Best Pocket Alternatives 2025
Pocket shut down in July 2025. Here's where to move your saved articles — with AI-powered alternatives that Pocket never offered.
Quick Answer
- Best Overall: LinkList — AI auto-tags and organizes your entire Pocket library automatically
- Best Reading Experience: Instapaper — Distraction-free reader with highlights and Kindle sync
- Best Visual Organization: Raindrop.io — Beautiful interface with powerful manual tagging
- Best Free Option: Matter — Completely free with AI summaries and social features
- Best Self-Hosted: Wallabag — Open source with complete data ownership
Feature Comparison
| Feature | LinkList | Instapaper | Raindrop | Matter | Wallabag | Readwise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Auto-Tagging | ✓ | — | Manual | — | — | — |
| AI Summaries | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Conversational Search | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Read-it-Later | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser Extension | Soon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline Reading | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pocket Import | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Starting Price | $49/yr | $30/yr | $28/yr | Free | Free | $156/yr |
Detailed Alternatives
LinkList.io — Best AI-Powered Pocket Replacement
LinkList takes the opposite approach to Pocket: instead of storing articles to read later, it builds an AI-powered knowledge base that auto-organizes and lets you search conversationally. Import your entire Pocket library and AI tags everything automatically—zero manual work required.
Pros:
- AI auto-tags everything — no folders, no manual organization
- Conversational search — ask questions, get answers from your library
- Privacy guarantee — your data never trains AI models
- Zero maintenance — works perfectly with zero effort after import
- Pocket data import — accepts HTML exports directly
Cons:
- No read-it-later mode — focused on knowledge retrieval, not reading UX
- No browser extension yet — coming soon
- Newer product — less established than competitors
Pricing: Free for public collections. $49/year for private collections + AI chat.
Instapaper — Best for Clean Reading Experience
Instapaper is the closest spiritual successor to Pocket's original vision: a distraction-free reader for saved articles. If you loved Pocket for reading, not organizing, Instapaper is your best bet. Clean typography, text-to-speech, and Kindle integration make it the premium reading tool.
Pros:
- Distraction-free reading mode with beautiful typography
- Text-to-speech and speed reading features
- Highlights and notes sync across devices
- Kindle integration — send articles to your Kindle
- Long-established product with reliable infrastructure
Cons:
- No AI features — pure manual organization
- Basic keyword search only — no semantic or conversational search
- Aging UI — hasn't kept up with modern design trends
- Limited free tier — 5 highlights per month
Pricing: Free basic. Premium $30/year.
Raindrop.io — Best for Visual Bookmark Organization
Raindrop.io is a visual bookmark manager with a beautiful grid interface and powerful manual organization. If you loved Pocket's visual library but want more control over folders and tags, Raindrop delivers. It's affordable, reliable, and has browser extensions everywhere.
Pros:
- Beautiful visual UI with grid and list views
- Powerful tagging system with nested collections
- Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
- Permanent library — no automatic archiving or deletion
- Affordable pricing with generous free tier
Cons:
- Manual organization — no AI auto-tagging
- Keyword search only — no semantic or AI-powered search
- Requires folder discipline — can get messy with large libraries
Pricing: Free basic. Pro $28/year.
Matter — Best Free Pocket Alternative
Matter is completely free and offers AI summaries, social reading features, and newsletter imports. If you're looking for a zero-cost Pocket replacement with some modern AI features, Matter is your best option. The mobile-first UX feels fresh and the social features help you discover new content.
Pros:
- Completely free — no paid tier yet
- AI summaries for quick article overviews
- Social reading features — see what friends are reading
- Newsletter import — read newsletters in the same app
- Clean mobile-first UX with good reading experience
Cons:
- Unclear business model — sustainability concerns
- Limited web app — primarily mobile-focused
- Social features can be distracting if you just want to save links
- No AI chat or conversational search
Pricing: Free (ad-supported model coming).
Wallabag — Best Self-Hosted Open Source Option
Wallabag is the leading open-source, self-hosted read-it-later app. If data ownership and privacy are your top priorities, Wallabag gives you complete control. It has a direct Pocket import tool and can run on your own server forever with no subscription fees.
Pros:
- Fully self-hosted — complete data ownership and privacy
- Open source — inspect code, contribute, customize
- Pocket import tool built-in for easy migration
- No subscription fees after initial setup
- Active community and regular updates
Cons:
- Requires technical setup — need to run your own server
- No AI features — pure read-it-later functionality
- Not mobile-first — UX feels dated compared to modern apps
- Community support only — no dedicated customer service
Pricing: Free (self-hosted). Hosted service ~$18/year.
How to Choose the Right Pocket Alternative
Choose LinkList if:
You want AI to auto-organize your entire library and let you search conversationally. Best for knowledge workers who save links to retrieve insights later, not just read once.
Choose Instapaper if:
You primarily save articles to read later and want the best distraction-free reading experience. Great for readers who value typography, highlights, and Kindle integration.
Choose Raindrop.io if:
You want a visual bookmark manager with powerful manual organization. Best for users who enjoy curating collections and want beautiful grid views of their library.
Choose Matter if:
You want a free option with AI summaries and social features. Good for casual users who don't need advanced organization and like discovering what others are reading.
Choose Wallabag if:
You want complete data ownership and are comfortable with technical setup. Best for privacy-focused users who prefer self-hosting and open source software.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I export my Pocket data before shutdown?
Go to Pocket's export page (getpocket.com/export) and download your data as HTML. Most alternatives (LinkList, Raindrop, Instapaper) accept HTML bookmark imports. Do this before Pocket fully shuts down to avoid losing your saved articles.
What happened to Pocket?
Mozilla shut down Pocket in July 2025 after acquiring it in 2017. Despite integrating Pocket into Firefox, usage declined as Mozilla shifted focus to AI products. The shutdown left millions of users searching for alternatives.
Can I import my Pocket bookmarks into LinkList?
Yes. Export your Pocket data as HTML, then import it into LinkList. AI automatically tags and summarizes all imported links—no manual reorganization required. Works with libraries of any size.
What's the best free Pocket alternative?
Matter is the best free option with AI summaries and a clean reading experience. Wallabag is free if you self-host. LinkList offers a free tier for public collections. For full AI features on a budget, LinkList at $49/year is the most capable option.
Do any Pocket alternatives have AI features?
LinkList offers the most comprehensive AI: auto-tagging, summaries, and conversational search. Matter provides AI summaries. Readwise Reader has Ghostreader AI. Instapaper and Raindrop have no AI features—they're manual tools like Pocket was.
Is there a self-hosted Pocket alternative?
Yes. Wallabag is the leading open-source, self-hosted read-it-later app. It imports Pocket data directly and gives you complete control over your data. Requires a server and some technical knowledge to set up.
Should I switch to a read-it-later app or an AI bookmark manager?
If you primarily save articles to read later, choose Instapaper or Matter. If you save links as a knowledge base to search and retrieve later, choose LinkList. The shift from read-it-later to AI knowledge management is the biggest trend in 2025—most power users want retrieval, not just storage.
Can I use multiple tools together after leaving Pocket?
Yes. Many users pair a read-it-later app (Instapaper for reading) with an AI tool (LinkList for knowledge retrieval). Import your Pocket library into both and use each for its strength.
Your Pocket Library Deserves AI
Don't just migrate your Pocket data to another manual tool. Import it into LinkList and let AI auto-tag everything, summarize articles, and answer questions from your entire knowledge base. Zero organization required.
AI-powered bookmark manager that organizes itself.