The GoodLinks Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about GoodLinks in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
GoodLinks
The Insider’s Guide
Read-later and link-saving app for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among read-later and bookmark apps, read from GoodLinks’s own pages.
Made by Ngoc Luu · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from GoodLinks’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on GoodLinks’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 3 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade
GoodLinks is a read-later app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that saves links, extracts the article text and shows it without adverts or page clutter. Passages can be highlighted and annotated, and links, highlights, tags and reading position sync through iCloud, so no separate account is needed. It is sold as a single App Store purchase that covers all three platforms, with an optional in-app upgrade for features released more than a year after buying.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about GoodLinks, taken from its own pages and our grades.
There's no account to create, because it syncs through your own iCloud, and saving is the share button or a browser extension.
- 1
Best for read-later on Apple devices, bought once
There's no free version or trial, so you pay before you see it.
- 2
What it costs
Paid plans start at $9.99 one-time purchase on the US App Store, covering iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- 3
It runs on 2 platforms
macOS and iOS, with a browser extension too.
- 4
Clean article view
GoodLinks extracts the article text and removes adverts and other distractions, with a choice of font, spacing and size and Light, Sepia, Dark and Night themes.
- 5
Highlights, notes and Notebook
Highlight passages in a choice of colors, attach notes to them, review an article's highlights in the Notebook and export them as Markdown in a customizable format.
- 6
Saving from other apps and browsers
A Share Extension saves links on iOS and macOS, and browser extensions cover Safari, Chrome and Firefox. The Chrome extension also installs in Arc, Edge, Opera and Brave.
- 7
A 2.4 GPA, above 3 of 36
That is against the other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
The plain part of GoodLinks you could make: read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
GoodLinks at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from $9.99 one-time purchase on the US App Store, covering iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, iOS, Browser extension
- Made by
- Ngoc Luu
- Category
- Read Later & Bookmarks
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 4.7 on the App Store, 638 ratings
The report card
Best for read-later on Apple devices, bought once
GoodLinks is a read-later app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that you buy once for $9.99, with highlights, notes and iCloud sync and no account to make. There's no free version or trial, so you pay before you see it. It's Apple only, sync is iCloud only, and features released more than a year after you buy need a $4.99 upgrade.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | $9.99 once, covering iPhone, iPad and Mac, against a category whose middle plan costs about $40 a year. The optional upgrade for features released after your first year is $4.99. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing free at all: no free version, no trial. You pay the $9.99 up front, before you've seen it handle a single link of yours. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole read-later job: article text pulled out clean with themes and fonts, highlights in colours with notes, a Notebook that exports as Markdown, tags, search inside the text, AI summaries, and Shortcuts, AppleScript and a local API for tinkerers. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.72 from 638 App Store ratings, short of the 1,000 our top mark asks for. There's no account to create, because it syncs through your own iCloud, and saving is the share button or a browser extension. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | One family of devices: iPhone, iPad and Mac, with saving extensions for Safari, Chrome and Firefox. The FAQ lists no web, Windows or Android version, and sync is iCloud only. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who GoodLinks is for
- Fits if you want a read-later app you pay for once, for iPhone, iPad and Mac together
- Works for people who highlight what they read and want the notes out as Markdown
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want to try before you buy, as there's no free version or trial
- Skip it if you read on Windows, Android or the web, because it's Apple devices only
- Skip it if you want every future feature for one price, as those after year one need the $4.99 upgrade
- Not for you if your devices sit on different iCloud accounts, since iCloud is the only sync, and the API runs only on the computer with the app
Good to know
Good for
- iPhone, iPad and Mac users who want a read-later app bought once
- Readers who highlight articles and export the notes as Markdown
- People who prefer iCloud sync to signing up for another account
Worth knowing
- Apple platforms only: the FAQ lists iPhone, iPad and Mac, with no web, Windows or Android version.
- There is no free version or trial; the app costs $9.99 up front on the US App Store.
- Features released more than a year after purchase need the optional Annual Feature Upgrade, listed at $4.99.
- Sync runs through iCloud only, and the API works just on the computer where the app is running.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$9.99 one-time
To start
GoodLinks is a paid product, starting at $9.99 one-time purchase on the US App Store, covering iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Nothing free at all: no free version, no trial.
GoodLinks
$9.99
one-time purchase, universal for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Permanent access to every current feature, plus any new features released within one year of the purchase date.
Annual Feature Upgrade
$4.99
in-app purchase; annual by name, no period shown on the listing
Optional GoodLinks Premium subscription that unlocks features added after the first year. Features unlocked while subscribed are kept for good.
Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 6, 2026.
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for the app, against $9.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $12.99 | $9.13 | 9% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 599.00 | $9.54 | about the same |
| Turkey | ₺499,99 | $10.17 | about the same |
| India | ₹ 999 | $10.33 | about the same |
| Germany | 9,99 € | $11.19 | 12% more |
| Brazil | R$ 59,90 | $11.97 | 20% more |
| South Africa | R199.99 | $12.10 | 21% more |
| United Kingdom | £9.99 | $13.21 | 32% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: macOS, iOS and Browser extension
Read-later and link-saving app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: works offline, one-time purchase, AI features, read later, highlights.
