My favorite free read-later apps is going away this month
Short post, but I had to pour one out for the seemingly rare free-free apps out there.
As a long-time user of Readwise, I started using Omnivore when I forgot to renew my Readwise subscription. I thought it would be temporary, because how could a free app beat one you pay for, but I was oh so wrong.
Omnivore quickly became a favorite for a few reasons:
- It was free and that's really hard to beat
- It synced with note-taking apps like Obsidian and Notion
- It gave me a free email address I would use to subscribe to newsletters
- It was available online and on my phone and tablet, so I could read things anywhere
It helped clean up a lot of the busy work I gave myself with Readwise and just let me read things.
On the hunt for the next one
The folks at Omnivore are shifting their focus to a new app, ElevenReader but it's not the said. The ElevenReader app is more focused on using AI to narrate written content as opposed to giving you a place to triage and read distraction free.
Wallabag is a free and open-source option many have shared in the wake of the Omnivore news, but to be frank, it doesn't look as nice.
Readwise is the obvious option but after enjoying Omnivore for so long, I feel weird going back to Readwise and paying $120/year knowing there was something out there that was just as good for free.
Raindrop.io is an app I used mostly for aggregating my links but it also has reader functionality, so this may be my first option to check out.
David Piece, author of Installer at the Verge, is looking for input from folks on alternatives. I imagine this will feature in his newsletter next week. I, for one, am eagerly anticipating what folks are planning on moving to.