url, thumbnail);
     }
     return { ...commentMediaInfo, thumbnail };
   }
   return commentMediaInfo;
 };
-const THUMBNAIL_CACHE_KEY = 'webpageThumbnailCache';
-
-export const getCachedThumbnail = (url: string): string | null => {
-  const cache = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(THUMBNAIL_CACHE_KEY) || '{}');
-  return cache[url] || null;
-};
-
-export const setCachedThumbnail = (url: string, thumbnail: string): void => {
-  const cache = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(THUMBNAIL_CACHE_KEY) || '{}');
-  cache[url] = thumbnail;
-  localStorage.setItem(THUMBNAIL_CACHE_KEY, JSON.stringify(cache));
-};
diff --git a/src/views/board/board.module.css b/src/views/board/board.module.css
index cb16a088..9fd60433 100644
--- a/src/views/board/board.module.css
+++ b/src/views/board/board.module.css
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 }
 
 .footer a, .newerPostsButton  {
+  cursor: pointer;
   text-decoration: var(--button-text-decoration);
   color: var(--button-desktop-text-color);
 }