The Instapaper Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Instapaper 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.
Instapaper
The Insider’s Guide
Read-later app that strips articles down to clean text
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among read-later and bookmark apps, read from Instapaper’s own pages.
Made by Instant Paper, Inc. · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
- 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 06The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 07Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Instapaper’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Instapaper’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.0
GPA, above 22 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Instapaper, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Save a page and it comes back as clean text, already on your phone to read offline.
- 1
Best for reading saved articles without the clutter
Instapaper saves articles and strips out ads and clutter so you can read them later, offline, or on a Kindle or Kobo, with unlimited saves on the free plan.
- 2
Paid plans start at $5 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per year.
- 3
There is 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.
- 4
It runs on 4 platforms
Web, macOS, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 3.0 GPA, above 22 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.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Instapaper you could make: read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Instapaper at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per year
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Instant Paper, Inc., since 2008
- Category
- Read Later & Bookmarks
- Our grade
- 3.0 GPA, very good
- Store rating
- 4.6 on the App Store, 3,542 ratings
The report card
Best for reading saved articles without the clutter
Instapaper saves articles and strips out ads and clutter so you can read them later, offline, or on a Kindle or Kobo, with unlimited saves on the free plan. Full-text search, the PDF reader and the permanent archive need Premium at $5.99 a month, free notes stop at 5 a month, the website shows free users ads, and AI summaries aren't on Android yet.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Premium is $5.99 a month, or $59.99 a year which works out at $5, so it sits between this category's $3.33 middle and its $6.99 dear end. Ordinary, then. It buys full-text search, a PDF reader, a permanent archive, unlimited notes, Kindle digests and AI Voices. |
| Free plan and trial | B | A free plan one person could really live on: unlimited saves, sync across web, iPhone and Android, folders, offline reading and even API access. The caps are 5 notes a month, 10 AI summaries, 10 speed-read articles, ads on the website and no full-text search. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole read-later job: a clean view with your choice of fonts and spacing, offline reading on phones, highlights and notes exporting to Markdown, Obsidian, Evernote or Notion, text to speech, AI summaries and delivery to Kindle, Kobo and Boox. The AI summaries aren't on Android yet. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.6 from about 3,500 App Store ratings, a touch under our top band. Save a page and it comes back as clean text, already on your phone to read offline. That's the whole routine. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | The full set and then some: web, Mac, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, plus Kindle, Kobo and Boox eReaders, highlights going out to Obsidian, Notion and Evernote, and API access even on free accounts. |
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 Instapaper is for
- Fits if you save long articles and want to read them without ads or page clutter
- Works for people who read on a Kindle, Kobo or Boox, since saved articles can go straight there
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you need to search everything you've saved without paying, as full-text search is Premium
- Tight if you take lots of notes on the free plan, which allows 5 a month, with 10 summaries and 10 speed-reads
- Not for you if you want AI summaries on Android, because they aren't available there yet
- Pricey if you just want the PDF reader or a permanent archive, which need Premium at $59.99 a year
- Watch out: free accounts see ads on the Instapaper website
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
7
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about Instapaper that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from Instapaper’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from Instapaper's help docs (manage subscription, paywall content, saving by email, keyboard shortcuts, export and download, delete account) on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Renewal
Pay on the web or Android if you might want a refund
Instapaper says it almost always gives refunds when asked, often in full, though it may only prorate one six months into a yearly plan. That only covers web and Android subscriptions. Buy Premium in the iPhone app and the refund is Apple's call, not Instapaper's.
instapaper.com - 2
Pay less
Pick yearly at the start, because you can't switch to it yourself
On the web there's no button to move from monthly to yearly billing. Its help page says you have to write to support and ask. If you already know you'll keep Premium, choose yearly when you first subscribe and skip the back and forth.
instapaper.com - 3
Setting
Add your paid news sites under Logged-In Sites on your phone
Saving a paywalled link only grabs part of the article. In the mobile app, go to Settings, Logged-In Sites, Add Logged-In Site, sign in as normal and tap Save Login. After that, links from that site save in full. The login cookies stay on your phone, not on Instapaper's servers.
instapaper.com - 4
Easy to miss
Send newsletters straight to Instapaper with your own address
Every account gets a Save to Instapaper email address. Forward an email and the subject becomes the title, or sign up for newsletters with that address so they land with your articles. There are separate addresses that save straight into each folder, too.
instapaper.com - 5
Shortcut
Ctrl+K adds a link, and single keys file the article you're reading
On instapaper.com, Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) adds a link from anywhere. In the reader, a archives, m moves it to a folder, t adds tags, l likes it and d deletes it. Up and down arrows walk the list. Press ? to see them all.
instapaper.com - 6
Leaving
The full export is a CSV sent by email, and can take hours
Go to instapaper.com/settings/account and click "Export .CSV to email" under Import. A big account can take a few hours to arrive. The PDF and ePub downloads in a list's three-dot menu only hold the first 19 articles, so they're no backup.
instapaper.com - 7
Leaving
Deleting your account is instant, so export first
Permanently Delete Account, under Manage your account in settings, wipes everything straight away. Its help page says deleted articles and account details can't be recovered, and it suggests exporting first. Do the CSV export and wait for the email before you press it.
instapaper.com
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$5
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Instapaper has a free plan. Paid plans start at $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per year.
