Instapaper vs Ground News
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Instapaper is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.0. Instapaper wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Ground News on 0, with 1 tied.
Readers who want a simple, private place to save articles for later
News readers who want to see past any one outlet's framing
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Instapaper | Ground News |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reading & News | Reading & News |
| Category rank | #4 of 7 | #7 of 7 |
| Developer | Instant Paper, Inc. | Snapwise Inc. |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Instapaper better than Ground News?
Instapaper is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.0. Instapaper wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Ground News on 0, with 1 tied.
Which is cheaper, Instapaper or Ground News?
Instapaper: Free with unlimited saving; Premium is $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Ground News: Free tier; in the iOS app, Pro starts at $0.99 a month and Vantage is $9.99. On value for money, Instapaper scores higher.
Do Instapaper and Ground News work on the same devices?
Only Instapaper runs on Mac.
Which is more private, Instapaper or Ground News?
Instapaper scores higher on privacy (8.6/10). App Store label: no tracking. Only your email and user ID are linked to you; usage and crash data are collected without your identity. Google Play says no data is shared.
Strengths and weaknesses
Instapaper
- Unlimited saving on the free plan
- Very little data linked to you
- Works with Kobo e-readers and Kindle
- Search and permanent archive need Premium
- Free plan limits notes to five a month
- iPhone app now requires iOS 26
Instapaper does the classic read-later job well. Save an article from your browser or share sheet, and it waits for you as clean text you can highlight, annotate, tag or have read aloud. Unlimited saving is free, and it syncs with Kobo e-readers and sends to Kindle. With Pocket gone, it's the simple pick. Premium unlocks full-text search and a permanent archive of everything you save.
Full Instapaper review
Ground News
- Shows how each side covers the same story
- Blindspot feed catches stories you'd miss
- Free tier covers the basics
- Bias ratings are per outlet, not per article
- Factuality and ownership data need a paid plan
- Doesn't get you past publishers' paywalls
Ground News groups coverage of the same story from more than 50,000 sources and shows you who's covering it: how much comes from the left, center and right, how factual each outlet is rated, and who owns it. The Blindspot feed surfaces stories one side barely covers. It's a useful check on your own bubble. Ratings are per outlet, not per article, and the best data needs a subscription.
Full Ground News review
