Both are great, but theyve diverged a bit over the years and play to different strengths.

Lets compare them, head-to-head.

Features

For the uninitiated, a read it later service is just a fancy bookmarking app.

Lets start by addressing the big similarities between Pocket and Instapaper.

Both save anything you find online, from articles to videos, for easy access later.

Both have a special reading mode that strips out excess ads or images, perfect for lightweight devices.

Both even have text-to-speech options built right in.

Heck, both even integrate with the automation serviceIf This Then That.

Even so, Pocket and Instapaper differ pretty dramatically.

Now lets dig into what its like to actually use both of these apps.

Those moods extend throughout the experience.

Instapapers primary focus is the reading experience.

So, if reading text articles is all you want to do, Instapapers the app you want.

Case in point, Instapaperjustadded support for in-line video in an updatethis month.

One of my favorite features in Pocket comes from something as innocuous as pasting a URL.

Its a little thing, but its a time saver Ive used a bunch.

Instapaper doesnt have a solution nearly as eleganteven worse, it doesnt have a solution at all.

You cant paste a URL into the Instapaper mobile app at all, which is a bizarre exclusion.

It didnt work very reliably for me for some reason though.

To Instapapers credit, its best feature is the highlight and note function.

For students and other researchers, this alone is Instapapers killer feature.

Finally, one of the biggest key differences is in how you organize articles.

Depending on how you prefer to organize your stuff, this can be a dealbreaker.

Price

Both Instapaper and Pocket are free.

However, both have optional subscription models that toss in premium features.

Theyre not required by any means, and most users can likely get by without spending a dime.

Instapapers best for people who just want to read text articles they find on the web.

Really, thats it.

When it comes to design and usability, the rest is about preference.

Where one person definitely needs notes in their read it later app, another might not at all.

Pick the one that suits your reading needs and stick with it.