start.me vs Workona (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, start.me grades higher than Workona: 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. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, 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
Workona
Tab manager that groups tabs, docs and links into project spaces
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 Workona if
- Fits if you juggle several projects in your browser and want each kept apart
- Works for people whose tasks live in Asana, ClickUp or Trello
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free team plan, as free accounts are for individuals only
- Tight if you stay free, because spaces and sections are limited
- Watch out: prices read 'starting at' with no billing period, and a help article shows Team at $12 a user monthly
- Not for you if your team is over 25 people, since Team stops there and larger needs Enterprise
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAstart.meGood | 2.4GPAWorkonaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CPro is $7 a month and up, with the billing period not shown, on the dearer-quarter line for reading apps. Team is $8 a user with a 3-user minimum. |
| 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. | CFree forever for individuals, but with limits on spaces and on sections per space, and no free team accounts. |
| 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. | BSpaces, autosave, session backups, tab suspension, search, templates and team spaces. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| 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 set up spaces and sections for each project. |
| 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 Google Drive, Slack, Asana, ClickUp, Monday and Trello. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | a home page of bookmarks and feeds in every browser | organizing browser tabs and cloud docs into project spaces |
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 Workona. 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. Workona starts at $7 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and start.me starts $4.92 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 Workona 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.
- Workona also covers templates and tasks.
At a glance
| start.me | Workona | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per year (Personal PRO) | $7 per month and up (billing period not shown) |
| Free plan | Free personal plan supported by advertising: up to 3 start pages with basic widgets, and unlimited bookmarks and widgets. | Free account for individuals, with limits on spaces and on sections within a space; no free team accounts. |
| Free trial | Team plan: free 30-day trial with up to 10 members, no credit card needed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Start.me BV | Workona Inc. |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | workona.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.
Workona
- The pricing page shows entry prices as 'starting at' without stating whether they are monthly or annual billing.
- A help article's example shows the Team plan at $12 per user per month on monthly billing.
- Free accounts are limited in spaces and sections; free accounts are for individuals only.
- The Team plan is for up to 25 users; larger groups need Enterprise.
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.
Workona
- Spaces for each project
- Keep the tabs, docs and links for a project together and see only the current space's tabs, with the rest a click away.
- Autosave and backups
- Tabs in a space are saved automatically and can be restored after a crash; Pro keeps 90 days of session backups.
- Sync and tab suspension
- Spaces sync between computers, and idle tabs can be suspended to reduce browser memory use.
- Universal search
- A search shortcut finds tabs and spaces from anywhere in the browser, and the search bar can sit on the new tab page.
- Doc templates and automation
- Space and document templates can create Google Docs, Sheets and Slides and populate folders for a new project.
- Team spaces
- Shared spaces, viewer and editor sharing, and space presence let teammates work from the same set of resources.
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.
Workona
Free$0
For individuals, free forever, with limits on the number of spaces and sections per space.
Pro$7
per month and up, billing period not shown
Unlimited spaces and sections, 90-day session backups, space integrations and templates.
Team$8
per user / month and up, minimum 3 users
Everything in Pro plus shared spaces, team templates, centralized billing and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users and teams, admin controls, SSO, auto-provisioning and domain restrictions.
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.
Workona
- Education
50% education discount
Users with school email addresses can get 50% off Pro and Team for two years after verification, via support.
- Nonprofit
50% nonprofit discount
Verified 501(c)(3) charities can get 50% off Pro, Team and Enterprise subscriptions by contacting support.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, start.me or Workona?
As of Nov 12, 2026, start.me is cheaper to start with: $2.08 a month when paid by the year, against $7 a month for Workona. start.me starts at $25 per year (Personal PRO), and Workona starts at $7 per month and up (billing period not shown).
Which has a free plan, start.me or Workona?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both start.me and Workona have a free plan.
Which platforms do start.me and Workona 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.