Pocket was a read-it-later app: save an article, open a clean reader, finish later. Raindrop.io is a bookmark manager — stronger on collections, tags, and visual organization, lighter on the pure reading flow Pocket perfected. Both helped people save the web; they solve overlapping but not identical jobs.
Pocket is no longer available. This table compares what Pocket offered with Raindrop.io today and where PauseRead fits.
| Feature | Pocket (shut down) | Raindrop.io | PauseRead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Mozilla-hosted (service ended July 2025) | Hosted by Raindrop.io | Hosted — no server setup |
| Pocket import | N/A — Pocket is shut down | No native Pocket import; manual re-save or third-party migration from an export file | One-click import from a saved Pocket HTML export |
| Reader view | Yes — article-first reader | Reader-friendly previews; organized as bookmarks/collections rather than a dedicated read-later queue | Yes — article-first clean reader |
| Sync | Web, mobile apps, extensions (discontinued) | Web, iOS, Android, browser extensions — unlimited devices on free plan | Web inbox; Chrome extension planned |
| Export | HTML export during the 2025 window only (now closed) | Export available; Pro adds scheduled automatic backups | JSON or Markdown export anytime |
| Price | Was free with optional Premium (~$45/year); service ended | Free with unlimited bookmarks; Pro about $3/mo or ~$28+/year for search, archive, and AI tools | Free tier (100 saves); Pro ~$4–5/mo for unlimited saves and full-text search |
Raindrop.io is a strong choice if you treat saved links as a personal library — unlimited bookmarks and collections on the free plan, browser extensions and mobile apps, highlights on any tier. Pro (about $3/mo or roughly $28+/year on raindrop.io; exact price varies by billing and region) adds full-text search, a permanent web archive, AI-assisted organization, annotations, and automatic backups. It is less single-purpose than Pocket was, but many former Pocket users like the extra structure.
PauseRead is narrower on purpose: save articles, read in a clean view, import a Pocket export, export everything out. Pick Raindrop if you save mixed content (links, PDFs, images) and want collections at scale. Pick PauseRead if you want a read-later inbox with Pocket import and no bookmark-manager learning curve.
Omnivore and other read-later projects have shut down or stalled since Pocket closed — hosted options with clear export matter more than ever.
Import your saved Pocket HTML into PauseRead, or start a fresh reading list — hosted, with full export when you need it.
For many people, yes — especially if you saved articles alongside other links. Raindrop organizes everything in collections with tags and highlights. If you only cared about Pocket's distraction-free reader and inbox queue, a dedicated read-later app (Instapaper or PauseRead) may feel closer.
Pocket was built around reading: open the item, strip the clutter, read. Raindrop excels at finding and organizing saved pages; reading is supported but not the sole focus. Raindrop Pro's web archive also preserves copies if originals disappear.
Raindrop does not offer one-click Pocket HTML import like PauseRead. With a Pocket export file from before November 2025, you may need to parse links yourself or use a migration tool, then save or import into Raindrop.
Choose PauseRead for a simple read-later inbox, Pocket HTML import, and guaranteed export. Choose Raindrop if you want a visual bookmark library, collections for many content types, and optional Pro features like full-text search across all saved pages.