Read-It-Later
Readwise Reader, Pocket, Instapaper, Matter, Wallabag, Readeck — save articles for later.
The "save for later" stack changed dramatically in 2023-26: Omnivore sunset, the FOSS self-host alternatives matured into real Pocket / Readwise replacements, and Readwise Reader emerged as the polished paid pick. For self-hosted bookmarks and read-later see Self-Host Bookmarks & RSS; for the highlight-export workflow see Highlight Aggregators / Readwise.
Self-host & FOSS first
- ★ ★ Readeck — free OSS self-host; modern read-later; tagging; archiving; full-text search; export. The most-recommended FOSS Pocket replacement of 2024-26. Single-binary deployment.
- ★ ★ Karakeep (formerly Hoarder) — bookmarks + read-later + AI tagging; modern UI; mobile apps; the polished pick. See self-host bookmarks & RSS.
- ★ Wallabag — long-running OSS read-later; mobile apps; reader mode; mature ecosystem. See self-host bookmarks & RSS.
- ★ Linkding — bookmark-flavoured but supports archived snapshots; lightweight; the "minimum viable Pocket replacement." See self-host bookmarks & RSS.
- Shiori — Pocket-shape Go-based; lightweight.
- ArchiveBox — archival-flavoured; saves Wayback / SingleFile / readability versions.
Hosted (paid, SaaS — secondary)
- ★ Readwise Reader — paid (~$8/mo bundled with Readwise); the most-polished hosted read-later in 2026. Imports from Pocket / Instapaper / Matter / RSS / Twitter / YouTube transcripts / PDFs / EPUBs; AI Q&A; ghostreader summaries; spaced-repetition review built-in. The best paid pick if SaaS is fine.
- Matter — paid + free; gorgeous reader; AI features; closed source; popular among newsletter readers.
- Pocket — free + paid Premium (~$5/mo); Mozilla-owned; long-running default with iOS / Android / Kobo integration. Sunset rumours every year and yet it persists in 2026; flag the uncertainty.
- Instapaper — paid + free; one of the originals; Pinterest-owned; minimalist; still has the best "speed reading" feature.
- GoodLinks — paid (~$10 one-time); Mac / iOS only; native; beloved among Apple users.
- Reeder 5+ — paid; technically RSS but supports Pocket / Instapaper / read-later folders.
Sunset / community forks (be honest)
- Omnivore — was the most-recommended FOSS read-later; sunset late 2024 by its hosting team; OSS code is still there; Heliotrope and other community forks attempting revival in 2025-26 — usable but unstable. Flag honestly: don't bet a multi-year highlight archive on it.
- Pinboard read-later — alive but stagnant.
- Pocket "rumour" — Mozilla has not sunset Pocket but has reorganised it; nervous power users are exporting regularly.
Browser / mobile capture
- ★ Browser extensions — every major reader has one; Readwise Reader's is the most polished.
- iOS Share Sheet + Android Share — every reader app installs a system share target.
- Kobo's built-in Pocket — native on every Kobo since 2014; one of the few "save to read on e-ink" stacks that just works.
- Send-to-Kindle (web) — turn long articles into Kindle docs.
Distraction-blocking pairing
- See Distraction Blocking — pair a read-later app with Cold Turkey / Freedom / Opal so you actually open the queue instead of doom-scrolling.
Patterns
- ★ One inbox, not three. Pick a single read-later app and route everything (RSS, Twitter, newsletter, PDF) into it. Readwise Reader is built for this.
- Tag aggressively — searchable archive > FIFO queue.
- Export your highlights regularly — JSON / Markdown / Readwise export; see the highlight aggregators page.
- Read on e-ink — Boox, Kobo, or send-to-Kindle long articles for less screen fatigue.
Pick this if…
- Default self-host, modern (FOSS): Readeck.
- Bookmarks + read-later in one (FOSS): Karakeep.
- Self-host, long-running (FOSS): Wallabag.
- Lightweight self-host (FOSS): Linkding.
- Hosted modern reader, paid: Readwise Reader.
- Free hosted + Mozilla: Pocket (caveats).
- Apple-only, native, one-time fee: GoodLinks.