Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Instapaper vs GoodLinks

Instapaper 4.6★ · Free to download 60
Winner GoodLinks
GoodLinks 4.7★ · $9.99 85

GoodLinks offers a more reliable and private read-it-later experience with a one-time purchase option, while Instapaper struggles with inconsistent features and a high subscription cost.

Full reviews: Instapaper · GoodLinks

GoodLinks is praised for its clean UI, reliable saving, and one-time purchase model, making it a strong contender for users prioritizing privacy and a stable experience. Instapaper, while having a long history, faces criticism for inconsistent performance, high subscription fees, and issues with its text-to-speech and AI summary features.

Head to head

Features edge: GoodLinksR2R3R8R17
Instapaper Instapaper users appreciate its ability to strip garbage from articles and offer customization for reading R8R17. However, many express disappointment with the quality of its text-to-speech (TTS) voices, describing them as dated or choppy R3R18R25. The AI summary feature is also a point of contention, with users finding it intrusive and often broken . There are requests for features like word counts, more sorting options, and better highlighting colors R2R8.
GoodLinks GoodLinks is lauded for its robust tagging system, seamless syncing across Apple devices, and effective article parsing . Users particularly like the recent addition of highlighting . However, a significant number of users desire folders for better organization, as well as custom icons R62R68. Some also wish for AI summaries or video transcripts .
Ease of Use edge: GoodLinksR1R2R3R9
Instapaper Instapaper is generally seen as easy for saving articles R2R3. However, users report issues with inconsistent content ripping from sources like Apple News R1, problems with the Safari extension in private mode , and difficulties with articles not loading or syncing R13. Some find the app's UI minimalist but slow to evolve R9, and there are complaints about the share widget disappearing and inability to close notes .
GoodLinks GoodLinks is consistently praised for its intuitive and clean UI, making it easy to save and organize links . Users appreciate its robust shortcut support and seamless integration within the Apple ecosystem . However, some find the Chrome extension unreliable , and a few users struggle with the interface initially, particularly with saving links and finding a user guide . There are also reports of the app not saving full links correctly and issues with the Safari extension on Mac .
Reliability edge: GoodLinksR1R13R25R30
Instapaper Instapaper users frequently report issues with the app's reliability, including the text-to-speech feature freezing or being choppy R25R30R36, articles failing to load or sync R13, and problems with saving content from specific sources like Apple News or YouTube R1. Some users have experienced the app freezing or not opening after updates .
GoodLinks GoodLinks is generally considered stable and reliable, with users highlighting its consistent performance in saving and parsing articles . However, there are reports of the Chrome extension not working most of the time , the app getting stuck when downloading pages R90, and issues with parsing images or specific card-based layouts R73. One user also noted a recent update broke their shortcut functionality .
Price/Value edge: GoodLinksR9R19R21R27
Instapaper Instapaper's pricing is a major point of contention. Many users criticize the recent price increase, with the annual subscription doubling from $30 to $60, deeming it too expensive for the features offered R9R19R21. The limitation of only 5 free notes per month before requiring a subscription is also a significant drawback for free users R27. Some feel the premium features, like AI summaries, do not justify the cost R9R21.
GoodLinks GoodLinks is highly praised for its pricing model, which is primarily a one-time purchase of $9.99 R65R80. Users appreciate not being tied to a subscription . However, some long-time users are confused and frustrated by new features, like highlighting, being put behind an additional subscription paywall, feeling it unfairly rewards newer customers R63R76. There is also a complaint about it not being a universal purchase across all Apple devices .
Support edge: InstapaperR36R39R74R90
Instapaper Instapaper users express frustration with the lack of communication and support from developers regarding feature updates and bug fixes R39. There are specific complaints about ongoing issues with the Speak feature not being fixed despite updates R36.
GoodLinks GoodLinks is noted for having a very responsive developer who constantly adds new features R74. However, one user reported submitting a support request via email a week prior and not receiving any response R90.
Pick Instapaper if

you are a long-time user who appreciates its minimalist UI and core article-saving functionality, and you don't mind the higher subscription cost or inconsistent performance of advanced features R39.

Pick GoodLinks if

you prioritize a clean, intuitive interface, reliable article saving, and a one-time purchase model, especially if you are looking for a privacy-focused alternative to other read-it-later apps .

Evidence note: GoodLinks has significantly fewer reviews than Instapaper, leading to less comprehensive feedback on some dimensions. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is notable, as Instapaper's free tier users often highlight limitations R2R27, while GoodLinks' paid users self-select for satisfaction .

