Instapaper vs Stashly — which one should you use in 2026?
Instapaper has been around for 17 years and does one thing beautifully — save articles to read later. But in 2026, most people save more than just articles. If YouTube videos, Instagram posts, Reddit threads, and Spotify links are part of what you want to save, Instapaper simply cannot help you.
What Instapaper does well
Instapaper has earned its reputation over 17 years. For one specific use case, it is still best-in-class.
Distraction-free reading
Instapaper strips out ads, navigation, and clutter from any web page, presenting just the text in a clean, customisable reader. The typography and reading experience is genuinely excellent.
Kindle export
Send saved articles directly to your Kindle. For people who prefer reading long-form content on an e-ink screen, this remains one of Instapaper's most-loved features.
Text-to-speech
Premium subscribers can listen to any saved article using Instapaper's built-in audio player — useful for commuting or exercise.
Offline reading
Articles are downloaded to your device so you can read them with no internet connection — on planes, underground, or anywhere without signal.
Where Instapaper falls short in 2026
Instapaper was designed for a web made of articles. The 2026 web is Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Substack, and Spotify. For anything beyond a text article, Instapaper offers nothing.
Articles only — videos and social posts are unsupported
You cannot save a YouTube video, TikTok, Instagram post, Reddit thread, or Spotify episode into Instapaper in any meaningful way. It can technically save the URL, but it has no way to display or organise non-article content. If half of what you want to save is video or social media, Instapaper covers half your needs.
Price doubled with no major new features
In 2024, Instapaper raised its Premium price from $2.99 to $5.99/month — the first price rise in nine years, but with no significant new features to justify it. Users who stuck with Instapaper through years of slower development found themselves paying double overnight.
Full-text search is paywalled
Searching the content of your saved articles — not just titles — requires Premium at $5.99/month. The free tier has no full-text search, making it very hard to find something you saved months ago unless you remember the exact title.
5 notes per month on the free plan
The free tier limits you to 5 notes or highlights per month. For any serious reader using Instapaper as a research tool, this cap is hit within days and becomes a constant source of frustration.
No reminders, no action tracking
Instapaper assumes you will read saved articles eventually. But people save things for all kinds of reasons — a job listing to apply for, a sale that ends Friday, a recipe to try this weekend. There is no way to set a reminder or mark something as done.
No collection sharing
You cannot create a curated list of links and share it with a friend, team, or audience. Instapaper is purely private — useful for personal reading, not for collaboration or content curation.
Save everything — not just articles
Free on iPhone and Android. Import from Instapaper in minutes.
Instapaper vs Stashly — feature comparison
An honest, feature-by-feature breakdown.
Instapaper is text-article only
Instapaper needs browser extension
Instapaper has folders only
Instapaper: Premium only ($5.99/mo)
Instapaper's core strength
Instapaper Premium only
Instapaper free: 5 notes/month cap
Instapaper or Stashly — which one is right for you?
Stick with Instapaper if…
- You primarily save long-form articles to read later
- You export to Kindle regularly
- You want a clean, distraction-free reading experience
- You listen to articles via text-to-speech
- You need offline reading on flights
Switch to Stashly if…
- You save YouTube videos, Instagram posts, or TikToks
- You want core features without paying $5.99/month
- You need to find saved links fast with search
- You want reminders on time-sensitive saves
- You share collections with friends or followers
- You save from Reddit, Spotify, GitHub, or social apps
How to migrate from Instapaper to Stashly
Your entire Instapaper library moves across in four steps.
Export your Instapaper library
In Instapaper, go to Settings → Export. Download your library as a CSV file. It contains all your saved articles, titles, URLs, and folder names.
Download Stashly
Install Stashly on your iPhone or Android. Create your free account in under a minute.
Import your Instapaper export
In Stashly, go to Settings → Import → Choose file. Select your Instapaper CSV. All your saved links and titles import automatically.
Save your next link from any app
Open YouTube, Instagram, Reddit — anywhere you browse. Tap Share → Stashly. Two taps and it's in your library alongside your imported Instapaper articles.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stashly free compared to Instapaper?
Yes. Stashly is completely free to download on iOS and Android with no paywalled core features. Instapaper's free tier has a 5-notes monthly cap and no full-text search, pushing most power users to the Premium plan at $5.99/month — which doubled in price in 2024 with no major new features added.
Can Stashly save YouTube videos and Instagram posts like Instapaper cannot?
Yes. Instapaper is designed exclusively for saving and reading text articles — it cannot save YouTube videos, Instagram posts, TikTok links, Reddit threads, or Spotify episodes in a meaningful way. Stashly saves any link from any app using the native iOS and Android share sheet, including all social platforms.
Can I import my Instapaper saves into Stashly?
Yes. Export your Instapaper library from Settings → Export as a CSV file. Then import it into Stashly via Settings → Import. All your saved articles, titles, and folder names transfer across.
Does Stashly have a reading mode like Instapaper?
Stashly saves the title, description, thumbnail, and original URL of every link. The full distraction-free reading mode that strips ads and reformats articles is Instapaper's speciality. If clean article reading is your primary need, Instapaper still does that better. But if you save a wide variety of content — videos, social posts, recipes, job listings, articles — Stashly covers all of it.
Does Stashly work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. Stashly has native apps on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). Your library syncs automatically across both platforms.
Can I set reminders on saved links in Stashly?
Yes. Any saved link can have a reminder attached to it. Instapaper has no reminder feature — it assumes you will read things whenever you open the app. Stashly nudges you at exactly the right moment for time-sensitive saves.
Save everything, not just articles
Free on iPhone and Android. Import your Instapaper library in minutes.
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