Instapaper vs Plinky

Instapaper

• Saving long articles to read later without ads or page clutter
• Reading saved articles on a Kindle, Kobo or Boox eReader
• Commuters and travelers who read or listen offline

Plinky

• iPhone, iPad and Mac users who want one place for links from apps and browsers
• People who save videos, recipes and social posts as well as articles
• Shortcuts users who want to automate saving and finding links

Instapaper

• Full-text search, the PDF reader and the permanent archive all require Premium.
• Free accounts get 5 notes a month, and 10 summaries and 10 speed-read articles a month.
• AI summaries are not yet available on Android, according to Instapaper's docs.
• Free accounts see ads on the Instapaper website; Premium removes them.

Plinky

• Apple platforms plus browser extensions only; no Android, Windows or web app is listed.
• The free version caps saved links, tags, folders, reminders and pins, and the listing does not state the numbers.
• The App Store listing requires iOS or iPadOS 18.5 or macOS 26 or later.
• The lifetime unlock is $159.99, about four times the price of a year of Plinky Pro.

Instapaper

Decluttered reading view

Removes ads, navigation and other page clutter from a saved article and reformats it for reading, with adjustable fonts, margins, line spacing and text size.

Offline reading and sync

The iOS and Android apps download unread articles so they can be read without a connection, and reading lists stay in sync across devices.

Highlights and notes

Highlight passages and attach notes, then export them as plain text, Markdown or HTML or send them to Obsidian, Evernote or Notion.

Kindle, Kobo and Boox delivery

Kobo eReaders link directly to an Instapaper account, free accounts included. Scheduled and manual Kindle digests require Premium.

Text to speech

The iOS and Android apps read saved articles aloud at 0.5x to 2x speed. AI Voices and multi-article playlists come with Premium.

Summaries and speed reading

Generates an AI summary with the key sentences of an article, and can flash text one word at a time. Each is free for 10 articles a month.

Plinky

Saving from any app or browser

A share extension on iPhone and iPad and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari save links from other apps and the web. Chromium browsers such as Edge, Brave and Arc use the Chrome extension.

Folders, tags and pins

Links are organized into folders and tags, with suggested tags to start from, and the links, folders and tags used most can be pinned to the top.

Reminders

A reminder can be set on any link so that it resurfaces inside Plinky at a chosen date and time, without a separate to-do app.

Reader Mode

Links can open in Safari's Reader Mode without leaving Plinky, either for every article by default or through a swipe or long-press action.

Widgets and customization

Widgets for the Home Screen, Lock Screen and Control Center show recent or pinned links or the contents of a folder or tag, and the colors and layout of links, tags and folders can be changed.

Shortcuts, URL schemes and API

Shortcuts actions cover what the app itself can do, and URL schemes and a developer API let other tools save, update and manage links.

Instapaper

• Free$0

  Unlimited saved articles, videos and pages, sync across web, iOS and Android, folders and API access. Notes are limited to 5 a month.

• Premium$5.99

  per month, or $59.99 per year

  Full-text search, PDF reader, permanent archive, unlimited notes, Kindle digests, AI Voices and text-to-speech playlists, and an ad-free website.

Plinky

• Free$0

  Save and organize links with capped numbers of links, tags, folders, reminders and pins. The caps are not stated on the listing.

• Plinky Pro$3.99

  per month, or $39.99 per year (US App Store)

  Unlimited saved links, tags, folders, reminders and pinned links on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

• Plinky Lifetime Unlock$159.99

  one-time payment that never renews

  The same unlimited features as Plinky Pro for a single payment instead of a subscription.

Instapaper

• Annual discount

  Save over 15% with the yearly plan

  Instapaper's Premium page says the yearly plan saves over 15%: $59.99 a year instead of $5.99 a month.

Plinky

• Annual discount

  About 16% off with the annual subscription

  The US App Store listing gives Plinky Pro as $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year, so a year paid up front costs about 16% less than twelve monthly payments.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime unlock for $159.99

  The App Store listing offers a lifetime option with one payment of $159.99 that never renews, as an alternative to subscribing to Plinky Pro.

• Other savings

  50% off for Unread Premium subscribers

  Unread Premium subscribers can get a yearly Plinky Pro subscription at 50% off through Apple's contingent pricing, and the discount lasts while both subscriptions stay active.