Quick answer: Use Safari Reading List if you only save articles from Safari, Raindrop.io if you organize lots of bookmarks across devices, Instapaper or GoodLinks if you mainly save things to read, and Snugit if you save a mix of links, screenshots, notes and files and want to find them by search. Pocket shut down in July 2025, so it's no longer an option.
Full disclosure: we make Snugit, one of the apps below. That's why this is written as a comparison rather than a pitch. Different saving habits need different tools, and picking the wrong one just means you're back here in a month.
The short comparison
| App | Best for | Saves from any app | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safari Reading List | Articles to read offline | Safari only | Free, built in |
| Safari Bookmarks | A few sites you revisit | Safari only | Free, built in |
| Apple Notes | Links with your own notes | Yes | Free, built in |
| Raindrop.io | Organizing many bookmarks, any device | Yes | Free, paid Pro tier |
| Instapaper | Distraction-free reading | Yes | Free, paid Premium tier |
| GoodLinks | Read-later on iPhone and Mac | Yes | Paid app |
| Snugit | Links plus screenshots, notes and files, found by search | Yes | Free for 10 items, Pro subscription |
Pricing models as of October 2026. Check each app's App Store page for current prices.
Safari Reading List: best for articles you'll read offline
Free, built in, and it can save a copy so it works without signal. In Safari, tap Share (on iOS 26 with the compact tab bar, tap the More button first), then Add to Reading List. The catch: it's Safari only, so a link from Instagram or a text doesn't get in unless you open it in Safari first.
Raindrop.io: best for organizing a big bookmark collection
A full bookmark manager with collections, tags and search that works on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and the web. Choose it if you save a lot of links you'll organize and come back to, especially across non-Apple devices.
Instapaper and GoodLinks: best if you mainly read
Both catch links from any app's share sheet and turn articles into a clean, readable view. Instapaper is the long-running read-later service many Pocket users moved to. GoodLinks is a polished iPhone and Mac app for saving, tagging and reading links. Both are less useful once what you save isn't an article: a product page, a TikTok, a PDF.
Apple Notes: best if you add your own thoughts
Free, syncs through iCloud, and lets a link sit next to your own notes about it. The tradeoff is that organization is entirely on you, and a growing pile of pasted links gets messy fast. Here's why that happens.
Snugit: best if what you save isn't just articles
Snugit isn't a reading app. It's built for saving anything, including links, screenshots, PDFs and text, from any app's share sheet in one tap, and finding it again by typing a word. If most of what you save is long articles you'll sit down and read, Instapaper or Reading List may serve you better. If it's a mix, that's what Snugit is for.
What happened to Pocket?
Mozilla shut Pocket down in July 2025, and the window to export saved articles has since closed. If you're still looking for a replacement, here are the best Pocket alternatives for iPhone, sorted by how you used it.
The bottom line
- Read a few articles a week: Safari Reading List.
- Read a lot: Instapaper or GoodLinks.
- Organize many bookmarks across devices: Raindrop.io.
- Save links plus everything else, and find it fast: Snugit.
Download Snugit if your saving habits don't fit neatly into a reading app.