Pocket alternative: top 9 read-later apps

Introduction

I got the email on May 22nd. "Important changes to Pocket." My stomach dropped before I even opened it. I've had this exact feeling before, the digital equivalent of a landlord saying they're selling your flat, and a pocket alternative would have helped.

Mozilla was shutting down Pocket. July 8th, 2025. Export your data before October 8th or switch to a pocket alternative to keep your data safe.

Here's the thing: I had 427 articles saved in a pocket alternative. I'd read maybe 40 of them. The rest were digital evidence of good intentions, a graveyard of things I meant to get around to, including the pocket alternative I kept meaning to use. "I'll definitely read this comprehensive guide to React hooks. Eventually. Probably."

But the panic was real. Those 427 articles represented something; even if I hadn't read them, a pocket alternative would have given me a better way to manage them. Ideas I might need. Research for projects that didn't exist yet. That one article about ADHD productivity tips I'd scrolled past seventeen times but never actually opened would have benefited from a best note taking app for ADHD — that actually sticks that nudges me to read.

The real question wasn't "what's the best Pocket alternative?" It was "why do I keep pretending I'm going to read all these articles, and what app will help me actually use what I save?"

I spent the next two weeks testing every pocket alternative I could find. Spoiler: I tried 47. That's not hyperbole. I kept a spreadsheet. My ADHD brain latched onto this as the Most Important Task, conveniently avoiding the actual work I should've been doing.

In this article, I'll walk you through the 9 best Pocket alternatives, what makes them different, and what actually matters in practice. I'll also explain why I ended up building my own solution, Ultrathink, because none of the pocket alternative solutions solved my actual problem.

If you're just looking for a quick answer: a notion alternative: how ADHD made me ditch Notion might be right for you. It's the closest thing to a pocket alternative without the shutdown notice.

But if you're tired of read-later apps becoming read-never graveyards, consider a pocket alternative; keep reading.

Why is Pocket shutting down?

Mozilla announced on May 22nd, 2025 that they're shutting down Pocket, creating a gap for a pocket alternative. Corporate speak for "this isn't making us money."

Here's the timeline:

• July 8th, 2025: Pocket stops working. No more saving articles, no more reading in the app.
• July 8th to October 8th: Export-only mode. You can download your data but that's it.
• October 8th, 2025: Everything is permanently deleted. Your 10 million saved articles across all Pocket users illustrate why a pocket alternative matters. Gone.

New account sign-ups are already disabled. The apps have been removed from app stores. It's not a gradual sunset, it's a proper shutdown.

Mozilla acquired Pocket in 2017 for an undisclosed amount (Pocket joins Mozilla). Eight years later, they're killing it alongside Fakespot, another acquisition that didn't work out. The official line is 'the way people use the web has evolved', a reminder that many pocket alternative models struggle to turn a profit.

But here's the broader pattern that should worry you: Omnivore, another read-later app and pocket alternative, shut down earlier in 2025. These services aren't sustainable businesses. They're nice-to-haves that people don't want to pay for, so they eventually die or get acquired and killed.

This is why I care about pocket alternative strategies within personal knowledge management now. I'm tired of investing time in services that disappear. When I save something, I want to actually own it, not rent access to it until the venture capital runs out.

If you're still using Pocket, export your data NOW. Don't wait until October. Go to settings, request your data export, download the HTML file. Do it today. I'll wait.

Back? Good. Now let's talk about where you're moving to.

What makes a good read-later app?

Before I list the alternatives, let's talk about what actually matters. Because most reviews give you a feature checklist without explaining whether you'll actually use any of it.

David Pierce, who writes about tech for The Verge, made a useful distinction: bookmark managers vs actual read-later apps. Bookmark managers let you save everything. Read-later apps are designed for reading. Different tools, different purposes.

The real question is: are you a hoarder or a reader?

I'm a hoarder. I save things "just in case." My 427 Pocket articles were evidence of optimism, not intent. If you're honest with yourself and you have 1,000+ saved articles, you're a hoarder too. That's fine. Own it. But pick your app accordingly.

Here are the features that actually matter:

Clean reading experience: Strips ads, removes clutter, reformats text so you can actually read. This is table stakes. If an app doesn't do this well, it's not a read-later app.

