The Raindrop.io Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Raindrop.io 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.
Raindrop.io
The Insider’s Guide
Bookmark manager with collections, tags and highlights
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among read-later and bookmark apps, read from Raindrop.io’s own pages.
Made by Rustem Mussabekov · 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 Raindrop.io’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Raindrop.io’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
3.2
GPA, above 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade
Raindrop.io is a bookmark manager that keeps links, articles, uploaded files and highlights in collections with tags, and syncs them across browser extensions, desktop apps and mobile apps. Collections can be shared with collaborators or published as public pages. The Pro plan adds full-text search, permanent copies of saved pages, reminders and an AI assistant.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Raindrop.io, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The work is yours as well: collections to build, tags to pick and a view to choose before the library looks like anything.
- 1
Best for all-round bookmarking on every device
Raindrop.io is a bookmark manager on web, Mac, Windows, phones and browsers, with no cap on bookmarks, collections or devices on the free plan and Pro at $28 a year.
- 2
Paid plans start at $2.33 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $28 per year, or $3 per month.
- 3
There is a free plan
Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, with sharing and collaboration included. File uploads are limited to 100 MB a month.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Collections, tags and filters
Bookmarks are grouped into collections and classified with tags, then narrowed by type, tag or domain. Grid, headlines, masonry and list views are available.
- 6
Highlights
Save passages from web pages, PDFs and EPUBs in several colors, up to 100 per bookmark on any plan. Adding notes to highlights requires Pro.
- 7
Full-text search
On Pro, search covers the full content of saved pages, PDFs, EPUBs and YouTube transcripts instead of only titles and tags.
- 8
A 3.2 GPA, above 32 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 Raindrop.io you could make: bookmarks, highlights and read later. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Raindrop.io at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $28 per year, or $3 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Rustem Mussabekov, since 2013
- Category
- Read Later & Bookmarks
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
- Store rating
- 4.5 on the App Store, 416 ratings
The report card
Best for all-round bookmarking on every device
Raindrop.io is a bookmark manager on web, Mac, Windows, phones and browsers, with no cap on bookmarks, collections or devices on the free plan and Pro at $28 a year. Full-text search, saved page copies, reminders, notes on highlights and the AI assistant are Pro only, free uploads stop at 100 MB a month, there's no Linux app, and its App Store rating is 4.49.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Pro is $28 a year, which is $2.33 a month, inside the cheapest quarter for reading tools here. For that you get full-text search, a saved copy of every page, reminders, daily backups, the AI assistant and 10 GB of uploads a month. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, with sharing and collaboration thrown in. The caps are 100 MB of file uploads a month and 100 highlights per bookmark, and most people will never touch either. Plenty stay free for years. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole bookmarking job: collections, tags and filters, four views, highlights in web pages, PDFs and EPUBs, shared collections and public pages that need no sign-up. Pro adds full-text search including YouTube transcripts, a web archive and a beta AI assistant. |
| Ease of use | C | 4.49 from 416 App Store ratings, which falls just under the 4.5 we want for a B, so middling it is. The work is yours as well: collections to build, tags to pick and a view to choose before the library looks like anything. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | The full set: web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and browser extensions, with an API and hooks into Zapier, IFTTT, Make, n8n, Notion and Readwise. The one gap is Linux, as the download page lists macOS and Windows 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 Raindrop.io is for
- Fits if you want one bookmark library on every browser, laptop and phone you own
- Works for people who share link collections or highlight passages in web pages, PDFs and EPUBs
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want full-text search or saved copies of pages without paying, as both are Pro
- Not for you if you want a desktop app on Linux, since the download page lists macOS and Windows only
- Not for you if you'd rather not build collections and tags, because sorting is the work it asks of you
- Tight if you annotate a lot, as notes on highlights need Pro and each bookmark holds at most 100 highlights
- Watch out: Pro's $28 a year is before tax, and the AI assistant is still in beta
Good to know
Good for
- Keeping a large bookmark library organized across browsers and devices
- Sharing link collections with collaborators or on a public page
- People who highlight passages in web pages, PDFs and EPUBs
Worth knowing
- Full-text search, the web archive, reminders and the AI assistant are limited to Pro.
- Free accounts can upload 100 MB of files a month; Pro raises the limit to 10 GB.
- Notes on highlights require Pro, and each bookmark holds at most 100 highlights.
- The download page lists desktop apps for macOS and Windows only.
