What are the best read-it-later apps?

Question

13

Options
Considered

116

User
Recs.

Oct 5, 2018

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

The Best 1 of 13 OptionsWhy?

Best read-it-later apps	Price	Platforms	Software Type
90 Instapaper	-	web, Android, iOS	web, Android, iOS
84 Pocket	-	Android, iOS, Kobo, web, macOS, Windows	Google Chrome extension, desktop app
-- Raindrop.io	-	–	–
-- Wallabag	-	–	–
-- PaperSpan	-	iOS, Android, Web, Chrome	iOS, Android, Web, Chrome

See Full List

12 Other Options Considered

Pocket

Top Pro

Saves progress

Pocket lets you know where you left off reading an article. Great for long reads. See More

Top Con

Correct and open export of bookmarks and tags are not possible

This means that Pocket is (currently) a total lock-in. This is very sad, unfortunate and creates a no go decision for any seasoned user. Too many bookmarking and tagging companies have stopped or have gone bankrupt these last years (e.g. Kippt, Spingpad, Delicious (to some extent), etc.). So, if you are going to invest a lot of your personal time and energy in curating your Internet findings (i.e. your bookmarks and tags), it is essential that a total, fair and open export (including all tags) functionality is provided. Personally tested the export "feature" and the resulting .html file that Pocket generates currently included only the URLs themselves, i.e. no save dates nor any of your personally curated tags, nor any other useful meta-data. This is deplorable, because otherwise, Pocket is a very polished and well-functioning piece of multi-platform and multi-device software/app/web service, with a very easy and well-designed and implemented user interface. These days of open and inter-operable web services, users are only attracted by valuable functionality, clean UX design and no lockins. See More

Daniel Naron's Experience

Although I haven't tried anything else, Pocket is well polished and very comfortable to use 👍 See More

Specs

Platforms:Android, iOS, Kobo, web, macOS, Windows

Software Type:Google Chrome extension, desktop app

Top Pro

Tag-based organizational system

Top Con

Can't rename the title of links

If the page title isn't correct/good for a link, there is no way for you to fix it. See More

Top Pro

Allows listening to saved articles

Pocket comes with a built-in text-to-speech feature that will read out loud saved articles. See More

Top Pro

Integrates with over 500 apps

A key advantage of Pocket is that it is integrated in over 500 apps as a way to save the link, including Twitter, Flipboard, Pulse and Zite. See More

Top Pro

Can playback inline video

Pocket will play videos from YouTube, Vimeo and other sources that are embedded in articles, but you have to be online for playback to work. See More

Top Pro

Well-finished GUI and UX

Top Pro

Allows setting offline storage limits

If your device does not have enough space to store offline articles, Pocket allows users to set the maximum size for the app to store offline articles. Priority of the offline articles will be based on newest first or oldest first, based on the users preferences. See More

Top Pro

Allows reading saved content in offline mode

Instead of only saving the link, the content is saved for offline use. See More

Top Pro

Suggests new reads

Curates suggested reads based on usual read topics. Mostly through ads in-app and email subscription. See More

Top Pro

Available on the web and mobile devices

Pocket is available on iOS, Android, Kobo eReader and on the web. See More

Top Pro

Recommendations for friends

If you've read an exceptional article you can share it to your followers or you can see what your friends are recommending to read. See More

Top Pro

Included in Firefox

Pocket is now integrated into the Firefox web browser, and you can login using your Firefox/Mozilla login, instead of having to create a separate account. This login method can even be used natively on their website, regardless what browser is being used. See More

Top Pro

Ability to filter by content type

Top Pro

Works well across Google Chrome on macOS and iOS

Top Pro

Allows tagging bookmarks

Bookmarks can be tagged for search accuracy later on. See More

Top Pro

The Pocket plugin for Google Chrome is very stable

Top Pro

Code snippets display correctly

See All

Gemsmark

Top Pro

Available for Web, iOS and Android

Top Pro

Clean, beautiful design

EmailThis

Top Pro

PDF snapshots & notes

Lets to save PDF snapshots of all web pages. EmailThis also lets you add notes and keywords for faster searching. See More

katz's Experience

Works great! With one-click, the whole page gets saved to my email. Great way to quickly capture important content so you can read and explore later. See More

Top Pro

Available on the web and mobile devices

Extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Bookmarklet for Safari & IE. Also includes a 'mail to self' feature for Android and iOS devices. See More

Top Pro

Allows reading saved content in offline mode

Web pages are cleaned up and sent to your email inbox. They can be accessed even offline from mobile devices. See More

Top Pro

One-click save

The Chrome extension allows you to save articles with a single click. See More

See All

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