Offline access: Can you read on the Tube? On a plane? Without burning through mobile data? Essential if you commute.

Cross-platform sync: Mobile, desktop, browser extension. Your articles should follow you everywhere without thinking about it.

Highlighting and notes: If you're reading for work or research, you need to capture key points. If you're reading for entertainment, you probably don't care.

Organisation: Tags, folders, search. Sounds essential. In practice, I never use them. My ADHD brain doesn't maintain filing systems. But if you're the kind of person who colour-codes their calendar, you'll want this.

Now, features that sound great but you'll never use:

Social recommendations: "See what others in your network are reading!" No thanks. I already have hundreds of unread articles. I don't need algorithmically suggested ones.

Text-to-speech: Only useful if you actually have a commute or workout routine where you'll listen. Most people save this for articles they're never going to read anyway.

Integration with 47 other apps: Every app brags about this. "Connect to Notion! Evernote! Roam! Obsidian!" Unless you have a specific workflow that needs this, it's just complexity you'll ignore.

Here's what's missing from most read-later apps: they don't actually help you READ what you save. They're optimised for saving, not consuming. The queue just grows. The guilt accumulates. Eventually you declare "read-later bankruptcy" and delete everything.

This is why I built Ultrathink. I needed something that would surface relevant articles when I actually needed them, not when I happened to remember I saved something six months ago. But more on that later.

The 9 best Pocket alternatives

Right. Let's get to the actual alternatives. I've tried all of these properly, not just signed up and looked around. Here's what actually works.

Instapaper: The closest replacement

If you just want Pocket back without the existential dread, use Instapaper.

It's the original read-later app, launched in 2008 by Marco Arment. Clean interface, reliable sync, does exactly what it says. The reading experience is excellent. Strips formatting, removes ads, leaves you with just the text. Exactly what you want.

The free plan is functional but limited to 3 highlights. If you're serious about using this, you'll need Premium at £3/month. That's cheaper than a coffee, which is how every subscription service justifies itself these days.

Downsides? It hasn't innovated much. While competitors added AI summaries and social features, Instapaper stayed the same. Some people see that as a feature, not a bug. It's stable, predictable, boring in the best way.

Best for: Simple, distraction-free reading without complexity. If you liked Pocket and want the same experience, this is it.

Personal take: Solid choice. I almost settled on this before my brain convinced me I needed to test 46 more options.

Readwise Reader: The power user option

This is what happens when developers build a read-later app for themselves. It does everything.

Articles, PDFs, newsletters, Twitter threads, RSS feeds, YouTube transcripts. Readwise Reader wants to be your unified inbox for everything you consume. And it mostly succeeds.

The AI assistant, Ghostreader, can summarise articles, answer questions about content, and even explain complex concepts. It's genuinely useful, not a gimmick. I asked it to explain a dense academic paper on attention mechanisms and it actually helped.

Deep integrations with Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research, and Evernote. If you're building a second brain, this plugs right in. Your highlights and notes sync automatically to your knowledge base.

But here's the thing: it's £8/month. And it's overwhelming if you're a casual user. The interface has a lot going on. Settings within settings. Keyboard shortcuts for everything. Power users love this. Normal humans get lost.

Best for: Heavy readers who want advanced organisation and AI assistance. If you're reading 20+ articles per week and taking notes, this is worth it.

Personal take: Impressive but overkill for most people. Like buying a professional espresso machine when you just want morning coffee.

Matter: Social reading meets read-later

Matter is trying to reinvent read-later apps with a modern, social twist.

You can follow writers directly in the app. Subscribe to newsletters. Get AI-curated recommendations based on what you read. The text-to-speech is excellent, genuinely the best I've tried. Natural voices, adjustable speed, works beautifully for commutes.

The AI summarisation is useful for triaging your queue. Quick 2-3 sentence summaries help you decide what's worth a full read. This actually helps with the "I'll never read all these" problem.

But. It's relatively new. And we've already established that read-later apps have a sustainability problem. I'm wary of investing in another service that might shut down in three years. Also, it's iOS-focused. The web app exists but it's clearly an afterthought.

£8/month for full features, which puts it in the same bracket as Readwise Reader. At that price, you're competing with more established options.

Best for: People who want curated discovery alongside saved articles. If you trust algorithms and like the idea of "social reading," this might work.

