The internet is full of interesting things to read, watch, or listen to, but you only have so much time. Everybody needs a good bookmark manager to save links for later. While all browsers come with their own solution, these bookmarking apps are bringing something different to the table.
Currently, the three best bookmark managers around are PinBoard, Pocket, and Diigo. But even with these, you'll find a growing "check it out later" list that you never get around to. The point is to find a bookmark manager that actually gets you through your list, or allows you to find important links by being organized and quick.
1. Bookmarker (Chrome): Browse Bookmarks in Preview Pane
Sometimes when you're browsing the internet and need to look up a bookmark, you still want to stay on the same tab. That's not possible in current scenarios, but Bookmarker is a nifty Chrome extension that gives you a neat preview pane for bookmarks.
Click the icon in the extensions toolbar to scroll through your saved bookmarks using the mouse or keyboard shortcuts. When you click any bookmark, it opens in a preview pane, which you can also move around and resize. It's quite convenient and a great way to quickly look up some saved information without leaving your current tab.
Bookmarker can also import and export bookmarks in bulk, in case you have saved all your bookmarks in a different app. The extension also lets you select multiple links and delete them together.
Download: Bookmark for Chrome (Free)
2. WebCrate (Web, Chrome, Firefox): Keep Bookmarks Private and Organized
If you're worried about your data leaks or your bookmarks being used by companies to profile you and serve ads, WebCrate is what you need. The app runs on Deta Space, a private personal cloud that sandboxes any apps you install in your online space, and keeps data in your control.
WebCrate focuses on organizing your bookmarks collection by creating different folders, called crates. It's a simple drag-and-drop procedure, wth your crates in a sidebar on the left, and you put any link into them. The app also has a good search engine that can look up words through a bookmark's title, URL, icon, or description.
It's recommended to install the WebCrate browser extension, as this lets you import all current bookmarks in your browser, apart from giving you shortcuts to save any link. There's also a useful bookmarklet, which you can also use on your phone's browser to save links.
While WebCrate is focused on privacy and data security, it does provide a way to share bookmark folders. You can share a link to any one of your folders with a fellow WebCrate user, who can then "subscribe" to this folder. Any updates you make to your folder will be reflected in that person's "External Crates" section.
Download: WebCrate for Chrome | Firefox (Free)
3. WebCull (Web, Chrome, Firefox, Opera): Cross-Platform Bookmarks With Stacked Folders
WebCull aims to be a better version of the bookmarks manager that comes with the browser, without breaking that format we have all gotten accustomed to. And you know, it delivers.
The extension is a better-looking version of bookmarks and is also mobile-friendly. If you start your WebCull page on a phone or tablet, you'll find an interface that's easy to tap to get to the link you want to visit. That's mainly because of WebCull's folder and sub-folder structure, which helps you organize bookmarks into neat stacks.
Helpfully, at the final link, you'll see options to open it in a new tab, current tab, or fullscreen. You can also add tags to the saved link, as well as write notes. These are helpful in searching for links instead of relying on your stacked folders.
You can import your existing bookmarks (and maintain their folder structure) or start afresh. WebCull also lets you create shareable URLs for folders, and you can also password-protect these shared folders.
Download: WebCull for Chrome | Firefox | Opera (Free)
4. Grepmark (Windows, macOS, Linux): Slack for Bookmarks, With Chat
Out of all the new bookmarking apps, Grepmark does something completely different and unique. It's sort of like someone looked at a chat app like Slack or Telegram and wondered how to use that to make a place where you share bookmarks with friends.
In Grepmark, you have "channels" to act as different chatrooms, each with its own agenda. In the room, you can't type a chat message, you can only copy-paste a link. This way, the channel isn't muddled up with messages, but only serves as a board of links.
However, click a link's message and you'll open a pane where participants can comment about that link. This is where friends get to note their thoughts on the link, or you can add why you shared the link in the first place. Users can also move links shared in one channel to another channel if it's in the wrong place.
That's the main way to use Grepmark, but there are a few other cool features. Through the left sidebar, you can see all recent comments, or all bookmarks shared across channels. You can also search through all messages to find a link.
Download: Grepmark for Windows | macOS | Linux DEB | Linux RPM (Free)
5. ForLater.Email (Web): Save Any Bookmark as a Readable Article in Your Inbox
If you only bookmark links to read articles later, you probably know about the best read-it-later apps like Pocket or Instapaper, which even clean up the article layout for better readability. But those can be unnecessary if you don't save so many links that you need to use these regularly. Plus, again, these are third-party apps with access to your data and reading habits.
Forlater.Email is a useful, no-signup service that lets you save links as clutter-free, readable emails. It's really simple to use. Copy a link, compose a new email and paste it in there, and send the message to "save@forlater.email". In a minute, you'll get a new email with the link in HTML and plain text both, to read whenever you want.
The process of saving links actually works great even on phones, which is where a lot of bookmarking apps struggle. Forlater.Email also has Chrome and Firefox extensions, to make the whole process faster when you're browsing on desktops. The creator recommends making email filters to automatically sort all your saved articles under a ForLater label.
Hack to Cull Your "Read It Later" List
There is no right answer to which of these is the best bookmark manager. Everyone has different needs. Some value data privacy and security, others want a way to share bookmarks with friends, and some just want a better version of what you get with your browser. It's all about finding the right bookmark manager for you.
However, whichever app you choose, you can still try to get through your "read it later" list by adding a simple rule. Make folders for "Read Later" or "Watch Later", and save links normally. But if you haven't checked it out one month after you saved it, delete the link. It probably was an impulsive bookmark that you never really wanted to read later, but felt like you might miss out if you didn't.