Pocket users, what’s your plan B? Let’s talk alternatives
Pocket is shutting down - by now, we all know that. I wasn’t a regular user myself, but I did test the app about a year ago.
From what I’m seeing in the comments, long-time users are understandably panicking. 😅 There are plenty of alternatives out there, but it seems like people are struggling to find something they can easily switch to.
So I’m curious - how did you use Pocket?
And have you found a replacement that actually works for you?
I wrote an article about a collaborative alternative @Collabwriting - it's a tool we're building to make saving and organizing information easier (and more useful).
With Collabwriting, you can still save pages to read later, but you can also highlight specific parts of the text, add comments, and go back to the exact sentence that caught your attention.
What makes it different? You’re not just saving for yourself - you can collaborate with others, share what you found, and build on each other's insights.
You can check out the full article here, but I’d really love to hear your take. ⬇️
Replies
FlowLayout
I used to love that app. but they stopped developing it. It should of had AI smarts by now. I really dont get how great products like this just ends. Same with Google Reader. So strange. Same with Atom.io
@sentry_co Sometimes, I wonder if they were not built to last. Just thinking out loud.
FlowLayout
@bobby1418744 I think so. I also think its how these things are structured. Pocket is half OSS. But ive observed how orgs like Mozilla sometimes approach projects (the make entire project histories opensource sometimes). its very flat. there is no leader sort of. No one to champion product position. And as such I feel a lot of the time, it becomes committee decision fatigue.
Collabwriting
@sentry_co switching cost is super low, and monetization is hard, so there's no huge willingness to pay.
You end up competing with free alternatives that are free only because they are new and capturing the market, then they sunset. That's the biggest problem in this space.
So we're niching out to people who are making money using our tool - Founders, Marketers, Consultants, Lawyers. People who are aware of the value of unique insight, and knowing how to leverage it, especially now in the time of AI.
When we manage to dominate the B2B segment and build a proper business out of it, we'll be the first app to stay here for good. But it's f**king hard.
FlowLayout
@ralic I agree. Monetizing it is sort of hard. But in the age of AI it should be much easier. just add premium AI features to it. and give the rest of it away for free. I do think its sticky, switching cost is high IMO. all my articles are stuck in pocket. and im not gonna transition them out. too much work. What made pocket great was that it was available on so many platforms. safari ipad iphone extensions etc etc. It just worked everywhere. Alternatives are always rug pulling left and right. So no for me. Unless someone makes a product position with a proper differentiator.
Your Browser Is
I'm switching to Raindrop.io.
Still waiting for my data exported from Pocket. On one page they say it takes up to 24 hours, on the other one that up to 7 days...
Collabwriting
@konradcaban Yeah, the export process can be a bit unpredictable- some people get their data within a day, others wait longer. Hopefully, yours comes through soon! 😄
I mostly used Pocket as a read it later queue. Haven't found anything that feels as smooth. Might try Collabwriting next.
Collabwriting
@addau__rabiu If Pocket was your “read it later,” Collabwriting could be your “read it smarter” 😄Let me know if you want any tips to get started
I never used Pocket to its full potential. Collabwriting actually sounds more aligned with how I want to use saved content.
Collabwriting
@lesile_hensley That’s exactly what we’re aiming for! Collabwriting is built for people who don’t just want to save content, but actually use it - whether it’s adding context, organizing by topic, or sharing insights with others.
Happy to help if you want to give it a go 😄
hi i am here i think so how these things are structured.