Personal take: Beautiful app, unclear if it'll exist in 2028. Proceed with caution.

Raindrop.io: The bookmark hoarder's paradise

If you're like me and save everything (articles, images, videos, random GitHub repos you'll definitely look at later), Raindrop.io gets it.

It's more bookmark manager than read-later app. Visual organisation with screenshots and previews. Collections, nested folders, tags, all the organisation features you'll promise yourself you'll use. The free tier is genuinely generous, unlimited bookmarks.

The interface is beautiful. Seeing visual thumbnails of everything you've saved actually helps with memory. I remembered articles I'd forgotten about just by scrolling through the grid view.

But here's the trap: it makes hoarding too easy. I had 800 saved items within a month. The visual approach helps you find things, but doesn't help you actually read them. It's a very pretty graveyard.

Best for: Visual thinkers who save everything. If you want a Pinterest board for articles, this is it.

Personal take: If you have 1,000+ saved items, the visual interface genuinely helps. But it doesn't solve the "actually reading" problem. With over 100,000 downloads and a 4.0-star rating, clearly people find it useful though.

Wallabag: Self-hosted and private

For the technically minded who want complete data ownership, Wallabag is your answer.

It's open-source, self-hosted, and gives you total control. No company can shut it down. Your data lives on your server. Privacy-focused, no tracking, no algorithmic nonsense.

Easy Docker deployment if you're comfortable with that. Mobile apps for iOS and Android. Browser extensions. All the features you'd expect from a commercial service, except you own the infrastructure.

The downsides are obvious: you need to set up a server, maintain it, handle backups, deal with updates. That's ongoing work. And there are hosting costs, though they're minimal if you're already running a server for other things.

Best for: Privacy advocates and technical users comfortable with self-hosting. If you're already running your own cloud services, this fits right in.

Personal take: Love the ownership aspect philosophically. Don't want the maintenance burden practically. I've got enough servers to maintain.

Goodlinks: Apple ecosystem simplicity

If you're all-in on Apple and want something that feels native, Goodlinks is lovely.

One-time purchase of £9.99. No subscription, which is refreshing. Beautiful design that follows Apple's guidelines perfectly. iCloud sync between devices. Privacy-focused, no tracking, no analytics.

It's simple in the best way. Save articles, read them later, that's it. No AI features, no social aspects, no complexity. Just a clean reading experience.

The limitations are obvious: Apple-only. If you have an Android phone or use Windows for work, this doesn't work. And the simplicity means no advanced features. No AI summaries, no integrations, no automation.

Best for: Apple users who want simplicity and don't need cross-platform support.

Personal take: Elegant, but I need Windows and Android support. If you're purely in the Apple ecosystem, this is worth considering.

Obsidian: The knowledge builder's choice

Obsidian isn't a read-later app. It's a note-taking tool with a web clipper plugin that can function as one.

Everything is stored as local markdown files. Complete data ownership. No cloud service can shut down and take your data. The web clipper saves articles as markdown, strips formatting, lets you annotate and link to other notes.

Infinite customisation through community plugins. Bi-directional linking between articles and notes. Graph view showing connections between ideas. If you're building a personal knowledge management system, this is powerful.

But it's not purpose-built for read-later. The reading experience isn't as polished as dedicated apps. Requires setup and configuration. Steeper learning curve. You're using a Swiss Army knife when you need scissors.

Best for: People already using Obsidian for notes. Knowledge management enthusiasts who want everything in one place.

Personal take: Powerful but feels like overkill. If you're committed to the Obsidian ecosystem, it makes sense. Otherwise, it's too much work for basic read-later functionality.

OneNote and Evernote: The legacy options

I'm grouping these together because they're both note-taking apps that can function as read-later tools via web clippers.

They're established. Microsoft and Evernote (with its 2 million users) aren't shutting down anytime soon. Broader functionality than just read-later. If you're already using them for work, adding articles makes sense.

But they're not optimised for reading. The interfaces are bloated. Enterprise features you don't need. Reading articles in OneNote feels like reading in a filing cabinet. Evernote is better but still cluttered.

Best for: People already using these tools who want one less app. If your life is already in OneNote for work, this works.