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
6
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about Raindrop.io 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 Raindrop.io’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from Raindrop.io's help centre (search filters, public pages, backups, and the Pro page on cancelling, refunds and what ends with Pro) on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Shortcut
Type #tag, type:article or notag:true into search
The search box takes operators: #coffee for a tag, -#coffee to leave it out, type:article or -type:video, created:2024-01 for a month, notag:true for untagged links, ❤️ for favourites and link:github to search URLs. Add match:OR to match either word.
help.raindrop.io - 2
Privacy
Public collections can show up in search results, tags and all
Raindrop's help says public pages can be crawled and appear in search results, and it doesn't mention a way to stop that. Anyone with the link can see them, tags included, and nested collections go public with their parent. Every public collection also shows on your username.raindrop.page profile.
help.raindrop.io - 3
Setting
On Pro, send your daily backups to Dropbox or Drive
Pro makes a backup each day you change something and keeps the last 30 under Settings → Backups. Turn on Cloud backup on the same page to copy them to Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. Files come as HTML, CSV or TXT, and the help recommends HTML, a standard bookmarks file most browsers and apps can import.
help.raindrop.io - 4
Leaving
Let Pro lapse and your saved page copies go after about a month
Your bookmarks, collections, tags and highlights all stay when Pro ends. But the web archive copies become inaccessible and are permanently deleted after about a month, full-text search stops and automatic backups stop. If you lean on those copies, decide before Pro runs out.
help.raindrop.io - 5
Renewal
Renewed and didn't mean to? There's a 30-day refund
Raindrop's Pro help page says that if you cancel within 30 days of buying or renewing, you can ask for a full refund on web and Google Play payments. App Store purchases are refunded by Apple, not Raindrop. You keep Pro until the end of the period either way.
help.raindrop.io - 6
Pay less
Paying through Google Play? Pick yearly from the start
Google Play can't switch you from monthly to yearly. Raindrop's help says you'd have to cancel, wait for Pro to run out, then subscribe again. On the web you ask the team, and on the App Store it's Change subscription in the app. Same features wherever you buy.
help.raindrop.io
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$2.33
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Raindrop.io has a free plan. Paid plans start at $28 per year, or $3 per month.
Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, with sharing and collaboration thrown in.
Free
$0
Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, sharing and collaboration, and 100 MB of file uploads a month.
Pro
$3
per month, or $28 per year (before tax)
AI assistant, full-text search, web archive, reminders, annotations, duplicate and broken-link finder, daily backups and 10 GB of uploads a month.
The free plan
Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, with sharing and collaboration included. File uploads are limited to 100 MB a month.
Read from raindrop.io on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
About 20% off with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as 20% off, and the US prices it loads are $28 a year against $3 a month.
Stated on raindrop.io
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Pro Monthly”, against $2.99 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 | ₺19,99 | $0.41 | 86% less |
| India | ₹ 179 | $1.85 | 38% less |
| South Africa | R37.99 | $2.30 | 23% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 155.00 | $2.47 | 17% less |
| Mexico | $59.00 | $3.24 | 8% more |
| Australia | $4.99 | $3.48 | 17% more |
| Germany | 3,49 € | $3.91 | 31% more |
| United Kingdom | £2.99 | $3.95 | 32% more |
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Bookmark manager with collections, tags and highlights. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, read later, bookmarks, highlights.
Pro adds full-text search including YouTube transcripts, a web archive and a beta AI assistant.
- Collections, tags and filters
- Bookmarks are grouped into collections and classified with tags, then narrowed by type, tag or domain. Grid, headlines, masonry and list views are available.
- Highlights
- Save passages from web pages, PDFs and EPUBs in several colors, up to 100 per bookmark on any plan. Adding notes to highlights requires Pro.
- Full-text search
- On Pro, search covers the full content of saved pages, PDFs, EPUBs and YouTube transcripts instead of only titles and tags.
- Web archive and backups
- Pro keeps a saved copy of each bookmarked page in case the original changes or disappears, and runs automatic backups of the whole library.
- Sharing and public pages
- Invite members to a collection with per-collection permissions, or publish a collection as a public page that needs no sign-up. Both work on the free plan.
- Stella AI assistant
- A chat assistant, in beta for Pro users, that answers questions about saved content, summarizes it and helps organize collections.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Zapier
- IFTTT
- Make
- n8n
- Notion
- Readwise
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
Who makes Raindrop.io
Raindrop.io is made by Rustem Mussabekov, who started it as a side project in 2013 and left his full-time job in 2019 to work on it as his own company. It earns money only from Pro subscriptions, with no advertising.
