Google Bookmarks shut down in 2021, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options. I’ve tried different Google Bookmark alternatives and found a new favorite you will also love.
Raindrop gets all the basics right. It includes an importation feature that makes switching from other bookmarking apps easy and has browser extensions for major browsers. It also makes organization a breeze through a tagging system and a Collections feature.
However, the most impressive feature of saving bookmarks in Raindrop is that you can do more than organize them using tags and collections. You can optionally add a note, favorite the bookmark, and even add a reminder.
Retrieval is also easy, thanks to the built-in search feature, although you need to upgrade to get full-text search capabilities. Additionally, Raindrop includes permanent copies, detection of broken and duplicate links, annotations, highlights, and more, but some of these features are behind a paywall.
Download: Raindrop for Android | iOS | Chrome | Safari | Firefox (Free, in-app purchases)
Instapaper is another bookmark app I tried to find the perfect alternative to Google Bookmarks. It uses a tagging system and has folders for organizing your bookmarks. Besides saving bookmarks, Instapaper also supports highlighting.
The interface is simple enough, so if you prefer simplicity, it doesn’t get any better than this. Additionally, it has an import feature that allows you to import your bookmarks from various apps.
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Instapaper also has search functionality, although, like other options I tried, you’ll need to pay to access full-text search. Additionally, there are more features, like permanent archives, although you’ll need to pay to use them.
Download: Instapaper for Android | iOS | Chrome | Safari | Firefox (Free, in-app purchases)
Matter has several features that make it a worthy alternative. In the browser, you can organize content while saving by adding or selecting one of your saved tags. Matter also allows you to add a note or favorite bookmarks.
The app’s web interface has a Home tab, where you can discover interesting content to bookmark around the web, just like on Pocket. However, discovery isn’t as robust as Pocket’s. The key advantage over all the other alternatives I tried was the robust sorting and filtering capabilities.
Matter also supports highlighting and search, offering extra features like Kindle integration, but you’ll have to upgrade. The key bummer is that there’s no Android app.
Download: Matter for iOS | Chrome | Safari | Firefox (Free, in-app purchases)
As one of the best read-it-later apps, PaperSpan is another bookmarking app that caters to all your needs in one place. When saving, PaperSpan lets you choose which folder to save the content to. It provides a Read Later folder by default, but you can also create your own for better categorization.
If you’re coming from another bookmarking app, PaperSpan includes an import feature, although, as of this writing, only Pocket and Instapaper are supported. And unlike previous options, there’s no tagging system here, and the interface isn’t modern. However, it has extensions and booklets for select browsers and standalone apps for Android and iOS.
Download: Instapaper for Android | iOS | Firefox (Free, in-app purchases)
Pocket is one of the best Google Bookmark alternatives on the market. It’s packed with features, making it one of the best bookmark managers and my new favorite. First, it offers browser extensions or a booklet for saving bookmarks.
You can tag anything for easier organization and retrieval when you save anything. And if tagging isn’t your thing, Pocket also offers a special Collections feature that works like folders for grouping related bookmarks. Additionally, you can sort saved bookmarks according to when they were saved. There’s also highlighting support, which is a nice touch when saving lengthy articles. And if you need even more organization, Pocket has filters for that.
Another awesome feature that has me hooked is the app’s curated content. This feature makes it easier to discover new and interesting articles that you wouldn’t otherwise stumble across on the web. Pocket includes other features behind a paywall, like permanent bookmarks, unlimited highlights, full-text search, and more.
Download: Pocket for Android | iOS | Chrome | Safari (Free, in-app purchases)
I only tried five options, but there are many bookmarking apps on the market. Pocket stands out for me because it makes it easy to save, organize, and retrieve bookmarks, plus it lets me discover interesting content around the web in one place. I would rank Raindrop a close second since the lack of content discovery is a deal-breaker.