Personal take: Functional but uninspiring. Like using Excel as a todo list. Technically it works, but there are better tools for the job.

Collectread: ai-powered recommendations

CollectRead is newer but worth mentioning because it tackles the "what should I read?" problem with AI.

The app analyses what you save and surfaces relevant content. Recommendations are genuinely good, not random algorithmic noise. Free plan for 500 articles, which is plenty for most people.

They claim 99% import success rate from Pocket, which is impressive if true. The interface is clean, focused on reading without distractions.

But again, it's relatively new. The sustainability question looms. How long before this is another shutdown announcement? The AI features are useful, but are they useful enough to justify betting on an unproven service?

Best for: People who want AI to help prioritise what to read. If you struggle with decision paralysis around your reading queue, this might help.

Personal take: Interesting AI angle, but jury's out on long-term viability. Might be brilliant in three years, might be gone.

How to choose the right alternative for you

Nine options is overwhelming. Here's how to actually choose.

Start with your actual usage. Not what you think you should do, but what you actually do.

How many articles do you read per week?

If it's fewer than 5, you need a simple tool. Instapaper or Goodlinks. Don't pay for features you won't use. Don't overcomplicate this.

If it's 20+, you're a power user. Readwise Reader makes sense. The advanced features and integrations will actually get used.

Between 5 and 20? You're in the messy middle. Try Instapaper first. If you find yourself wanting more features after a month, upgrade to something more powerful.

Do you need highlighting and notes?

If you're reading for work or research, yes. You need to capture insights and connect them to projects. Readwise Reader, Obsidian, or Ultrathink.

If you're reading for interest or entertainment, probably not. Clean reading experience is enough. Instapaper, Matter, Goodlinks.

Is cross-platform essential?

If you use iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS interchangeably, you need proper cross-platform sync. Instapaper, Readwise Reader, Raindrop.io, Matter.

If you're purely Apple, Goodlinks works and it's a one-time purchase instead of a subscription.

If you're technical and care about privacy, Wallabag gives you control at the cost of setup complexity.

Will you actually use advanced features?

Be honest. That AI summarisation sounds great. Will you actually read the summaries? Or will they just become another layer of stuff you ignore?

Those deep integrations with Notion and Obsidian. Do you have a knowledge management system that's more than aspirational? If your Notion workspace is empty except for that "life goals" page from 2022, you don't need integrations.

Social features and recommendations. Do you want algorithms suggesting content? Or do you already have more than you can read?

The sustainability question matters.

After Pocket and Omnivore, I care about longevity. Will this app exist in five years?

More likely to survive: Instapaper (been around since 2008), Readwise Reader (profitable business model), Obsidian (local-first, can't shut down), Wallabag (self-hosted, can't shut down).

Higher risk: Matter (new, unclear business model), CollectRead (new, AI-focused startups are expensive to run).

Probably fine: Raindrop.io (established, growing user base), OneNote/Evernote (big companies, though Evernote has had its struggles).

Here's my decision framework:

• Simple reader who just wants Pocket back: Instapaper
• Power user who reads constantly: Readwise Reader
• Privacy advocate willing to self-host: Wallabag
• Visual organiser who hoards everything: Raindrop.io
• Apple ecosystem devotee: Goodlinks
• Knowledge builder who needs integration: Obsidian or Ultrathink
• Curious about AI features: Matter or CollectRead, but accept the risk

If you're still unsure, start with Instapaper. It's cheap, simple, and reliable. You can always migrate again if it doesn't work out. We're clearly good at migrating by now.

Why I built ultrathink instead

After testing 47 read-later apps, I still wasn't satisfied. Not because they were bad, but because they all solved the wrong problem.

They made saving easy. They made reading pleasant. But none of them helped me actually use what I saved.

Here's my actual workflow problem: I'd save an article about React performance optimisation. Three weeks later, I'd be working on a React project with performance issues. The article would be buried in my read-later queue, forgotten. I'd Google the problem again, find different articles, save those too.

I was collecting information but never connecting it to the work I was actually doing.

My ADHD makes this worse. Out of sight equals out of mind. If I don't see something right when I need it, it doesn't exist. Maintaining a tagging system? Never happening. Remembering to search my saved articles when I have a problem? Also never happening.

What I needed was something that would surface relevant articles when I was actually working on related stuff. Not when I remembered to look for them.

