Are.na vs Raindrop.io (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Raindrop.io: it is first in our ranking of read-later and bookmark apps, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Raindrop.io grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Are.na
Save and connect images, links and notes in shared channels
Raindrop.io
Bookmark manager with collections, tags and highlights
Which one is for you
Pick Are.na if
- Fits if you collect images and links for research or design
- Works for a small group that shares channels
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 200 blocks, and one block in several channels counts for each
- Pricey if you want table view or presentation mode, which are Premium at $7 a month
- Watch out: import from other services and bulk operations are Supporter only, at $120 a year
- Skip it if you want priority support, as that is a Premium feature
Pick Raindrop.io if
- Fits if you want one bookmark library on every browser, laptop and phone you own
- Works for people who share link collections or highlight passages in web pages, PDFs and EPUBs
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want full-text search or saved copies of pages without paying, as both are Pro
- Not for you if you want a desktop app on Linux, since the download page lists macOS and Windows only
- Not for you if you'd rather not build collections and tags, because sorting is the work it asks of you
- Tight if you annotate a lot, as notes on highlights need Pro and each bookmark holds at most 100 highlights
- Watch out: Pro's $28 a year is before tax, and the AI assistant is still in beta
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAre.naFair | 3.2GPARaindrop.ioVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $7 a month or $70 a year, around $5.83 a month, between the middle of $3.99 and the dearer quarter at $7. | BPro is $28 a year, which is $2.33 a month, inside the cheapest quarter for reading tools here. For that you get full-text search, a saved copy of every page, reminders, daily backups, the AI assistant and 10 GB of uploads a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CGuest plan allows up to 200 blocks, and saving a block to several channels counts once per channel. | AUnlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, with sharing and collaboration thrown in. The caps are 100 MB of file uploads a month and 100 highlights per bookmark, and most people will never touch either. Plenty stay free for years. |
| Features | CBlocks, channels, browser extensions, collaboration, an open API and no ads. Table view, presentation mode and full-text extraction are Premium. | BIt covers the whole bookmarking job: collections, tags and filters, four views, highlights in web pages, PDFs and EPUBs, shared collections and public pages that need no sign-up. Pro adds full-text search including YouTube transcripts, a web archive and a beta AI assistant. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Channels and connections take learning before they feel natural. | C4.49 from 416 App Store ratings, which falls just under the 4.5 we want for a B, so middling it is. The work is yours as well: collections to build, tags to pick and a view to choose before the library looks like anything. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, a browser extension, iOS and Android, with an open API. No desktop app. | AThe full set: web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and browser extensions, with an API and hooks into Zapier, IFTTT, Make, n8n, Notion and Readwise. The one gap is Linux, as the download page lists macOS and Windows only. |
| Best for | saving images, links and notes in shared collections | all-round bookmarking on every device |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Are.na and Raindrop.io. How we grade
Price against what you get
Are.na starts at $5.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Raindrop.io starts at $2.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0.
Raindrop.io scores higher and starts $3.50 a month lower. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, 20 score higher than Are.na for less, and none scores higher than Raindrop.io for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Are.na also covers web clipper and research.
- Raindrop.io also covers read later and highlights.
At a glance
| Are.na | Raindrop.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7 per month, or $70 per year | $28 per year, or $3 per month |
| Free plan | Guest plan: up to 200 blocks, open, closed or private channels, and collaborators on channels. | Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, with sharing and collaboration included. File uploads are limited to 100 MB a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Are.na | Rustem Mussabekov |
| Price read from | are.na | raindrop.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Are.na
- The free Guest plan stops at 200 blocks, and saving one block to several channels counts once per channel.
- Table view, presentation mode and full-text extraction of saved articles need Premium.
- Import from other services and bulk operations are Supporter-only.
- Priority support is a Premium feature; the free plan has no priority line.
Raindrop.io
- Full-text search, the web archive, reminders and the AI assistant are limited to Pro.
- Free accounts can upload 100 MB of files a month; Pro raises the limit to 10 GB.
- Notes on highlights require Pro, and each bookmark holds at most 100 highlights.
- The download page lists desktop apps for macOS and Windows only.
Key features
Are.na
- Blocks and channels
- Anything saved is a block, and blocks live in channels you can edit, rearrange and search. One block can be reused in many channels.
- Browser extensions
- Chrome, Firefox and Safari extensions save pages, selected text and images to a channel; screenshots work on Chrome and Firefox.
- Channel privacy and collaboration
- Channels can be open to anyone, closed to collaborators only, or private. Inviting collaborators is included on every plan.
- Open API
- A public API and developer library are available on all plans; Supporter raises the rate limits.
- Table view and presentation mode
- Premium adds a table view of a channel and a presentation mode, along with advanced search filters.
- No ads
- The site says there are no ads and no personalized recommendations; what you see comes from the network you follow.
Raindrop.io
- Collections, tags and filters
- Bookmarks are grouped into collections and classified with tags, then narrowed by type, tag or domain. Grid, headlines, masonry and list views are available.
- Highlights
- Save passages from web pages, PDFs and EPUBs in several colors, up to 100 per bookmark on any plan. Adding notes to highlights requires Pro.
- Full-text search
- On Pro, search covers the full content of saved pages, PDFs, EPUBs and YouTube transcripts instead of only titles and tags.
- Web archive and backups
- Pro keeps a saved copy of each bookmarked page in case the original changes or disappears, and runs automatic backups of the whole library.
- Sharing and public pages
- Invite members to a collection with per-collection permissions, or publish a collection as a public page that needs no sign-up. Both work on the free plan.
- Stella AI assistant
- A chat assistant, in beta for Pro users, that answers questions about saved content, summarizes it and helps organize collections.
Plans
Are.na
Guest$0
Up to 200 blocks, with channels that are open, closed or private and collaborators invited to channels.
Premium$7
per month, billed monthly ($70 billed yearly)
Unlimited blocks, table view, presentation mode, advanced search filters, full-text extraction and priority support.
Supporter$120
per year
Everything in Premium plus higher API rate limits, bulk operations, import from other services and a custom profile URL.
Raindrop.io
Free$0
Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, sharing and collaboration, and 100 MB of file uploads a month.
Pro$3
per month, or $28 per year (before tax)
AI assistant, full-text search, web archive, reminders, annotations, duplicate and broken-link finder, daily backups and 10 GB of uploads a month.
Ways to pay less
Are.na
- Education
50% off Premium for students
The about page says students get 50% off any Premium plan for two years; teachers can ask for custom discounts for a class.
- Annual discount
Save 17% on Premium with yearly billing
The pricing section shows Premium at $7 a month or $70 a year and labels the yearly option a 17% saving.
Raindrop.io
- Annual discount
About 20% off with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as 20% off, and the US prices it loads are $28 a year against $3 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Are.na or Raindrop.io?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Raindrop.io is cheaper to start with: $2.33 a month when paid by the year, against $5.83 a month when paid by the year for Are.na. Are.na starts at $7 per month, or $70 per year, and Raindrop.io starts at $28 per year, or $3 per month.
Which has a free plan, Are.na or Raindrop.io?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Are.na and Raindrop.io have a free plan.
Which platforms do Are.na and Raindrop.io run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Raindrop.io lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.