It’s difficult to keep up with everything intriguing, important, or simply entertaining that you come across on the internet. You might stumble upon something you don’t have time to read right now but want to keep for later use. However, as most of us have realised, bookmarking each item and website that we wish to read later can result in a massive bookmarky mess.
Years ago, I began to solve this problem by signing up for Pocket, a famous and long-running software that allows you to save a bookmarked article to a different server and then retrieve it to read at your leisure using either a computer or a mobile device. Pocket has been in operation since 2007. Originally known as Read It Later, it began as a Firefox browser plugin, evolved into its own app, and was acquired by Mozilla in 2017.
Still, if you use Pocket and have a Firefox account or don’t mind making one, you can easily convert the account (as of this writing, the instruction page still gives the now-invalid June 30th date) and continue using Pocket as before. If you’re hesitant to create a Firefox account for whatever reason, there are other tools you can use to collect bookmarks for reading material.
Number 1. Pocket
Pocket has created a well-designed interface with numerous choices that allow you to sort your articles by newest or oldest, choose favourites, display them in list or grid format, archive the ones you wish to save, and categorise them using tags. Its Home screen (now marked “beta”) displays your most recent saves as well as the “Best of the web.” You can share your articles on social media or suggest them to others within the app. There are browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, as well as apps for Android and iOS devices.
The Premium version ($4.99 per month or $44.99 per year) includes a permanent library of anything you’ve saved (in case it goes from the web), full-text search, and other capabilities.
Number 2. Instapaper
Instapaper, like Pocket, began as a simple web add-on and has gone through multiple incarnations (and owners); it is now part of an independent company named Instant Paper. While there is no grid view, you may toggle thumbnails on and off in the web app. It is available for (and syncs with) web browsers (through a Chrome extension, Safari extension, Firefox extension, or bookmarklet), iOS, Android, and Kindle. You may save an unlimited amount of articles, videos, and other pieces of information with a free account. You can also highlight text in saved articles, make up to five notes every month, and change the name, URL, or summary of each article.
The Premium version ($2.99 per month or $29.99 per year) offers full-text search for saved documents, unlimited notes, and text-to-speech functionality.
Number 3. Raindrop.io
Raindrop may not be as simple as Instapaper, but it does contain a slew of features that could be useful, especially if you’re serious about your data collecting. The web version allows you to see your articles in a variety of forms, including the intriguing Moodboard. The free edition of Raindrop, like the majority of the others featured here, allows for an infinite number of bookmark saves on an unlimited number of devices, including apps for Macs, iOS devices, Android devices, and extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge browsers. You can share and edit titles, tags, and descriptions with others.
The Pro version ($3 per month or $28 per year) includes, among other things, full-text search, cloud backup, and a permanent library of all your saved sites.
Number 4. Paperspan
Paperspan is an old-fashioned, straightforward programme that is adequate for a basic bookmarking service. You can organise your saved bookmarks into folders, but that’s about it. Unlike the other three services mentioned here, there are no appealing graphics, no highlighting, no options for lists or grids — you don’t even read the content within the app, but are instead directed to the original page. Most readers will certainly miss those other elements, but if you’re only interested in the fundamentals, you might want to give it a shot.
Number 5. Matter
Matter is a brand-new, still-under-development app that is presently available solely for iOS devices and the web. (Extensions for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are available, and an Android app is planned for the future.) The app has become more simple and content-focused after becoming accustomed to following social media favourites and discovering new influencers. You may add your email address to the app to receive newsletters; follow individual Twitter writers through email, Pocket, or Instapaper; read the staff picks; or submit your articles to Kindle or Notion. You may also import libraries from Pocket or Instapaper. The app is currently free with no premium tiers. Overall, it’s an intriguing app with promise.
