start.me vs Symbaloo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, start.me grades higher than Symbaloo: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
start.me grades higher on value for money and features. Symbaloo grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
start.me
Start page and bookmark manager built from widgets
Symbaloo
Tile-based start page for bookmarks and learning resources
Which one is for you
Pick start.me if
- Fits if you want the same page of links and headlines in every browser you use
- Works for teachers and researchers who share curated pages of links
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a real feed reader, as RSS here is a widget of headlines on a page
- Tight if you stay free: ads on your own home page, 3 pages and basic widgets only
- Watch out: bookmark groups, broken-link checks, uploads and the AI tools all need PRO at $25 a year
- Pricey if a small team needs a few seats or SAML sign-on, since Team is $25 a month billed yearly and starts at 10 users
- Watch out: the Android app on Google Play was last updated in November 2024
Pick Symbaloo if
- Fits if you want a visual homepage of tiles for yourself or your family
- Works for teachers who set up a class start page with Clever or ClassLink
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on free, since webmixes carry ads
- Pricey if you run a school or library: Library is $699 a year and Schools & Districts starts at $999
- Watch out: Classroom, Library and School plans are capped by monthly pageviews, with ads after the limit
- Skip it if you want phone apps, as none are listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAstart.meGood | 2.4GPASymbalooFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPRO is $25 a year, $2.08 a month, which is inside the lowest-priced quarter for reading tools here, and it brings unlimited pages, no ads, 27 PRO features and the AI tools. Team is $25 a month billed annually for 10 users, so about the same each. | CPersonal Premium is $34.95 a year, about $2.91 a month, which sits between the cheaper quarter and the middle for reading apps. Classroom is $69 and Library $699 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree is capped where it hurts: 3 start pages, basic widgets only, and advertising on your own home page. Bookmark groups, broken and duplicate link detection, uploads and the AI tools all need PRO. The Team plan does have a 30-day trial with no card. | BA free account with learning paths and webmixes, with ads shown on the mixes, and a 7-day trial of Personal Premium. One person could live on it. |
| Features | BIt covers the start-page job: widgets for bookmarks, RSS news, notes, tasks, calendar, weather and embeds, one-click saving from the extension or phone app, and pages shared by link or with invited editors. As a place to read it's thin, mind: headlines in a widget, no reading view. | CWebmixes, a bookmarker and importer, a new-tab add-on and school webspaces. School plans are limited by monthly pageviews, with ads after the limit. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and the work here is building the thing itself: you drag widgets into place and arrange a page before it's any use to you. Saving a link afterwards is one click from the extension or the phone app. | CNo rating on record. You build your own webmixes tile by tile. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android apps and a browser extension, with widgets that hook into Google Calendar, Trello and Google Tasks. No desktop app, so an A is out, and the Android app on Google Play was last updated in November 2024. | BWeb and a browser extension, with ClassLink and Clever for schools. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | a home page of bookmarks and feeds in every browser | a start page of tile bookmarks for a family or classroom |
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: start.me and Symbaloo. How we grade
Price against what you get
start.me starts at $2.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Symbaloo starts at $2.91 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
start.me scores higher and starts $0.83 a month lower. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, none scores higher than start.me for less, and 11 score higher than Symbaloo 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
- start.me also covers rSS reader.
- Symbaloo also covers web clipper.
At a glance
| start.me | Symbaloo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per year (Personal PRO) | $34.95 per year, or $4.49 per month |
| Free plan | Free personal plan supported by advertising: up to 3 start pages with basic widgets, and unlimited bookmarks and widgets. | Free account with ads on webmixes; includes learning paths and COPPA settings via the dashboard. |
| Free trial | Team plan: free 30-day trial with up to 10 members, no credit card needed | 7-day free trial of Personal Premium |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Start.me BV | Symbaloo |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | blog.symbaloo.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
start.me
- The Free plan shows advertising and stops at 3 start pages with basic widgets only.
- Bookmark groups, broken and duplicate link detection, document uploads and AI features all require PRO.
