I have been looking for a "convenient" read-later app for a long time. I have used well-known products like Instapaper, Pocket, and Raindrop.io, and I have also tried deploying my own wallabag. They all have their own features, but there are also some aspects that I am not very satisfied with. Recently, I came across a newly released native app for the Apple platform called MarkMark, which caught my attention. Although it is still in the early stages of development and may have some small bugs, it doesn't stop me from recommending this excellent app to Apple users.
Let's talk about my requirements#
I believe MarkMark is an excellent app that is based on my needs. Before this, I mainly used Instapaper and my self-deployed wallabag, but they both have some aspects that I am not very satisfied with. For example, Instapaper can no longer fetch images from WeChat official account articles, and free users do not have the option to save articles offline. Although self-deployed wallabag overcomes these two issues, the speed is relatively slow due to my own server configuration. Additionally, the page design of wallabag is too "old-fashioned," and the operation of organizing text is very inconvenient. The iOS app is also very poor, resulting in a bad user experience. It can be used, but it is not user-friendly.
To summarize my requirements:
- Ability to save articles offline, especially WeChat official account articles. (Instapaper ❌, Wallabag ✅)
- Smooth and excellent client experience. (Instapaper ✅, Wallabag ❌)
- Easy to organize and save collected articles. (Instapaper ✅, Wallabag ❌)
- Low cost. (Instapaper ❌, Wallabag ✅)
Introduction to MarkMark#
MarkMark is an app that was released just a month ago and is still in the stage of rapid updates and iterations. Its functionality is very simple, which is to help users collect and organize articles, websites, and various web pages. However, what sets it apart is that MarkMark is a native app designed specifically for Apple users. It can leverage iCloud for synchronization and backup and provides iPhone, iPad, and Mac applications. Currently, all platform clients are free.
Download link
Features#
1. Native app experience#
As described in the app software introduction, this is an app specifically designed for Apple users. MarkMark supports various Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It can synchronize and backup collected articles through iCloud, so Apple users don't need to worry about privacy and security issues. In addition, even the UI interface of MarkMark is consistent with the native app style. Although it may not be fancy, it is simple and beautiful enough, making it very easy for Apple users to get started. MarkMark supports organizing and categorizing articles using tags and folders, with simple and intuitive operations. Compared to the "retro" design of Wallabag, the user experience is excellent.
2. Support for offline articles#
Since there are often situations where collected articles cannot be read due to the original link becoming invalid, whether a read-later app supports offline articles is something I care about. MarkMark provides offline functionality. In the collected articles, simply click on the download-style icon at the top to complete the offline process. Even if you are offline or the original link is invalid, you can still read the articles in the app. Additionally, you can also export offline articles to local storage in the .webarchive file format. Right-click on the file and open it with Safari to read. (Since the .webarchive file format is not very common and not convenient, I contacted the author via email, and he told me that he is considering saving websites in PDF format, which may be updated in future versions.)
3. Support for annotating article content#
For websites and articles that can be viewed in reading mode, you can annotate and make notes on the content of the articles. This is a very useful feature for those who like to read and take notes at the same time. In addition, it is very convenient to review the annotated notes in the app.
Expectations for future updates#
As a read-later app exclusively for the Apple platform that was recently released, MarkMark already has a good basic experience, but I still have more expectations for it. Here are some areas that I personally think need improvement or updates:
- Hope to provide an Android and Windows version (although the author has explicitly stated that there are no plans for this).
- Hope to provide a switch to choose whether to default to offline collection of articles.
- Provide more formats for saving offline articles.
- Ability to export notes.
Apart from being limited to the Apple ecosystem, MarkMark seems to meet all my expectations for a read-later app. The interface is clean and simple, the operation is intuitive, it supports offline articles, runs smoothly, and is currently free to use. If you are also an Apple user and have a need for this type of software, you may want to download and try MarkMark. Perhaps you will like this app just like me.
Instapaper or Pocket? Try this new app - MarkMark Originally published on Jack's Space