The best Pocket alternatives in 2026, and which one fits how you read
Mozilla shut Pocket down on July 8, 2025, and data export ended on November 12, 2025. If you used Pocket, you need a new read-later app. There is no single best replacement: the right one depends on what you actually did with Pocket. This page compares seven maintained apps on the things a Pocket user cares about: how close each one is to Pocket, which platforms it runs on, what it costs, and whether it can take an old Pocket export.
Last reviewed October 2026
What happened to Pocket
- Mozilla discontinued Pocket on July 8, 2025.
- Users could export their saves until November 12, 2025. After that date, export stopped and account deletion began.
- The Pocket apps and browser extensions can no longer reach Pocket's servers, so there is nothing left to sign up for.
Seven Pocket alternatives that are still maintained
These are the apps like Pocket that come up most often in Pocket alternative searches and AI answers. Each one is listed with the job it does best as a Pocket replacement. Where we have a full side-by-side comparison with Compendro, the card links to it.
Instapaper
Best for: The closest feel to Pocket: a calm, minimalist reader
Instapaper has been around longer than most read-later apps, and its clean reading view is the nearest thing to how Pocket felt. The free tier saves unlimited articles and syncs across web, iOS, and Android. Premium adds full-text search, a permanent archive, Kindle integration, and text-to-speech playlists on mobile. Instapaper also has a Welcome Pocket Fans page for people moving over from Pocket.
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
- Price
- Free tier; Premium is $5.99 / month or $59.99 / year
Readwise Reader
Best for: Heavy highlighting and note export
Reader is a power-reader inbox for articles, newsletters, RSS, PDFs, and EPUBs, built around highlighting and exporting notes to tools like Notion and Obsidian. It is the most feature-rich app on this list. If you kept your Pocket export, Reader still accepts the original pocket.zip file.
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, browser extensions
- Price
- About $120 / year ($9.99 / month billed annually), with a 30-day free trial
- Pocket export
- Accepts an existing pocket.zip export on its Integrations page
Raindrop.io
Best for: Organizing links into a searchable library
Raindrop.io is a visual bookmark manager: more filing cabinet than reader. It keeps links of every kind in nested collections with tags and search. The free plan includes unlimited bookmarks, collections, and devices. Pocket is one of the services its importer lists, using Pocket's HTML export.
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Mac, Android, browser extensions
- Price
- Free plan; Pro is a paid upgrade
- Pocket export
- Imports a Pocket HTML export
Matter
Best for: Reading and listening on iPhone and iPad
Matter is a modern read-later app that also follows newsletters and writers, and turns YouTube videos and podcast episodes into time-synced text. It welcomes former Pocket users on its home page. It is built for Apple mobile devices and the web, so it is not a fit if you read on Android.
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, web, browser extension
- Price
- Paid Premium plan; check Matter for current pricing
GoodLinks
Best for: Apple users who want to pay once
GoodLinks is a native app for saving and reading articles, with highlights, notes, tags, and export. It is a one-time App Store purchase that includes a year of feature upgrades, not a subscription. It runs only on Apple devices.
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Mac
- Price
- One-time App Store purchase
wallabag
Best for: Open source and control over your own data
wallabag has been open source since 2013. You can run it on your own server, or use the hosted wallabag.it service. It reads on the web, Android, iPhone, tablets, and e-readers, with offline reading. wallabag.it imports the CSV files from a Pocket export.
- Platforms
- Web, Android, iPhone, tablets, e-readers
- Price
- Free to self-host; hosted wallabag.it from 11 euros per year, with a 14-day free trial
- Pocket export
- Imports the CSV files from a Pocket export (wallabag.it)
Compendro
Best for: Actually finishing what you save
Compendro is a read-later app built for the problem Pocket never solved: saves that pile up and never get read. It sends a short, AI-summarized digest of your saves to your inbox or phone on a schedule you set, and Quick Pick helps you finish something in the minutes you have. Articles, videos, and podcasts are all first-class saves. It does not have a bulk Pocket importer, so it suits a fresh start better than a full migration.
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
- Price
- 59 euros per year, or 149 euros once for Lifetime, with a 14-day money-back guarantee
Which Pocket alternative should you pick?
| If you | Pick |
|---|---|
| You want something that feels like Pocket | Instapaper |
| You highlight a lot and export notes | Readwise Reader |
| You mostly filed links to find them later | Raindrop.io |
| You read on iPhone and iPad and like to listen | Matter |
| You use only Apple devices and dislike subscriptions | GoodLinks |
| You want open source or to host it yourself | wallabag |
| Your Pocket list became a backlog you never read | Compendro |
If you still have your Pocket export
Pocket stopped exports on November 12, 2025, so the file you downloaded before then is the only copy of your saves. Keep a backup of it before you try any importer. Depending on when you exported, your file is a ZIP of CSV files or a single HTML file. Readwise Reader takes the original pocket.zip, Raindrop.io takes the HTML file, and wallabag.it takes the CSV files. If you did not export in time, the data is gone, and a fresh start in any of these apps is the only option.
Where Compendro fits, honestly
Compendro is not the closest copy of Pocket, and it is not trying to be. It is for the Pocket user whose list kept growing while the reading never happened. Instead of a list you have to remember to open, Compendro brings your saves back to you.
- A digest of your saves on your schedule, by email or on your phone
- AI summaries, tags, and transcripts so you can triage in seconds
- Quick Pick, to finish a save in the minutes you have
- Articles, videos, and podcasts in one queue
- A one-time Lifetime option and an EU-based team
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Pocket alternative?
It depends on how you used Pocket. Instapaper is the closest in feel. Readwise Reader is the most powerful for highlighting. Raindrop.io is best for organizing links. Matter suits iPhone and iPad readers, GoodLinks suits Apple users who want to pay once, and wallabag suits people who want open source. Compendro is for people whose saves piled up unread.
Which app is most like Pocket?
Instapaper is the closest replacement for Pocket's save-now, read-later habit and clean reading view. If you mostly used Pocket as a library of links to find again, Raindrop.io is the better fit.
Is there a free Pocket alternative?
Yes. Instapaper and Raindrop.io both have free plans, and wallabag is free to run on your own server. Compendro is a paid app with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Can I still export my data from Pocket?
No. Pocket data export ended on November 12, 2025, and account deletion started after that. If you exported before then, keep that file as a backup.
Which apps can import a Pocket export?
Readwise Reader accepts the original pocket.zip file, Raindrop.io imports the Pocket HTML export, and wallabag.it imports the CSV files from a Pocket export. Compendro does not offer a bulk Pocket importer.
Is there a Pocket alternative for Android?
Instapaper, Readwise Reader, Raindrop.io, wallabag, and Compendro all have Android apps. Matter and GoodLinks do not list an Android app.
Make this read-later app the one you actually read
Compendro is 59 euros per year, or 149 euros once with the Lifetime plan, both with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Get Compendro