Raindrop.io: a great tool, but for what exactly?
Raindrop.io has established itself as one of the best bookmark management apps. Its clean interface, visual collections and wide range of integrations have made it a favourite among developers, designers and curious web users.
But Raindrop.io is first and foremost a link organiser, not a read-it-later app. Its Reader view exists but remains limited: it does not always retrieve the full article content and is only available with a Pro subscription.
If what you are after is actually reading your articles later in good conditions, Raindrop.io may not be the right tool.
Two different use cases
It helps to distinguish between two related but distinct needs:
- Organising links: you want to keep references, find them easily, share them or sort them by topic. Raindrop.io is excellent at this.
- Reading articles later: you want access to the full content of an article, distraction-free, offline if needed, on all your devices. This is where Raindrop.io shows its limits.
If you are in the second camp, here are some options.
Some reading-focused alternatives
- Instapaper offers a polished reading experience, but its best features are locked behind an expensive subscription.
- Readwise Reader is powerful (RSS, highlights, notes) but its pricing, around €96/year, makes it a tool for the most dedicated users.
- wallabag.it is an open-source alternative, hosted in Europe, built specifically for read-it-later use.
Meet wallabag.it
wallabag.it is the hosted version of wallabag, an open-source read-it-later app. Its goal is to fetch the full article content, format it for comfortable reading, and make it accessible everywhere, even offline.
Full article storage
wallabag fetches the full text of the page, cleaned up and ad-free. Even if the original website disappears, your copy stays intact.
Privacy by design
wallabag does not track you and does not sell your data. It is open-source software, run by people who believe in user freedom.
Hosted in Europe
All data is stored on servers in Europe, protected by strict EU privacy laws and fully GDPR-compliant.
Offline reading
Sync your articles across all your devices (phones, tablets and Kobo e-readers) and read them without a connection.
Tags, annotations and search
Organise your articles with tags, take notes and find past reads with full-text search. All these features are included in the base subscription.
Pricing comparison
| Service | Yearly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| wallabag.it | €11/year | All features included, open source, hosted in Europe |
| Raindrop.io Pro | €26/year | Full-text search, annotations, reminders, backups |
| Instapaper Premium | €55/year | Full-text search, unlimited highlights, text-to-speech |
| Readwise Reader | €96/year | RSS, notes, highlights, very complete but very expensive |
For a use case focused on reading articles later, wallabag.it gives you everything you need for €11/year. You can also support development with the supporter plan at €30/year, or try the service for €4 over 3 months.
Final thoughts
If you use Raindrop.io mainly to save articles for later reading, wallabag.it does that job better and for less. If you need both (organising links and reading articles), the two tools can perfectly coexist.