Why Instapaper and Similar Apps Became Favorites
Apps such as Instapaper, Readwise, and Raindrop have delivered a simple promise: clear away ads, videos, and intrusive pop-ups from websites so you see only the essential text and images. Instapaper, in particular, has been popular, reportedly hitting over 500,000 downloads. For years, it was the default way to reclaim online articles—until Chrome’s Reading Mode, which came pre-installed, began drawing users away.
Chrome Reading Mode: Fast, Easy, and Built In
Some websites loaded slowly in Instapaper, especially those bogged down by heavy JavaScript. This led some people to give up and look for quicker alternatives. Chrome’s Reading Mode on Android offers instant access: you can switch between browser tabs and toggle simplified view without leaving Chrome. If the simplified view doesn’t display a page well, you can turn it off with one tap and continue browsing.
Customization in Chrome’s Reading Mode is also straightforward. Making text larger is simple—a relief when you’re reading from a distance or lounging back. You can easily change the font style and background color without distorting the page layout. While Instapaper offers added features, such as text justification and column width adjustment, these are not commonly used by most readers day to day.
Reading Offline: A Little More Setup in Chrome
If you want to read articles offline in Chrome, you need a bit of advance planning. It’s necessary to add an article to your Reading List while still connected to the internet. Once added, you can open and read it later with Reading Mode enabled. Chrome also allows you to download the full page for offline viewing, but this removes many of the simplified layout benefits that Reading Mode provides.
Choosing What Works for You
Deciding between Chrome’s Reading Mode and a dedicated app like Instapaper depends on your reading habits. For most users wishing to quickly read the occasional article and not keep a meticulously cataloged archive, Chrome’s built-in option is more than enough—it also saves you from switching between different apps. On the other hand, if you’re often offline and want your saved articles to sync automatically, Instapaper still offers advantages worth considering.
If your focus is on digital books instead of web articles, dedicated e-reader apps—or e-readers themselves—are still better suited, thanks to enhanced visual comfort features. And for those who always want new material, the Libby app makes it possible to borrow ebooks for free from participating libraries.
