We live in an age of information overload. All day long, from every direction, we're being bombarded with text to digest, whether it's a study your boss suggests you read, an article recommended by a friend, or a dozen tweets you need to catch up on. You couldn't possibly read everything you want to each day, there's just not enough time. Or could you?
Thankfully, there are a variety of apps out there to keep track of your reading list and make it more manageable. You could use, for example, an app with both a bookmarking function and a recommended feed, such as Pocket. Or, if you find yourself behind the wheel each day, an app such as Speaky could help you make the most of your commute.
There are a lot of great articles online, and a limited amount of time in the day. But with read-later apps, staying on top of those bookmarked articles can be enjoyable rather than overwhelming. Click through to see the best aggregation apps you can download right now — without paying a single cent.
If you're tired of keeping a million tabs open in your mobile Safari browser to go back to later, Pocket is a tried-and-true solution. You can add a Pocket extension to Safari to copy links from your browser to the app, which makes keeping track of must-read articles a lot easier.
Pocket also recommends writers to follow based on your news interests. So not only can you bookmark the stories you already want to read, but you can find new things you'll love reading, too. You can also connect your Gmail contacts as well as your Facebook and Twitter accounts to the app to see what links your friends are sharing. This "recommended" feed is separate from the list of articles you've saved, so the app gives you the best of both worlds.
Photo: Pocket.
If you love listening to podcasts on your daily commute, you'll appreciate Speaky. The app dictates articles to you, which is great if you've got a piece you want to read, but can't look down at your phone. Speaky's "inbox" function conveniently shows how long it will take to listen to each article before you start it, so you can choose a piece you actually have time to finish. The best part, though, is that the app picks up URLs you've copied and automatically asks if you want to extract them and add them to your reading list.
Photo: Speaky.
Feedly is more of a no-frills reader, if all you want to do is find and read your favorite articles. You can follow news sources and save articles to read later at the touch of a bookmark button. And when you've scrolled through the websites you've followed, you can mark articles as "read" so you'll remember the ones you've already seen.
Photo: Feedly.
Flipboard connects to your Twitter or Facebook account to find friends, news outlets, and topics you can follow. The app then creates a curated "flipboard" that looks like a magazine, but it's filled with articles you're interested in. The Daily Edition section of Clipboard gives you a handful of must-read news and general interest pieces for the day, so you're up to date on current events. And you can also use the app to create a custom "read later" list of stories from your custom board.
Photo: Flipboard.
Longform connects to your Twitter account to help you follow publishers and writers whose articles you want to read. You can bookmark stories to read later through the app, and you can search for certain topics to make sure you're always informed. The app also has a "popular" tab so that you can see what everyone else is reading, and a curated list of staff picks if you're looking for new inspiration.
Photo: Longform.
Instapaper allows you to bookmark stories to read later through a browser extension. You can also create folders to organize the articles you've saved. So if you're bookmarking, say, a primer on the election, you can group it into a different folder than a nail art tutorial. Instapaper's layout is wonderfully bare, which eliminates distractions when you're trying to read.
The app's "browse" section also helps you find new stories based on your Twitter and Facebook account activity. The browse section also curates stories into two sections: "daily" stories, which usually include news and short reads, and "feature" stories, which may be longer or more in-depth.
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