It buys full-text search, a PDF reader, a permanent archive, unlimited notes, Kindle digests and AI Voices.
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.
The 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.
Read from instapaper.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on instapaper.com
How its prices have moved
- Jan 1, 2024Premium: $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year → $5.99 per month, or $59.99 per yearThe archived copy of 1 January 2024 shows $5.99 a month and $59.99 a year; the copy of 4 December 2023 still showed $2.99 and $29.99. Premium had held the lower price in every copy back to February 2020.
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Instapaper Premium”, against $5.99 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺29,99 | $0.61 | 90% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 19ribu | $1.06 | 82% less |
| India | ₹ 149 | $1.54 | 74% less |
| Brazil | R$ 9,90 | $1.98 | 67% less |
| Australia | $9.99 | $6.97 | 16% more |
| South Africa | R119.99 | $7.26 | 21% more |
| Germany | 6,99 € | $7.83 | 31% more |
| United Kingdom | £5.99 | $7.92 | 32% more |
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Read-later app that strips articles down to clean text. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: works offline, public API, AI features, read later, highlights.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Kindle
- Kobo
- Boox
- Obsidian
- Notion
- Evernote
- Pinboard
- Tumblr
Who makes Instapaper
Instapaper is made by Instant Paper, Inc., the company that took it over from Pinterest in 2018. Its About page says almost all of its revenue comes from Instapaper Premium subscriptions, with a smaller part from ads shown to free users on the website and from weekly email sponsorships.
- Founded
- 2018instapaper.com
- Ownership
- Privately held. Privately held. Its About page says Instapaper was spun out of Pinterest in 2018 as an independent company, Instant Paper, Inc., and that Brian Donohue has independently owned and operated it since.instapaper.com
- Funding
- No outside funding announced. Its About page says the team's goal is a long-term, sustainable business without venture capital, paid for by the product's own revenue.instapaper.com
- Team
- A small team, in its own wordsinstapaper.com
- Founders and leaders
- Brian Donohue, Owner and operatorinstapaper.com
- Marco Arment, Created Instapaper in 2008instapaper.com
- Lately
- Instapaper API v2 · Sep 29, 2026
- Instapaper in your Palma · Aug 11, 2026
- New Website, Instapaper 10 for iOS, and AI Voices for Android · Jul 28, 2026
- Relaunching the Instaparser API · Mar 31, 2026
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 05 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
22/36
Other read-later and bookmark apps it is graded above
Instapaper's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 22 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 32 of 36) and worst on value for money (C, above 6).
Its paid plans start at $5 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 17 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Instapaper’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 36
- BFree plan and trialAbove 15 of 36
- BFeaturesAbove 10 of 36
- BEase of useAbove 15 of 36
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 32 of 36
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 33 read-later and bookmark apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Instapaper is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
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 Instapaper you could make: read later and highlights. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $59.99 a year.
What you could make
- Read later and highlights: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Kindle, Kobo and Boox among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Instapaper’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 06 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Readwise, Matter, Raindrop.io, wallabag and GoodLinks
The 5 tools Instapaper is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Readwise
Free trial · from $5.59/mo
Highlight library with a daily review and a read-later app.
- Instapaper has a free plan. Readwise does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Readwise lists a Windows app.
- Readwise also covers rSS reader.
- 2.6GPA
Matter
Free plan · from $7.99/mo
Read-later app for iPhone, iPad and web with audio playback.
- Only Instapaper lists macOS and Android apps.
- Matter also covers rSS reader.
- 3.2GPA
Raindrop.io
Free plan · from $28/yr
Bookmark manager with collections, tags and highlights.
- Only Raindrop.io lists a Windows app.
- Raindrop.io also covers bookmarks.
- 3.2GPA
wallabag
Free plan · from €11/yr
Open-source read-it-later app you can self-host or use hosted.
- Only Instapaper lists a macOS app.
- wallabag is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.4GPA
GoodLinks
From $9.99 one-time
Read-later and link-saving app for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Instapaper has a free plan. GoodLinks does not.
- Only Instapaper lists a web app.
- Only Instapaper lists an Android app.
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
16
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 Instapaper free?
Instapaper has a free plan. Unlimited saves, sync across web, iOS and Android, folders and API access.
How much does Instapaper cost?
Instapaper lists 2 plans. Free: $0.
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.
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.
Who makes Instapaper?
Instapaper is made by Instant Paper, Inc. Privately held.
What are the alternatives to Instapaper?
The closest alternatives to Instapaper in our directory are Readwise, Matter, Raindrop.io, wallabag and GoodLinks.
How does Instapaper compare with other read-later and bookmark apps?
Instapaper's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 22 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 9.
Is Instapaper good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Instapaper C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $5 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 17 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Instapaper?
The plain part of Instapaper you could make: read later and highlights.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Instapaper’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Instapaper's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-04-14.
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 Instant Paper, Inc. Prices change, so check instapaper.com before you buy.
- 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
Part 08 · 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
- Instapaper, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/instapaper
- 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, "Instapaper: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/instapaper
Know someone choosing between read-later and bookmark apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/instapaper/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded read-later and bookmark apps after Instapaper, 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 Instapaper’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. Instapaper is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Instant Paper, Inc. Prices and plans change: check instapaper.com before you buy.