The best read-it-later apps for iPhone
Pick a reader app (Instapaper, Matter, Readwise Reader) if you read long articles in-app. Pick a bookmark manager (Raindrop.io) for folders and tags. Pick Backpacks if you save links and screenshots and want to find them by a word you remember, with no folders.
This page compares how each product describes itself on its own site. Prices and plans change—confirm on the linked pages before you buy or subscribe. Backpacks facts match the live App Store listing (version 1.0, free).
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Price model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instapaper | Offline article reading | iOS, Android, web (Instapaper) | Not stated on homepage |
| Matter | Read-later with listen and highlights | iPhone, iPad, web (Matter) | Not stated on homepage |
| Readwise Reader | Reading queue plus highlights, RSS, PDFs | Web, desktop, iOS, Android (Readwise) | Trial, then Readwise subscription (Readwise FAQ) |
| Raindrop.io | Bookmarks with collections and tags | Browsers, iPhone, iPad, Android, desktop (Raindrop.io) | Free indefinitely; paid upgrade for premium features (Raindrop.io) |
| Backpacks | Save links and screenshots; find by any word | iPhone (iOS 26+) | Free |
Instapaper
Instapaper is a long-running tool for saving web pages to read later, including on iOS. Its public materials emphasize offline, formatted reading across phone, tablet, and web. Choose it when the main job is a clean reading queue for articles.
Matter
Matter calls itself “the modern read-later app for iPhone, iPad, and web,” with saving, newsletters, listening, and highlighting. Choose it when you want an in-app reading and audio workflow on Apple devices and the web.
Readwise Reader
Readwise Reader presents itself as a read-it-later home for articles, RSS, PDFs, newsletters, and more, with strong highlighting and sync into the wider Readwise product. Choose it when reading and annotation across many document types is the center of the workflow.
Raindrop.io
Raindrop.io describes itself as an “all-in-one bookmark manager” with collections, tags, full-text search, and apps across browsers and devices. Choose it when organization (folders/collections and tags) matters as much as saving the link.
Backpacks: save now, find by any word later
Backpacks is a free iPhone app. Save links from the Share sheet; the page is read in the background. Add screenshots from Photos; text inside each image is read on the iPhone. Search as you type across titles, sites, page text, and screenshot text. No folders, no tags, no account, no analytics. Export is a zip of original images plus library.json. It is not a full in-app reader for long-form formatting—it is built to save and find.
Omnivore and Pocket: what happened
Pocket. Mozilla’s support article says Pocket shut down on July 8, 2025, and that as of November 12, 2025 export was disabled and user data was queued for permanent deletion (Mozilla Support).
Omnivore. The Omnivore GitHub README states that the cloud application was deprecated in November 2024 (omnivore-app/omnivore). People looking for a hosted alternative often consider the reader and bookmark apps above, or Backpacks on iPhone for save-and-find with screenshots.
How to choose
- Want a distraction-free article reader with listen or highlights? Start with Instapaper, Matter, or Readwise Reader.
- Want folders, tags, and bookmarks everywhere? Start with Raindrop.io.
- Want links and screenshots in one iPhone library, searchable by a remembered word, with no account? Start with Backpacks.
- Coming from Pocket? See also Pocket alternative for iPhone.
- Need text inside screenshots? See how to find a screenshot by its text.
FAQ
What is the best read-it-later app?
It depends on your job. Choose a reader app if you want a clean in-app reading experience. Choose a bookmark manager if you need folders and tags across devices. Choose Backpacks on iPhone if you save links and screenshots and want to find them by a word you remember, with no folders or account.
What is the best read-it-later app for iOS?
On iPhone, Instapaper, Matter, and Readwise Reader focus on reading saved articles in-app. Raindrop.io organizes bookmarks with collections and tags. Backpacks is a free iPhone app for saving links and screenshots and searching page text and screenshot text.
What is a good alternative to Omnivore?
Omnivore’s cloud application was deprecated in November 2024 according to its GitHub README. People who want a hosted reader often look at Instapaper, Matter, or Readwise Reader. People who want to save links and screenshots on iPhone and find them by remembered text can use Backpacks.
Is Matter a good read-it-later app?
Matter describes itself as the modern read-later app for iPhone, iPad, and web, with saving, listening, and highlighting. It fits readers who want an in-app reading and audio workflow. If you mainly need to stash links and screenshots and search them later without folders, Backpacks is a different kind of tool.
What is the difference between read-it-later and bookmarks?
Read-it-later apps usually save an article into a reading queue and show a cleaned reading view. Bookmark managers keep URLs in folders or tags so you can organize a large library. Backpacks sits closer to save-and-find: links and screenshots in one list, searchable by page text and text inside images, without folders.
Free. No account. Find them by whatever you remember.
Download Backpacks on the App Store