So I built Ultrathink around three principles:

Quick capture everywhere: Desktop widget that's always visible. Browser extension for saving from anywhere. Mobile apps for capturing thoughts. If friction exists, I won't use it. My ADHD brain needs zero barriers between having a thought and capturing it.

AI summarisation for triage: I don't need to read everything I save. Sometimes I just need to know "is this worth a full read, or can I extract the key point now?" Two-sentence AI summaries help me decide. This actually helps with the queue problem because I can delete things after reading the summary.

Automatic relationship linking: This is the key difference. Ultrathink's AI analyses everything I save and creates connections to other content. When I'm working on something, it shows me related articles, notes, and ideas I've previously captured. I don't need to remember I saved something relevant. It surfaces it when I need it.

Cross-device sync that actually works: Desktop widget on my work machine, mobile app for capturing on the go, browser extension for research. Everything syncs instantly. I capture on mobile, it's on desktop before I sit down.

The second brain philosophy: I'm not building a reading queue, I'm building external memory. The goal isn't to read everything, it's to capture everything and let AI help me find connections.

It's working for my scattered thinking style. When I save an article now, it's not going into a queue I'll ignore. It's being connected to my existing knowledge. When I'm working on a project, relevant content surfaces automatically. Like having a research assistant who actually remembers everything I've read.

You can try Ultrathink at tryultrathink.com. I built it for myself, but other people with ADHD and scattered thinking styles have found it useful too.

Honest assessment: if you just want a simple read-later app, use Instapaper. Ultrathink is more complex because it's solving a different problem. It's for people who collect information and struggle to use it effectively.

But if you've got 400 saved articles and can't remember what's in there, maybe you need something different too.

How to migrate from Pocket

Right, practical steps. You've picked an alternative. Now you need to actually move your data before October 8th.

Step 1: Export your Pocket data

Do this first. Seriously. Don't wait.

1. Log into Pocket on the web
2. Go to Settings
3. Look for "Export" or "Download your data"
4. Request your export
5. Download the HTML file when it's ready

This file contains all your saved articles with URLs, titles, and tags. It's your backup if everything goes wrong.

Step 2: Choose your new home

Hopefully you've read this far and made a decision. If not, just pick Instapaper and move on with your life.

Step 3: Import your data

This varies wildly by service:

Instapaper: Supports HTML import directly. Upload your Pocket export file and it handles it. Simple.

Readwise Reader: Has a direct Pocket import feature. Click the import button, authenticate with Pocket, wait. It pulls everything including your highlights and tags.

Raindrop.io: Accepts HTML bookmark files and Pocket exports. Settings → Import → Select Pocket. Works well.

Matter: Has Pocket import in the settings. One-click process.

Wallabag: Has an import tool specifically for Pocket exports. Upload the file, it processes it.

CollectRead: Claims 99% import success rate from Pocket. Has dedicated import feature.

Obsidian: More manual. You'll need to process the HTML file and convert to markdown. Community plugins can help. Not straightforward.

OneNote/Evernote: Import the HTML file or use web clippers to re-save important articles manually. Not automated.

Goodlinks: No direct Pocket import. You'll need to manually save articles you care about. Or use a third-party conversion tool.

Step 4: The harsh reality check

You probably have hundreds of saved articles. Here's what I learned: don't migrate everything.

Seriously. If you haven't read it in six months, you're not going to read it. That article about productivity hacks from 2019? You survived without reading it. Let it go.

Migration is a perfect opportunity for read-later bankruptcy. Start fresh. Only migrate articles you genuinely plan to read or reference.

I migrated 47 articles out of 427. Deleted the rest. It felt liberating. Like cleaning out a wardrobe full of clothes you're never going to wear but kept "just in case."

Be ruthless. Future you will thank you for not carrying digital clutter into a new system.

Step 5: Test before October 8th

Import everything before the final deadline. Make sure it actually worked. Check a few random articles to confirm they're readable and properly formatted.

Some imports fail silently. The count looks right but half the articles are broken links. Test it.

If the import fails, you still have your HTML export file. You can try again or pick a different service. But only if you exported your data first.

Making read-later actually work

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most saved articles never get read. The average read-later user has hundreds of saved items and growing guilt about the queue.

