# Instapaper vs Longform Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Instapaper at 4.6 against Longform Reader's 3.8. Instapaper also leads on ratings volume (3.5K vs 4) and chart position (#94 vs unranked). Longform Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Instapaper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Longform Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Instapaper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instapaper has 3.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Instapaper's written reviews are positive against 67% of Longform Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

## The numbers

| Metric | Instapaper | Longform Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208/reviews)** | [3.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/longform-reader/id1524522355/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 64.1% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#94** | — |
| Size | 49 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Instant Paper, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284942716) | [Stand Up Apps, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/344006549) |

## What reviewers say

### Instapaper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208)

**Currently charting:** #94 Top Grossing · News, #179 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Save articles from the web for later reading, with a clean, clutter-free experience. Access your saved content offline, anywhere, anytime. Features include text-to-speech narration and customizable reading options.

**Highlights:** Save web articles for offline reading, Clutter-free reading experience, Text-to-speech narration, Customizable fonts and themes, Highlighting and note-taking, Article organization with folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instapaper Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| Instapaper Premium | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient reading experience
- 👍 Clean, minimalist design
- 💡 Useful features like highlighting and notes
- 🚀 Seamless integration with various platforms
- 👍 Reliable and stable app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and GDPR compliance
- 💰 Subscription price increase
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🚫 Inability to delete account

**Reported bugs**

- Speak feature freezes on most articles
- Pagination issues causing text to be cut off
- Folders and archives disappearing
- Inability to save articles from certain websites
- Subscription not unlocking premium features

**Requested features**

- Add support for tables and charts
- Improve text-to-speech quality
- Implement a 'go back to beginning of article' feature
- Add support for EPUB files
- Introduce a 'random article' feature


### Longform Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/longform-reader/id1524522355)

Access curated long-form articles from top publications. Enjoy a clean reading experience with features like dark mode and automatic reader view for linked content.

**Highlights:** Access Longform.org articles, Fast load times, Dark Mode support, Automatic Reader View, Curated from top publications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Instapaper free?

Instapaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Longform Reader free?

Longform Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Instapaper or Longform Reader?

Instapaper is rated higher. Instapaper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Longform Reader averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Instapaper or Longform Reader have ads?

Neither Instapaper nor Longform Reader shows ads.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*