Ask HN: What Pocket alternatives did you move to?

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Major Alternatives People Chose

  • Wallabag is the most-cited replacement.

    • Reasons: no ads, Pocket import works well, self-hosting possible, good content extraction, ePub export (especially for Kobo), KOReader integration.
    • Criticisms: Android/iOS apps feel basic/outdated; Firefox-based server-side scraping sometimes fails; self-hosting can be heavy for weaker NAS boxes.

  • Instapaper frequently mentioned.

    • Pros: simple, stable, “doesn’t try to do too much,” direct Pocket import, Kindle digest, IFTTT support.
    • Several people say it’s far ahead of Pocket in handling paywalled content; others had previously left Instapaper for Pocket.

  • Raindrop.io also popular.

    • Pros: smooth Pocket import, good tagging, clean UI, open API; free tier sufficient for some.
    • Used both personally and for work, sometimes alongside other tools.

  • Readwise Reader / Readwise.io

    • Seen as “power user” oriented; strong highlighting and TTS, good on e‑ink, praised ongoing development.
    • One person left it due to ugly/unchanging UI.

Self-Hosted & Open-Source Options

  • Wallabag, Readeck, Karakeep, Shiori, Linkding, Linkwarden, Readeck+Kobo mod, and others are used by people who don’t trust hosted services to persist.
  • Karakeep praised for AI tagging + Meilisearch, but criticized as immature: SQLite-only, limited export options, tag overload.
  • Shiori liked for simplicity, multi-DB support, and local copies.

Native / Minimalist Approaches

  • Some abandon third‑party services entirely:
    • Browser bookmarks + Reading List, or RSS readers’ built‑in “read later.”
    • iOS tricks: Safari Reader + print-to-PDF, or just Safari Reading List (with debate over offline reliability and PDF usability).
    • Plain-text lists, email-to-self workflows.

Knowledge-Management & Obsidian-Based Setups

  • Several use Obsidian (web clipper, ReadItLater, Slurp, Relay) to store cleaned markdown locally, often synced across devices and used collaboratively.
  • Others fold articles into broader tools like Notion, DEVONthink, Zotero, or Eagle.

New / Niche Services & Personal Projects

  • Mentioned: Fika, Folio, Cubox, Curio, Fabric, CouchReader, Histre, Mozaic, Veo3, link.horse, linksort, bukmark, simple PWAs and Python/Docker apps, ArchiveBox lists.
  • Some actively building Pocket replacements; questions arise about offline storage, export, APIs, and e‑reader/Firefox support.

Meta Reflections

  • Debate over “just Google pocket alternatives” vs real-world feature gaps.
  • Many admit they rarely read what they save; others argue long-term bookmarking is still highly valuable.