Instapaper
Read-later app that strips articles down to clean text

Our verdict
Second of our top three read-later and bookmark apps
For: People who save long articles to read later
Instapaper saves an article and reformats it into an uncluttered text view, and its iPhone and Android apps download unread articles to read offline. Saved items sync across the web, iPhone, iPad and Android, and Kobo eReaders link to an account directly. The free plan has unlimited saves, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 from about 3,500 ratings. It is second because it is a reading queue more than a library for every link, and its paid plan costs more than Raindrop.io's: full-text search, the PDF reader, the permanent archive and unlimited notes need Premium at $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Free accounts get 5 notes a month and see ads on the Instapaper website.
See all three and how we rankWhat is Instapaper?
Instapaper saves web articles, videos and other pages and reformats them into an uncluttered text view to read later, including offline in its mobile apps. Saved items sync across the web, iOS and Android and can be read on Kindle, Kobo and Boox eReaders. An optional Premium subscription adds full-text search, a PDF reader, a permanent archive and unlimited notes.
Instapaper has a free plan. Paid plans start at $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per year. See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Instapaper pricing
- Starts at
- $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per year
- Free plan
- Unlimited saves, sync across web, iOS and Android, folders and API access. Notes are capped at 5 a month, and AI summaries and speed reading at 10 a month each.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $5.99per 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. |
Read from instapaper.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Instapaper before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on instapaper.com
How people rate the Instapaper app
4.6
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
3,542 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Instapaper alternatives
- Instapaper vs Readwise
Free trial · from $5.59/mo
- Instapaper vs Matter
Free plan · from $7.99/mo
- Instapaper vs Raindrop.io
Free plan · from $28/yr
- Instapaper vs wallabag
Free plan · from €11/yr
- Instapaper vs GoodLinks
From $9.99 one-time
Common questions
Is Instapaper free?
Instapaper has a free plan. Unlimited saves, sync across web, iOS and Android, folders and API access. Notes are capped at 5 a month, and AI summaries and speed reading at 10 a month each. Paid plans start at $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per year.
How much does Instapaper cost?
Instapaper lists 2 plans. Free: $0. Premium: $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per year. Prices were read from instapaper.com on Oct 5, 2026.
What platforms does Instapaper work on?
Instapaper is available on Web, macOS, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does Instapaper offer any discounts?
Instapaper publicly lists the following: Save over 15% with the yearly plan.
How is Instapaper rated?
Instapaper's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3,542 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Instapaper have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Instapaper is listed for Web, macOS, iOS and Android.
Does Instapaper have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Instapaper is listed for Web, macOS, iOS and Android.
Is Instapaper open source?
Instapaper is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Instapaper 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.
Does Instapaper have an API?
Yes. Instapaper offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Instapaper integrate with?
Instapaper's listing names Kindle, Kobo, Boox, Obsidian, Notion, Evernote, Pinboard and Tumblr. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Instapaper?
Instapaper is made by Instant Paper, Inc. It dates from 2008.
What are the alternatives to Instapaper?
The closest alternatives to Instapaper in our directory are Readwise, Matter, Raindrop.io, wallabag and GoodLinks. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Instapaper.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.
- instapaper.com/premium
- instapaper.com/
- instapaper.com/docs/premium/overview
- instapaper.com/docs/getting-started/welcome
- instapaper.com/docs/getting-started/install
- instapaper.com/docs/getting-started/mobile-apps
- instapaper.com/docs/save/browser
- instapaper.com/docs/save/pdfs
- instapaper.com/docs/read/notes
- instapaper.com/docs/read/summaries
- instapaper.com/docs/read/speed-reading
- instapaper.com/docs/speak/overview
- instapaper.com/docs/ereaders/kindle
- instapaper.com/docs/ereaders/kobo
- instapaper.com/about-legal/about/instapaper
- apps.apple.com/us/app/instapaper/id288545208
