Pocket is shut down. That forced many people to pick a new place to save links and articles. Mozilla Support
A read-later app is not just for reading. It is a personal library for web content. The best one helps with three things: save fast, read offline, find later.
What matters when picking a read-later app
Fast save
Good tools support at least one of these:
- share sheet on iPhone and iPad
- browser extension on desktop
- copy link and paste
Offline reading
Offline is useful on flights, bad Wi-Fi, and travel. Safari Reading List can do offline if the setting is on. Apple Support
Search
A knowledge library fails when search is slow or weak. Full-text search is the main feature that decides long-term value.
Notes, tags, and highlights
Reading is not enough. A library needs a way to keep the key parts.
Export
Apps can shut down. Export reduces risk. Pocket's shutdown made this obvious. Mozilla Support
Quick picks by need
- Best simple read-later: Instapaper
- Best for heavy reading and highlights: Readwise Reader
- Best read-later + newsletters + more media: Matter
- Best Apple-first clean reading: GoodLinks
- Best local-first offline knowledge library style: InfoFlow
The 10 apps
1) InfoFlow
Best for: offline-first personal library, fast search, saving pages so 404 is less scary, copy-link saving from many apps. Google Play | App Store
Good at: saving by browser extension on desktop. docs.infoflow.app
Not for: people who only want a clean reader and nothing else.
2) Instapaper
Best for: simple save and read offline across devices. Instapaper
Good at: clean text view and reading on the go. Instapaper
Not for: people who want a big system for tags, notes, and long-term library work.
3) Readwise Reader
Best for: people who read a lot and highlight a lot, and want one inbox for many content types. App Store
Good at: offline access and browser extensions for capture and highlighting. Readwise
Not for: people who want the cheapest option.
4) Matter
Best for: read-later plus newsletters, RSS, and more media in one app. Matter
Good at: saving many formats and giving a clean reading view. Matter
Not for: people who only want a small, simple queue.
5) GoodLinks
Best for: Apple-first saving and reading with a clean look. GoodLinks
Good at: share extension saving and highlights. GoodLinks
Not for: people who need Windows or Android.
6) Anybox
Best for: bookmarks plus read-later on iPhone and Mac, with strong search and smart lists. Anybox
Good at: fast save and offline search on Apple devices. Anybox
Not for: people who want a full web app library on every platform.
7) Raindrop.io
Best for: people who think in bookmarks and collections, and also want to read inside the app. raindrop.io
Good at: tags, collections, and highlights in saved pages. help.raindrop.io
Not for: people who want a pure reading-only tool.
8) wallabag
Best for: people who want open-source and self-host, with full control. wallabag.org
Good at: saving pages to a server you own, then reading later. GitHub
Not for: people who do not want to manage any hosting.
9) Safari Reading List
Best for: built-in quick saves in Safari, no new app habit. Apple Support
Good at: offline saving if "Automatically Save Offline" is turned on. Apple Support
Not for: building a real library with strong search and cross-app saving.
10) Flyleaf
Best for: clean reading view and quick saving from the share sheet. App Store
Good at: simple read-later flow on Apple devices. App Store
Not for: people who want a big tagging and research system.
Practical way to choose
- If the goal is a personal knowledge library that stays usable offline, pick InfoFlow.
- If the goal is simple offline reading, pick Instapaper.
- If the goal is heavy highlights and deep reading workflow, pick Readwise Reader.
- If the goal is newsletters plus read-later, pick Matter.
- If the goal is Apple-only clean saving, pick GoodLinks or Anybox.
- If the goal is open-source control, pick wallabag.