Comparison

Instapaper vs Feedly

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Instapaper

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
Read full description

Instapaper is the simplest way to save and store articles for reading: offline, on-the-go, anytime, anywhere, perfectly formatted. Instapaper for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch provides a mobile-optimized text view that makes reading Internet content a clean and uncluttered experience. Instapaper also enhances the standard reading experience with features like text-to-speech. Instapaper has been inducted into the iPhone and iPad Hall of Fame, received Macworld Editor's Choice Award, and has also been featured in publications including Wired, TIME, Daring Fireball, and The Verge, among others. Core Features: - Strip away all clutter and save the content of web pages into iOS-optimized formatting. - Read anywhere! No internet, no problem: access your articles on airplanes, subways, elevators, or Wi-Fi-only devices away from Internet connections. - Save to Instapaper from other iOS applications with one tap. Additional Features: - Control every aspect of your reading experience with a variety of font, color themes, and spacing options. - Find that great quote you want to remember and share? Instapaper makes it easy to highlight and add notes to text in any article. - Have your Instapaper articles narrated to you with text-to-speech. Just turn up the volume on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and relax! - Sort your list of articles by popularity, date, and article length. - Folders for easy organization. Instapaper also offers an optional Instapaper Premium subscription for $5.99/month or $59.99/year. With Instapaper Premium you receive: - Full-text search for articles in your account - Unlimited highlights and notes. - Text-to-speech Playlist to seamlessly listen to multiple articles. - Unlimited use of the speed reading feature to help you get through articles up to 3x faster. On sign up for Instapaper Premium, payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your App Store account settings after purchase. Terms of service: https://www.instapaper.com/terms Privacy policy: https://www.instapaper.com/privacy

About

Feedly

Organize and follow your favorite online sources, from news and blogs to podcasts and YouTube channels. Track keywords and integrate with other tools for seamless sharing. Ideal for individuals and teams seeking to stay informed without information overload.

Highlights
  • Organize favorite sources
  • Follow news, blogs, podcasts, YouTube
  • Track keywords and trends
  • Search within feeds
  • Integrate with sharing tools
  • Team intelligence gathering
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

STAY AHEAD WITHOUT THE OVERWHELM Feedly helps you keep up with the topics and trends that matter—without information overload. You will need a Feedly account to use this application. You can sign up within the application, or log in with an existing account. FOR INDIVIDUALS: A SMARTER WAY TO FOLLOW THE WEB With Feedly, you can organize all your favorite sources in one place, including: • Newspapers & trade publications • Expert blogs & research journals • YouTube channels & podcasts • Reddit feeds & Google News alerts Feedly Pro unlocks even more: • Track keywords, brands, & companies to stay ahead of trends • Search within your feeds to find articles instantly • Integrate with tools like LinkedIn, Buffer, Zapier, & IFTTT for seamless sharing FOR TEAMS: COLLECT, ANALYZE, AND SHARE INSIGHTS Feedly Threat Intelligence and Market Intelligence help teams collect, analyze, and share valuable insights. (Note that while the app works for established Market and Threat Intelligence accounts, you cannot sign up for a Market or Threat Intelligence trial or account from the app—you must go to feedly.com) • Organize & curate intelligence from 40M+ sources across 2,000 topics • Track industry trends & competitor moves in real time • Be the first to know about cyber threats relevant to your organization • Share insights with your team via automated newsletters & integrations DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY & SPEED • Privacy by default—you own and control your data • Fast, clean reading experience across phones and tablets Join 15M+ professionals & thousands of organizations using Feedly to stay informed and make smarter decisions. Download Feedly today and take control of your information flow! Happy reading! Learn more: • Terms of use: https://feedly.com/i/legal/terms • Privacy by default: https://feedly.com/i/legal/privacy • We are hello@feedly.com if you need support or want to report a bug

Screenshots

Instapaper4 screens
Feedly4 screens

Verdict

The call

Instapaper and Feedly both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 64% of Instapaper's written reviews are positive against 41% of Feedly's. Instapaper also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). Feedly's advantage is ratings volume (26K vs 3.5K) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Instapaper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Feedly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Instapaper against 4.6 for Feedly. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Feedly has 26K ratings behind it against 3.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Instapaper's written reviews are positive against 41% of Feedly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, Feedly every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Instapaper versus Feedly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstapaperFeedly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.5K ratings)4.6 (26K ratings)
Positive reviews64.1% of reviews — better41.1% of reviews
Number of ratings3.5K26K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#122#120 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB52 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperInstant Paper, Inc.Feedly Inc.

Customer experience

Instapaper

All ratings3,537 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews1,364 reviews
Positive64.1%
Neutral9.1%
Negative26.8%

Feedly

All ratings25,986 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.5%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews835 reviews
Positive41.1%
Neutral12.3%
Negative46.6%

User reviews

Instapaper

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Feedly

From 26K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Straightforward and effective
  • 🚀 Great news-reading experience
  • 🚀 Flexible and customizable
  • 🚀 Useful features like saving articles
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Unreliable feed updates
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance across devices
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues
  • 🤔 Confusing UI changes in recent updates

Bugs and requests

Instapaper

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Feedly

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App gets stuck on loading screen
  • Inability to log in or sign up
  • Articles randomly marked as read
  • Inconsistent behavior when swiping/scrolling
  • Sync issues across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve offline reading capabilities
  • Restore landscape mode support
  • Provide better sorting/filtering of feeds
  • Enhance notification system with push alerts

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Instapaper

Subscriptions2
  • Instapaper Premium$5.991 Month
  • Instapaper Premium$59.991 Year
2 purchases

Feedly

Subscriptions2
  • Feedly Pro Monthly1 Month trial2 variants$7.991 Month
  • Feedly Pro+ Monthly1 Month trial$15.991 Month

Questions

Is Instapaper free?
Instapaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Feedly free?
Feedly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Instapaper or Feedly?
Instapaper and Feedly are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3.5K and 26K ratings respectively.
Do Instapaper or Feedly have ads?
Neither Instapaper nor Feedly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Instapaper or Feedly?
Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, and Feedly every 5 weeks. Most recently, Instapaper was updated on September 25, 2026 and Feedly on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Instapaper or Feedly?
Instapaper currently peaks at #122 in the App Store charts, and Feedly at #120. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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