Why read-later apps become graveyards:

No prioritisation system: Everything goes into one big queue. New articles get added at the bottom. Old articles get buried. Eventually you have hundreds of items and no idea where to start.

Disconnected from actual work: You save articles because they're interesting, not because you need them right now. By the time you actually need that information, you've forgotten you saved it.

Saving feels productive but isn't: Clicking "save" triggers a tiny hit of accomplishment. "I'll read this later" means "I'm being responsible about my learning." Except you're not learning, you're procrastinating.

Fear of missing out drives saving: That article might be useful someday. Better save it just in case. Multiply that by hundreds of articles and you've got a museum of things you might need eventually.

The brutal solution that works: the one-touch rule. Read it now or delete it. Don't save for later.

I know. That defeats the entire purpose of a read-later app. But it actually works. If you're not willing to read something right now, you're probably not going to read it later either. Delete it. Move on.

Too harsh? Here are slightly less extreme strategies:

Weekly review ritual: Block 30 minutes every Friday. Go through your queue. Read, delete, or archive. If something's been sitting unread for two weeks, delete it. You're not going to read it.

Limit your queue: Maximum 10-20 articles at a time. When you hit the limit, you have to delete something before saving something new. Forces prioritisation.

Save with intent: Before clicking save, ask "why am I saving this?" If the answer is vague ("might be useful"), don't save it. Only save if you have a specific reason or project it relates to.

Use folders for projects, not topics: Don't organise by "productivity" or "technology." Organise by "redesign project" or "research for blog post." Concrete projects, not abstract categories. This connects saved content to actual work.

Try AI summaries for triage: Apps like Matter, Readwise Reader, and Ultrathink offer AI summaries. Two sentences telling you what the article says. Often that's enough. You don't need to read the full 3,000 words. Extract the key point, delete the article, move on.

How I changed my approach:

I stopped treating my read-later app as a reading queue. It's a research tool now. I save articles when I'm actively working on something they relate to.

Desktop widget makes this possible. When I'm coding and hit a problem, I can save relevant StackOverflow answers or documentation directly. It's attached to the context of what I'm working on.

AI summarisation helps me triage. Most articles, I just need the summary. Read the two-sentence overview, decide if I need more detail. Usually I don't.

Relationship linking surfaces relevant content automatically. When I start working on something, Ultrathink shows me related articles and notes. I don't need to remember I saved something three months ago.

Weekly purge: anything older than two weeks that I haven't touched gets deleted. No guilt. If it was important, I'd have read it.

The uncomfortable reality: we save too much. We read too little. The app won't fix this. You need a different relationship with saved content.

Pick an app that matches your actual behaviour, not your aspirational behaviour. If you're a hoarder, pick something with good organisation and search. If you're never going to maintain a tagging system, pick something with AI that does it for you.

But most importantly: be honest about what you'll actually read.

Conclusion

Pocket's shutdown is frustrating. A pocket alternative helps frame what you actually need from a read-later app. It’s also an opportunity to reassess how you store information.

But it’s also an opportunity to think about what you actually need from a read-later app.

If you're weighing a pocket alternative, decide what matters most: readability, notes, privacy, or integration into a knowledge system.

Are you just wanting to read articles without ads? Instapaper.

Are you a power user who reads constantly and takes detailed notes? Readwise Reader.

Do you care about privacy and want complete data ownership? Wallabag or Obsidian.

Are you building a knowledge management system? Ultrathink.

There's no perfect solution. If there was, read-later apps would be profitable businesses instead of acquisition targets that eventually get shut down.

Whatever you choose, do three things:

First, export your Pocket data by October 8th. This is non-negotiable. Don't lose years of saved content because you procrastinated.

Second, be ruthless about what you migrate. This is a fresh start. Don't carry 400 unread articles into a new system. Pick the 20 you'll actually read. Delete the rest.

Third, change your relationship with saving. The app won't fix your reading habits. You need to be honest about what you'll actually read and what you're just hoarding.

The tool matters less than the habit. A simple app you actually use beats a powerful app that intimidates you into inaction.

And maybe, just maybe, this is a good time to delete those 400 unread articles and admit you're never going to read them. I did. It felt great.

Now go export your Pocket data. Seriously. Stop reading and do it now.