For the past couple of weeks I’ve been going back and forth, trying to decide where I’ll save (and hopefully read later) the incredible amount of links that show up daily.

three iOS screenshots side by side, with GoodLinks, Reader, and Omnivore showing a list of saved links

TL;DR I’m back where I started.

For as long as I remember I’ve been using GoodLinks for that. And Raindrop to save some of those (and others), mostly links that are meant to be kept as reference, not necessarily reading material.

The system works. But I, as one does, felt the urge to shake things up. The app that started all this was Readwise Reader, and then Omnivore joined the party.

My perfect setup would be a good looking app, with a feature set that fits me, on both iOS and macOS. Affordable as well. I don’t need much, truth be told: tags, highlights, ability to use my fonts…

How do they stack up?

macOS

  • GoodLinks has all that, minus highlighting. I cannot update it on macOS anymore, but it works.
  • Readwise cannot be installed on my old laptop. It has an incredibly cool web view though.
  • Omnivore cannot be installed on my old laptop. It has a very barebones web view. For now.

iOS

  • Readwise has a very nice iOS app.
  • Omnivore, on the other hand, as it’s still in beta, has a… well… beta app.
  • GoodLinks has a solid iOS app, with a nifty custom actions feature.

Cost

  • GoodLinks has no subscription, I already paid for it.
  • Readwise is expensive (relative, of course).
  • Omnivore is free.

What else?

  • Found out GoodLinks is adding highlights in the near future.

  • GoodLinks also seems the one the scrapes the articles better, rarely missing photos. It does have a tendency to include a lot of unnecessary stuff, sadly.

  • Omnivore misses photos often. I keep reporting this.

  • I have no use for most of Readwise Reader’s features, and there’s a ton of those. It’s the most complete app of the three. By a very long distance.

  • Good links also seems to be the only one that saves a link from the iOS share sheet, and doesn’t require an extra tap to make the dialog go away. After a few saved links, I find this extremely welcome.

If I had to, Raindrop could be used on its own, for everything. It has a free tier with most of the features I need, and a decently priced Pro tier. It’s not perfect as a reading app though.

So, for now, I’m exactly where all this began. Feel like GoodLinks was the app I used for a reason and, even though I’d love to use Readwise, I can’t justify the cost, especially when I have a solution that is free by now, since it was paid in the past, and I will never be able to use it fully. At least until I get a new laptop.

I’m still keeping an eye on Omnivore, as new features are being released as I write this. It’s in, as I’ve said, beta stage, and I expect it to change a lot before it’s done.

At the moment I’m saving Readwise Reader’s money for something else. I’m sure I’ll have no trouble spending it.