Marqly saves links and articles with browser extensions across Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, and its stand-out feature is AI summaries and playback-synced transcripts for YouTube videos. The free plan stops at 50 bookmarks, after which Pro runs about $48 a year through Marqly's own site. The reasons people go looking elsewhere are usually the free-tier cap, wanting their saves to live somewhere other than a subscription cloud service, or wanting more than links, articles and video summaries.
The right alternative depends on whether you want the same AI-summary trick, a dedicated reading experience, or a broader home for everything you save. Below is a quick side-by-side, then a short, honest profile of each option. We make one of them, Muse, and for people on a Mac who want to save more than links and own their library outright, we think it is the best fit, with its trade-offs called out as plainly as everyone else's.
Marqly alternatives at a glance
Seven tools, side by side| Tool | Platforms | What it saves | Where it lives | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marqly | Web, iOS, desktop, browser extensions | Links, articles, video | Cloud | Free up to 50; Pro ~$48/yr |
| Muse | Mac only (Apple Silicon) | Images, video, links, files, notes | Local files on your Mac | $29 once |
| Raindrop | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | Links, images, files | Cloud | Free; Pro ~$28/yr |
| GoodLinks | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Articles and links | Local + your iCloud | ~$9.99 once |
| Readwise Reader | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, e-ink | Articles, PDFs, video, email newsletters | Cloud | $119.88/yr, no free tier |
| Instapaper | Web, iOS, Android, browser extensions | Articles and links | Cloud | Free (capped); Premium $59.99/yr |
| Matter | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Web | Articles, newsletters, video, podcasts | Cloud | Premium ~$60 to $80/yr |
Pricing in USD, current as of August 2026. Verify on each vendor's own site before buying, as plans change.
The alternatives, one by one
Honest profilesMuse Our pick for Mac
$29 once · 30-day trialBest for: Mac users who want to save more than links and articles, and own their library as real files instead of paying a yearly bill.
Muse is a native Apple Silicon app that holds images, video, links, PDFs and notes as real files on your Mac, with no account and no cloud. Where Marqly's AI reads a YouTube transcript, Muse's on-device AI reads the text inside your images and screenshots, so you can search a saved thumbnail or a screenshot of an article by the words in it, entirely on your machine. It imports browser bookmarks and CSV files directly. Where it is honestly weaker than Marqly: it does not summarise or transcribe video, it is Mac-only with no phone or web app, and there is no permanent free tier, just a 30-day trial before the one-time $29.
Strengths
- Real files you own, no account or cloud, works offline
- Holds images, video, files and notes, not just links
- On-device AI, including search inside images
- One $29 payment instead of a yearly bill
Trade-offs
- No video summaries or transcripts
- Mac only, with no phone or web app
- No permanent free tier, only a 30-day trial
Raindrop
Free; Pro ~$28/yrBest for: People who want the same everywhere-and-cloud shape as Marqly but with a far more generous free tier.
Raindrop is a cross-platform bookmark manager for links, articles, images and files, with a free tier that keeps unlimited bookmarks, well past Marqly's 50-link cap. Pro adds full-text search and permanent copies of saved pages. It does not have Marqly's YouTube AI summaries, but it runs on more platforms and is cheaper at the paid tier too. See the full Raindrop alternatives roundup for more.
Strengths
- Generous free tier, unlimited bookmarks
- Works on every platform
- Cheaper Pro plan than Marqly
Trade-offs
- No YouTube video summaries
- Cloud-based, desktop app is Electron
- Files are a capped add-on
GoodLinks
~$9.99 onceBest for: Apple users who mainly want a clean read-later app for articles, paid once.
GoodLinks is a focused read-later app for Mac, iPhone and iPad. It saves articles and links, strips the clutter for a clean reader, and keeps highlights, notes, tags and your reading position, with full-content search and offline reading. It stores data locally and syncs through your own iCloud, for a one-time purchase of about $9.99. It has no video or YouTube summary feature, so it suits people whose Marqly use was mostly articles rather than video.
Strengths
- One-time price, syncs via your own iCloud
- Excellent, distraction-free reading experience
- Highlights, notes and offline article text
Trade-offs
- Articles and links only, no video summaries
- Apple only, no web or Android
- Light on organising beyond tags
Readwise Reader
$119.88/yr, no free tierBest for: Serious readers who want one place for articles, PDFs, newsletters and video, with a strong AI reading assistant.
Readwise Reader is a well-regarded reading app that pulls in articles, PDFs, email newsletters, tweets and video into one feed, with an AI assistant called Ghostreader for questions, definitions and summaries. It runs on nearly every platform, including e-ink devices. There is no free tier, only a 30-day trial, and at just under $120 a year it is the most expensive option here, well above Marqly's Pro price.
Strengths
- Pulls together articles, PDFs, newsletters and video
- Strong AI reading assistant, e-ink support
- Deep highlighting and note-taking
Trade-offs
- No free tier, only a 30-day trial
- The priciest option here
- Reading-focused, not a general save-anything tool
Instapaper
Free (capped); Premium $59.99/yrBest for: People who want a simple, established read-later app with a genuine free option.
Instapaper is one of the original read-later apps, saving articles and links for distraction-free reading with sync across web, iOS and Android. Its free tier still works, capped at five notes a month, and Premium adds full-text search, a permanent archive, a PDF reader, unlimited notes and text-to-speech. It has no YouTube summary feature, so it is a straight swap for the reading side of Marqly rather than the video side.
Strengths
- Long track record, simple and reliable
- Real free tier, cheaper Premium than most here
- Text-to-speech and a permanent archive on Premium
Trade-offs
- No YouTube video summaries
- Free tier caps notes at five a month
- Articles and links only
Matter
~$60 to $80/yrBest for: People who specifically want AI transcription and text-to-speech for podcasts and video, not just articles.
Matter is a reading and listening app for articles, newsletters, video and podcasts, with AI features including transcription with time-synced text for video and podcasts, plus high-quality text-to-speech. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web, though not Android. It is the closest match to Marqly's video-AI angle among dedicated reading apps, priced similarly to Readwise Reader and above Marqly's own Pro plan.
Strengths
- AI transcription for video and podcasts, not just articles
- High-quality text-to-speech
- Clean reading and listening experience
Trade-offs
- No Android app
- Pricier than Marqly's own Pro plan
- Reading and listening focused, not a general library
Which one should you pick?
The short answerOn a Mac and want to save more than links, own your library and pay once? Muse is the best all-round fit. Want the same cloud, everywhere shape as Marqly but a bigger free tier? Raindrop. Mostly reading articles on Apple devices? GoodLinks for a one-time price, or Instapaper if you want a free tier. Want the deepest AI reading assistant and do not mind the price? Readwise Reader. Care most about AI transcripts for video and podcasts specifically? Matter is the closest match to what Marqly does for YouTube.
Common questions
Six answersWhat is the best free alternative to Marqly?
What happened to Omnivore, and is it a Marqly alternative?
Is there a Marqly alternative that also summarises YouTube videos?
Is there a one-time-purchase alternative to Marqly?
Does any Marqly alternative keep my links and articles local instead of in the cloud?
Can I move my Marqly bookmarks to another app?
A Mac library for more than links
Muse keeps your images, links, video and notes as real files on your Mac, with on-device AI and no subscription. Try the whole app free for 30 days.
Free for 30 days, then $29 once. macOS 14 or later.