After Pocket
Pocket is gone. What replaces it depends on why you used it
Mozilla put Pocket into export-only mode on 8 July 2025 and deleted saved data on 8 October; the apps left the stores that May. Every «Pocket alternative» list answers the same question — where to put the queue. This page answers a narrower one: what to do if the articles you hoarded were in a language you are still learning.
Download Readlang Mobile for iOSFree to start. iPhone and iPad.
The short answer
Go to Instapaper, Raindrop or Readwise Reader if you want the queue back: saving from any browser, syncing across devices, tags and an archive. That is not what this app is, and pretending otherwise would waste your evening.
Try Readlang Mobile for the other half — the articles and books that stayed unread because reading them meant a dictionary in the other hand.
Side by side
| Readlang Mobile | ||
|---|---|---|
| Status | Shut down. Export-only from 8 July 2025, data deleted 8 October 2025 | Active, iPhone and iPad |
| What it was for | Saving anything from the web to read later, on any device | Reading in a language you are learning |
| Translation | None | Tap a word or phrase — translation appears inline |
| Queue and tags | Yes, with sync and archive | No queue, no tags |
| Where text comes from | Any page, via extension or share sheet | 117 graded public-domain books, your own EPUB, or a pasted link |
| Vocabulary | None | Words you tap are saved, with review exercises |
| Offline | Yes | Downloaded books, and on-device translation |
| Your old data | Gone unless you exported before October 2025 | Nothing to import — this is not a queue |
| Free tier | Was free with paid Premium | 30 translations a day |
| Paid | Premium refunds were issued at shutdown | $6.99 a month or $47.99 a year |
Shutdown dates are Mozilla's own: apps pulled 22 May 2025, export-only 8 July, data deleted 8 October. Premium subscribers were refunded.
Two different things were sitting in your Pocket
One was the queue: interesting things you had no time for. That is a real need, and several apps do it well — Instapaper, Raindrop, Readwise Reader, Wallabag if you want to host it yourself. Pick one, import your export file if you still have it, and you are done.
The other was the pile that never moved. For a lot of people learning a language, that pile is specifically the foreign-language articles: saved with good intentions, opened once, closed on the second paragraph. A queue app will not fix that, because time was never the problem.
What we do not replace
Be clear about it: there is no browser extension, no cross-device sync, no tags, no archive to search, and no Android app. If you are rebuilding the Pocket workflow, you need one of the apps above, not this one.
If your export file is still around
Pocket exported an HTML file of links. There is no importer here, but the links still work: paste one into the app and read it with tap-to-translate. The foreign-language ones are the only reason to bother.
What Pocket did better
What Pocket did that this app does not even attempt:
- The queue. Save from anywhere, read anywhere, archive when done. That was the whole product and it was good at it.
- Every platform. Web, iOS, Android, extensions. We are iPhone and iPad only.
- Tags and search. Years of saved pages, organised and findable. We keep books and words.
- One click from any page. The extension took whatever you were looking at. We ask for a link.
- Discovery. Pocket recommended things to read. We have a library, not a feed.
If you are looking for the thing Pocket was, take Instapaper or Readwise Reader. This page is only about the language part.
Why the foreign-language pile is different
An article in your own language stays unread because of time, and a queue app buys you that time. An article in a language you are learning stays unread because reading it costs ten times more effort — every unknown word is a decision: guess, skip, or leave the page. Taking the dictionary out of the loop is what changes the odds, and no read-it-later app does that.
Questions people ask
When exactly did Pocket shut down?
Mozilla removed the apps from the stores on 22 May 2025, switched Pocket to export-only on 8 July 2025, and deleted all saved data on 8 October 2025. Premium subscribers were refunded.
Can I still get my Pocket data back?
No. The export window closed in October 2025 and the data was deleted. If you exported the HTML file at the time, the links in it still work.
Is Readlang Mobile a Pocket replacement?
Not for the queue. There is no extension, no sync, no tags and no archive. It replaces one specific part: reading things that are not in your language.
What should I use instead of Pocket for saving articles?
Instapaper if you want the closest match, Raindrop for bookmarks with tags, Readwise Reader if you also highlight, Wallabag if you would rather host it yourself.
Does it work with links I saved from Pocket?
Yes, one at a time — paste the URL and read it with translation on tap. There is no bulk import.
Is there an Android version?
Not yet. iPhone and iPad only.
The pile that never moved was never about time
Rebuild the queue wherever you like. For the part that was in another language, try one article with the dictionary built in.
Download Readlang Mobile for iOSFree to start. iPhone and iPad.
Other comparisons
- Readlang Mobile vs Readlang — a web reader with a Chrome extension
- Readlang Mobile vs LingQ — the import-anything power tool
- Readlang Mobile vs Beelinguapp — parallel text with recorded narration
- Readlang Mobile vs Language Reactor — dual subtitles on Netflix and YouTube
- Readlang Mobile vs Lingopie — learning from licensed TV shows
- Readlang Mobile vs Instapaper — read-it-later vs reading in another language
- Readlang Mobile vs Kindle — reading a foreign-language book without the dictionary detour