One family of devices: iPhone, iPad and Mac, with saving extensions for Safari, Chrome and Firefox.
- Clean article view
- GoodLinks extracts the article text and removes adverts and other distractions, with a choice of font, spacing and size and Light, Sepia, Dark and Night themes.
- Highlights, notes and Notebook
- Highlight passages in a choice of colors, attach notes to them, review an article's highlights in the Notebook and export them as Markdown in a customizable format.
- Saving from other apps and browsers
- A Share Extension saves links on iOS and macOS, and browser extensions cover Safari, Chrome and Firefox. The Chrome extension also installs in Arc, Edge, Opera and Brave.
- iCloud sync without an account
- Links, articles, highlights, tags and reading position sync through iCloud, so there is no separate web service account to create.
- Tags, search and summaries
- Tags and starred articles organize the list, search covers title, author, description and content, and articles can be summarized with Apple Intelligence or an external LLM service using your own API key.
- Shortcuts, AppleScript and local API
- Shortcuts actions, widgets, a URL scheme and AppleScript on the Mac support automation, and from version 3.2 a REST API served on localhost lets other apps on the same computer read and modify the library.
Where it runs
- macOS
- iOS
- Browser extension
What it works with
- iCloud
- Shortcuts
- Apple Intelligence
GoodLinks is made by Ngoc Luu.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
3/36
Other read-later and bookmark apps it is graded above
GoodLinks's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 3 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 23 of 36) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. GoodLinks’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 23 of 36
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 36
- BFeaturesAbove 10 of 36
- BEase of useAbove 15 of 36
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 36
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of GoodLinks you could make: read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 26 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps grade higher. It costs $9.99, paid once.
What you could make
- Read later and highlights: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets and Shortcuts.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. GoodLinks’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Instapaper, Matter, Anybox, Plinky and Readwise
The 5 tools GoodLinks is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Instapaper
Free plan · from $5.99/mo
Read-later app that strips articles down to clean text.
- Instapaper has a free plan. GoodLinks does not.
- Only Instapaper lists a web app.
- Only Instapaper lists an Android app.
- 2.6GPA
Matter
Free plan · from $7.99/mo
Read-later app for iPhone, iPad and web with audio playback.
- Matter has a free plan. GoodLinks does not.
- Only GoodLinks lists a macOS app.
- Only Matter lists a web app.
- 2.6GPA
Anybox
Free plan · from $1.99/mo
Native bookmark manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Anybox has a free plan. GoodLinks does not.
- GoodLinks also covers highlights.
- Anybox also covers bookmarks.
- 2.2GPA
Plinky
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
Link-saving app for iPhone, iPad and Mac with tags and reminders.
- Plinky has a free plan. GoodLinks does not.
- GoodLinks can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- GoodLinks also covers highlights.
- 3.0GPA
Readwise
Free trial · from $5.59/mo
Highlight library with a daily review and a read-later app.
- Only Readwise lists a web app.
- Only Readwise lists Windows and Android apps.
- GoodLinks can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is GoodLinks free?
No. GoodLinks is a paid product, starting at $9.99 one-time purchase on the US App Store, covering iPhone, iPad and Mac.
How much does GoodLinks cost?
GoodLinks lists 2 plans. GoodLinks: $9.99 one-time purchase, universal for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
What platforms does GoodLinks work on?
GoodLinks is available on macOS and iOS. It also has a browser extension.
How is GoodLinks rated?
GoodLinks's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 638 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does GoodLinks have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. GoodLinks is listed for macOS and iOS.
Does GoodLinks have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. GoodLinks is listed for macOS and iOS.
Is GoodLinks open source?
GoodLinks is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does GoodLinks work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
What does GoodLinks integrate with?
GoodLinks's listing names iCloud, Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes GoodLinks?
GoodLinks is made by Ngoc Luu.
What are the alternatives to GoodLinks?
The closest alternatives to GoodLinks in our directory are Instapaper, Matter, Anybox, Plinky and Readwise.
How does GoodLinks compare with other read-later and bookmark apps?
GoodLinks's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 3 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 7.
Could I make my own version of GoodLinks?
The plain part of GoodLinks you could make: read later and highlights.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from GoodLinks’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from GoodLinks' own pages on 6 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-04-10.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Ngoc Luu. Prices change, so check goodlinks.app before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- GoodLinks, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/goodlinks
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "GoodLinks: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/goodlinks
Know someone choosing between read-later and bookmark apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/goodlinks/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded read-later and bookmark apps after GoodLinks, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Read Later & Bookmarks Insider's GuideEvery one of the 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, compared
- FeedFlow Insider's GuideFree, open-source RSS reader for mobile and desktop3.2 GPA
- Flipboard Insider's GuideFree news aggregator built around topics and shared Magazines3.2 GPA
- Miniflux Insider's GuideMinimalist open-source feed reader, self-hosted or hosted3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what GoodLinks’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. GoodLinks is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Ngoc Luu. Prices and plans change: check goodlinks.app before you buy.