Frequently asked

Is Instapaper's text-to-speech feature good?
No, Instapaper's text-to-speech (TTS) feature is frequently criticized by users for sounding like "2014 TTS robots," being choppy, freezing randomly, and not using current high-quality voices like Siri R3R7R18R25.
Does GoodLinks offer a subscription or one-time purchase?
GoodLinks primarily offers a one-time purchase for $9.99, which is highly appreciated by users for avoiding subscription models R65R80, though some newer features may require an additional subscription for long-time users R63R76.
Can I use Instapaper or GoodLinks to bypass paywalls?
Instapaper users report that the app can sometimes allow them past the paywall of the source article R29, while GoodLinks reviews do not explicitly mention this capability.
Do either of these apps support folders for organization?
GoodLinks users frequently request the addition of folders for better organization, as it currently relies primarily on tags R62R66R68R73, while Instapaper reviews do not highlight folder functionality as a key feature or pain point.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Instapaper 5/5 · US I can’t believe how well this app works: Saving articles is so fast and easy and this app does it so well. I’m so impressed by how easy it works, and I only have the free version. The premium version doesn’t really have many features that I want but I would happily pay money for additional features like word counts, more sorting options, more data displays at the top of articles, etc. I also love
  2. [R3] Instapaper 3/5 · US TTS needs to improve significantly: Tried it, didn’t keep it. I liked the UI and had no initial pains with saving from my usual spots (Apple News, web articles, emails). I REALLY didn’t like the TTS voices compared to those of Reader by Readwise (which admittedly is far more expensive). For me the TTS experience is crucial, so until this app’s voices no longer sound like 2014 TTS robots, I won’t b
  3. [R8] Instapaper 4/5 · US My Thoughts.: Today I installed Instapaper on my phone. I use it mostly for reading articles and papers that I gleaned from the internet. It’s a good utility to have. I am even paying for a monthly subscription. I like the fact that users can choose their background, style and size of fonts and make notes about what they are reading. But when it comes to highlighting text we are given only one col
  4. [R17] Instapaper 5/5 · US Simple But Effective: It’s fantastic at stripping the garbage out of articles, in my RSS feed, and in Google News, just giving me the content. From the app it’s easy to share content via email or text. I do pay for premium and am a longtime user. The only features that I find somewhat lacking are the AI summaries and the now lost ability to share articles automatically to sites like Bluesky or X.
  5. [R1] Instapaper 2/5 · US Inconsistent Product: Sometimes works to rip content from Apple News to Instapaper. Sometimes the same content provider works, and sometimes it does not. Worth a subscription: probably not if Instapaper can't improve the quality of its output.
  6. [R9] Instapaper 3/5 · US More expensive with minimal improvement: It has gotten better and the minimalist UI is still great. But with its price increase, it could have done much more than simply offer tags and AI summaries. Why have they never invested in better TTS licensing or voice controls? It’s remained minimal, with no effort for more than a decade to improve the audio reading experience. The app could improve the
  7. [R13] Instapaper 1/5 · US never loads new content: Tried to read some recently saved articles and waited over five minutes while it slowly loaded old articles one by one but wouldn't show me any of my recent saves. I thought maybe I was too optimistic about my sync settings, so I set the sync settings to the lowest amount. Didn't help. Uninstalled, restarted phone, reinstalled with lowest sync settings... again, one by one
  8. [R25] Instapaper 1/5 · US Reading Text Does Not Work: The only reason on bought the app was so I could save articles and have the app read them to me while I am on the road. It is extremely choppy and you cannot even listen to it. I kept thinking it was a bug that they would fix. Nothing yet and it’s been about 2 months.
  9. [R30] Instapaper 3/5 · US Useful, but Read Aloud: Read Aloud tends to halt randomly and never resume. Sometimes with first sentences, sometime quite a ways into an article.
  10. [R19] Instapaper 1/5 · US Slow Death of a Service: Update: $60 a year is absurd! Told you so! OG review: I used to pay for Instapaper, then it was sold and went free, now it’s back to a pay service. In that transition I’ve lost hundreds of articles. Graduate research, personal project research, recipes, and long form articles… all gone. No notices given about exceeding data use, or a purge of articles before X date, just g
