# Instapaper vs Flipster

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Instapaper at 64% against Flipster's 16%. Instapaper also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Flipster's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, chart position 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. Flipster asks for nothing beyond the download.

Instapaper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instapaper has 3.5K ratings behind it against 211, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Instapaper's written reviews are positive against 16% of Flipster's.

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, Flipster every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Instapaper | Flipster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208/reviews)** | [2.2 (211 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flipster-digital-magazines/id797106282/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 211 |
| Positive reviews | **64.1% of reviews** | 15.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#120** | #183 |
| Size | 49 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Instant Paper, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284942716) | [EBSCO Publishing](https://appshunter.io/developer/433269590) |

## What reviewers say

### Instapaper

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

**Currently charting:** #120 Top Grossing · News, #185 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


### Flipster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flipster-digital-magazines/id797106282)

**Currently charting:** #183 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Access a wide selection of digital magazines for free through your local library. Explore, download, and read titles offline on your Apple device, with features like offline reading and article navigation.

**Highlights:** Locate participating libraries, Browse and download magazines, Read magazines offline, Digital table of contents, Article text view, Jump to articles and websites, Track reading progress

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Solid and functional
- 👍 Simplicity and minimalism
- 👍 Reading magazines with relative ease

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent 'service unavailable' errors
- 🐛 Inability to change text size
- 🐛 Crashing and not working on certain devices
- 🐛 Outdated magazine selection
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and credential errors
- Frequent crashes and service unavailability
- Incompatibility with newer OS versions
- Inability to exit full-screen mode
- Outdated magazine content

**Requested features**

- Ability to bookmark specific publishers or categories
- Adjustable font sizes and text view options
- Notifications for expiring magazines
- Dark mode support
- Improved navigation and magazine management


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Instapaper free?

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

### Is Flipster free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Instapaper or Flipster?

Instapaper is rated higher. Instapaper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Flipster averages 2.2 from 211 ratings.

### Do Instapaper or Flipster have ads?

Neither Instapaper nor Flipster shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Instapaper or Flipster?

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, and Flipster every 3 months. Most recently, Instapaper was updated on September 25, 2026 and Flipster on September 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Instapaper or Flipster?

Instapaper currently peaks at #120 in the App Store charts, and Flipster at #183. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*