- Founded
- 2013blog.raindrop.io
- Based
- Astana, Kazakhstanraindrop.io
- Ownership
- Privately held. Privately held. Its security and privacy page calls Raindrop.io an independent, bootstrapped product with no investors and no corporate parent; the site's copyright line names Rustem Mussabekov.help.raindrop.io
- Funding
- Bootstrapped: its security and privacy page says Raindrop.io has no investors and that its revenue comes entirely from Pro subscriptions.help.raindrop.io
- Founders and leaders
- Rustem Mussabekov, Founderblog.raindrop.io
- Lately
- AI suggestions for tags and collections are now much faster · Sep 11, 2026
- Chat with YouTube Videos · Jun 15, 2026
- OneDrive as additional automatic backup destination · Feb 21, 2026
- Meet Stella — Your AI-Powered Second Brain · Feb 5, 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
32/36
Other read-later and bookmark apps it is graded above
Raindrop.io's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 32 of 36) and worst on ease of use (C, above 4).
Its paid plans start at $2.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 6 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Raindrop.io’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 19 of 36
- AFree plan and trialAbove 26 of 36
- BFeaturesAbove 10 of 36
- CEase of useAbove 4 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. Raindrop.io 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 Raindrop.io you could make: bookmarks, highlights and read later. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade. It costs $28 a year.
What you could make
- Bookmarks, highlights and read later: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Zapier, IFTTT and Make among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Raindrop.io’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
Pinboard, Linkwarden, Karakeep, Anybox and Diigo
The 5 tools Raindrop.io is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Pinboard
From $22/yr
Paid bookmarking site with tags, privacy and page archiving.
- Raindrop.io has a free plan. Pinboard does not.
- Only Raindrop.io lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Raindrop.io also covers highlights.
- 2.8GPA
Linkwarden
Free plan · from $3/mo
Open-source bookmark manager that preserves a copy of each page.
- Only Raindrop.io lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Linkwarden is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
Karakeep
Free plan · from $4/mo
Open-source bookmark app that tags saved links, notes and images.
- Only Raindrop.io lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Karakeep is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Anybox
Free plan · from $1.99/mo
Native bookmark manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Only Raindrop.io lists a web app.
- Only Raindrop.io lists Windows and Android apps.
- Anybox can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.4GPA
Diigo
Free plan · from $40/yr
Bookmarking with highlights and sticky notes on web pages and PDFs.
- Only Raindrop.io lists macOS, Windows and Android apps.
- Raindrop.io also covers read later.
- Diigo also covers research.
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
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 Raindrop.io free?
Raindrop.io has a free plan. Unlimited bookmarks, collections, highlights and devices, with sharing and collaboration included.
How much does Raindrop.io cost?
Raindrop.io lists 2 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Raindrop.io work on?
Raindrop.io is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does Raindrop.io offer any discounts?
Raindrop.io publicly lists the following: About 20% off with yearly billing.
How is Raindrop.io rated?
Raindrop.io's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.5 out of 5 from 416 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Raindrop.io have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Raindrop.io is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Raindrop.io open source?
Raindrop.io is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Raindrop.io have an API?
Yes. Raindrop.io offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Raindrop.io integrate with?
Raindrop.io's listing names Zapier, IFTTT, Make, n8n, Notion, Readwise, Google Drive and Dropbox.
Who makes Raindrop.io?
Raindrop.io is made by a company of the same name. Privately held.
What are the alternatives to Raindrop.io?
The closest alternatives to Raindrop.io in our directory are Pinboard, Linkwarden, Karakeep, Anybox and Diigo.
How does Raindrop.io compare with other read-later and bookmark apps?
Raindrop.io's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 32 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 4.
Is Raindrop.io good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Raindrop.io B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $2.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 6 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Raindrop.io?
The plain part of Raindrop.io you could make: bookmarks, highlights and read later.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Raindrop.io’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 Raindrop.io's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-10.
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 Rustem Mussabekov. Prices change, so check raindrop.io before you buy.
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
- Raindrop.io, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/raindrop-io
- 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, "Raindrop.io: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/raindrop-io
Know someone choosing between read-later and bookmark apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/raindrop-io/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded read-later and bookmark apps after Raindrop.io, 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 Raindrop.io’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. Raindrop.io is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Rustem Mussabekov. Prices and plans change: check raindrop.io before you buy.