  11. [R21] Instapaper 3/5 · US New premium too expensive, sadly: I love Instapaper and have used it for several years. However, I find the price for the new subscription premium really out of proportion for what seems like a relatively simple app. I would be very happy to pay another five or $10 one-off to upgrade my premium, or maybe $1 a month, if you can’t exist without subscription model. I only really need premium for ful
  12. [R27] Instapaper 3/5 · US Almost: I had been long considering switching to a different read-it-later app when I discovered this one and after seeing the interface and features, I was ready to jump ship from my old app. However, a huge downside for me was discovering that a feature as simple as notes (which in this app includes basic highlighting) is locked behind a paywall and you only get 5 free per MONTH, which I promptl
  13. [R36] Instapaper 3/5 · US Please fix Speak bug: The recent update was supposed to fix the issue with the Speak tool freezing but it's still doing it. Please fix this. The app is great otherwise but this makes it very difficult to use.
  14. [R39] Instapaper 3/5 · US I’m back Instapaper…: Update 2/28/24: Perhaps I was too rash. Maybe I was just frustrated. But I’m back as a paid subscriber. I dipped my toes into the Pocket world and it just didn’t feel right. Instapaper has been my go to article saver for as long as I can remember and I just like it so much. Subtracting two stars because meaningful feature updates are rare and the developers aren’t the best at
  15. [R74] GoodLinks 5/5 · US Better than Pocket: Very responsive developer constantly adding new features.
  16. [R90] GoodLinks 1/5 · GB Doesn't download pages: The app is totally unreliable in terms of downloading pages. Ninety percent of the time, the app gets stuck at 0/number of remaining bookmarks and doesn’t download anything, even after hours of running. Restarting, reinstalling the app, and reinstalling the Mac had no effect. I submitted a support request via email a week ago but haven’t received any response yet. The next
  17. [R7] Instapaper 2/5 · US AI voice update issue: This was a generally great app for my needs. I am much more of an auditory absorber of information and this app was generally very good at it. But with the new “AI” voices update, the overall user experience has degraded. I am looking forward to the future improvements so I can return to my five star appreciation
  18. [R18] Instapaper 3/5 · US Good, but Text-to-speech Underwhelming: I’ve been using app for many years, and I really enjoy it. I was excited to try out the text to speech feature so I upgraded to pro. But I was quite underwhelmed as it is not the current Siri voice, but a very dated digitized sound that is not enjoyable to listen to. Hope the developers update this soon!
  19. [R63] GoodLinks 3/5 · US Confused. Reward Newer Customers?: I’m really confused. You stated that everyone who purchased this app in the past twelve months gets the new highlighting feature for free without having to subscribe. And that everyone who has owned the app longer needs to subscribe to get it (even if we can subscribe then cancel and still keep the feature.) Why wouldn’t this be the opposite? Wouldn’t you instead
  20. [R65] GoodLinks 5/5 · US Excellent: An excellent app at a reasonable price and a life saver for Apple users after the ending of Pocket.
  21. [R76] GoodLinks 1/5 · US Another subscription service: GoodLinks has become another subscription based service on top of a one time payment which is really scummy
  22. [R80] GoodLinks 5/5 · US This app is EXACTLY what I needed: Love this app. It was well worth the $10. It handles articles but also reels and other types of media. It’s well-organized and allows for great approaches to organization.
  23. [R29] Instapaper 5/5 · US Avoids Pay Walls: Excellent tool for storing links to curated articles from your browse home page. This app allows you past the pay wall of the source.
  24. [R62] GoodLinks 4/5 · US Great potential: Love the style and attention to detail but the lack of folders and customization is really noticeable. There are free apps that have great customization options (folders with color and icon) and i really wish Goodlinks would add this.
  25. [R66] GoodLinks 3/5 · US Missing Too Much :(: DON'T get me wrong! I love the UI and ease of use of this app, and I REALLY really wanted to love it, but at the moment it's unfortunately missing to much for me. The inability to highlight, make comments/notes, and to make folders instead of tags specifically messes with my workflow. I hope one day those features get added, as I'd consider repurchasing, but untill then, unfor
  26. [R68] GoodLinks 4/5 · US Near perfect, add folders and custom folder icons please: Amazing, love it. Would like three things: - folders to sort articles into - custom icons for folders - search single article with cmd+f instead of all articles downloaded Thank you. Love to support this app!
  27. [R73] GoodLinks 1/5 · US Not so promising. Just okay. Beware before purchase: Cons: Goodlinks cannot parse images in image view like Omnivore for Semantic HTML in web.dev. No left to right navigation option. No article view options like Article+. No folders like Twilar.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store