Comparison
Tuck vs Instapaper: an honest comparison
Instapaper is the original read-later app: battle-tested, beloved, but quiet for years. Tuck is what Instapaper would look like if it shipped a release every two weeks.
Where Tuck wins
- Active development: monthly releases vs Instapaper averaging one a year
- AI summaries built in (not a separate $9/mo Readwise subscription)
- Newsletter inbox at you@in.thetuck.app (Instapaper never shipped this)
- Four highlight colors with optional notes vs Instapaper's single yellow
- Active migration support from every other major app (Instapaper CSV, Readwise JSON, Matter, Raindrop, Wallabag); Instapaper does none of that
Where Instapaper wins
- Brand trust: Instapaper has been around since 2008 and keeps your reading even when ownership changes
- Built-in Send to Kindle: Tuck currently exports to .epub on the web app, Instapaper sends directly
- Lighter resource use on older devices: Instapaper's reader is famously efficient
Feature comparison
Tuck vs Instapaper, side by side
| Feature | Tuck | Instapaper |
|---|---|---|
| Native iOS app | ✅ | ✅ |
| Native Android app | ✅ | ✅ |
| Web app | ✅ | ✅ |
| Offline reading | ✅ | ✅ |
| Highlights ⚠️ Instapaper: single yellow only. Tuck: 4 colors + per-highlight notes. | ✅ | ⚠️ |
| AI summaries | ✅ | ❌ |
| Text-to-speech | ✅ | ✅ |
| Newsletter inbox | ✅ | ❌ |
| Browser extension | ✅ | ✅ |
| Imports from other apps ⚠️ Tuck imports Readwise, Matter, Raindrop, Wallabag, Omnivore. Instapaper has no migration tooling. | ✅ | ❌ |
| Send to Kindle ⚠️ Instapaper sends directly. Tuck exports .epub from the web app. | ⚠️ | ✅ |
| Export anytime (open formats) | ✅ | ✅ |
Pricing
Tuck
Free forever (unlimited articles, 2 devices) · Pro €4.99/mo · Family €7.99/mo
Instapaper
Free (limited highlights, no full-text search) · Premium $5.99/mo or $59.99/yr
Platforms
Tuck
- iOS
- Android
- Web
- Browser extension
Instapaper
- iOS
- Android
- Web
- Kindle integration
- Kobo (built-in)
Switch from Instapaper
Import in 30 seconds. Tags, archive, highlights, all preserved.
Honest section
When Instapaper is the better choice.
We’d rather you pick the right tool than the Tuck tool. Here are situations where Instapaper genuinely fits better.
You read on a Kobo or send everything to Kindle
Kobo's eReaders ship with Instapaper integration baked into the OS. Tuck supports Kobo via Pocket-style URL save but the experience is one extra step. Same for Kindle: Instapaper's native Send to Kindle is one tap.
You actively dislike change
Instapaper has barely changed in five years. Some readers find that a feature, not a bug. Tuck ships releases every couple of weeks, so if you'd rather your reading app stay still, Instapaper does that better than we ever will.
From people who switched
Why they moved off Instapaper.
“I'd been on Instapaper since 2010. Switched in March, never looked back. The newsletter inbox was the killer feature I didn't know I needed.”
Marco L.
Writer
“Instapaper had stopped feeling like it was being maintained. Tuck ships features faster than I can keep up.”
Sara M.
Engineering Manager
Common questions
About switching from Instapaper.
Ready to actually finish what you save?
Free to start. Unlimited articles, two devices, export anytime. Pro is €4.99/mo when you want offline, AI summaries, and unlimited devices.
Already on the homepage? Back to thetuck.app · Migrate from Instapaper