- Team is billed annually and starts with 10 user licenses; SAML single sign-on is not part of the personal plans.
- The Android app on Google Play was last updated in November 2024.
Symbaloo
- The free plan shows advertising on webmixes; removing it needs Personal Premium or a school plan.
- Classroom, Library and School plans are limited by monthly pageviews, with ads after the limit.
- The pricing page does not state whether the per-month figures are for monthly billing.
Key features
start.me
- Start pages built from widgets
- A page combines widgets such as bookmarks, news feeds, notes, tasks, calendar, weather and embeds, arranged by dragging, and can be set as a browser homepage or new tab.
- Bookmark management
- Links are saved in one click from the browser extension or mobile app and organized into pages, widgets and groups. PRO adds broken and duplicate link detection.
- News (RSS) widgets
- An RSS widget follows a news source, blog or industry feed, and new articles show up on the page automatically.
- Sharing and collaboration
- Pages are private by default and can be shared through an open, password-protected or public link, or by inviting people as viewers or editors. Page collaboration needs PRO.
- AI bookmark tools
- On paid plans, AI features tidy bookmark titles, sort links into place and suggest useful sites to add.
- Team workspace
- The Team plan adds a shared workspace with member management, an admin console, a custom subdomain and branding, and SAML single sign-on.
Symbaloo
- Webmixes of tiles
- Save favorite sites, videos and documents as colored tiles on a grid, and keep separate collections on tabs.
- Bookmarker and importer
- A browser add-on adds tiles while you browse, and an importer moves bookmarks over from Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge.
- Homepage and new-tab add-on
- An extension sets the browser's homepage and new tab to open Symbaloo.
- Webspaces for schools
- Paid education plans publish webmixes to a webspace with a custom URL, with child-safe mode on Classroom and above.
- Pageview-based plans
- Classroom through Schools plans include a monthly allowance of ad-free pageviews, and ads appear if it is exceeded until the reset.
- Family editing
- Personal Premium lets one person edit another's home page, which the vendor pitches for helping relatives.
Plans
start.me
Free$0
For personal use: a maximum of 3 start pages, basic widgets only, and advertising on your pages.
PRO$25
per year, for one user license
Unlimited start pages, no advertisements, 27 PRO features and widgets, and AI features.
Team$25
per month, billed annually; includes 10 users
One team workspace with 10 PRO licenses, a custom subdomain and branding, SAML single sign-on and priority support. More users can be added.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Team, plus unlimited users, multiple team workspaces, a dedicated support manager and custom invoicing.
Symbaloo
Free$0
Webmixes with advertising; learning paths included.
Personal Premium$34.95
per year ($4.49 billed monthly)
Removes advertising and adds sharing and customization options for family and friends.
Classroom$69
per year ($7.99 billed monthly)
5,000 ad-free pageviews, child-safe mode, custom-domain webspace, embedding and publishing webmixes.
Library$699
per year ($79.99 billed monthly)
20,000 ad-free monthly pageviews, multiple admins, collaboration on webmixes, broken-link checks, premium support.
Schools & Districts$999
per year and up ($199 per month and up)
75,000 pageviews, unlimited webspaces and admins, web filters, SIS integration and analytics. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
start.me
- Education
Discounted plans for schools and non-profits
The pricing page's FAQ says discounted plans are offered to schools and non-profit organizations, arranged by contacting the sales team with details of the organization.
Symbaloo
- Annual discount
Yearly price is lower than monthly
Personal Premium is listed at $34.95 per year against $4.49 per month, as shown on the vendor's plans page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, start.me or Symbaloo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, start.me is cheaper to start with: $2.08 a month when paid by the year, against $2.91 a month when paid by the year for Symbaloo. start.me starts at $25 per year (Personal PRO), and Symbaloo starts at $34.95 per year, or $4.49 per month.
Which has a free plan, start.me or Symbaloo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both start.me and Symbaloo have a free plan.
Which platforms do start.me and Symbaloo run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only start.me lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app 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.