Nearly two decades after its creation, the Pocket application is set to bow out. Mozilla, its owner, is calling it a day by announcing that its service will no longer be accessible as of May 8, 2025. This is a blow to many users who had transformed Pocket into a veritable personal digital library, a refuge from the incessant flow of information. But why is Mozilla, champion of the open internet and defender of the user, deciding to pull the plug on a popular tool, acquired in 2017?
The official reason cites a change in "the way people use the web". The foundation explains that it now prefers to focus its precious resources "on projects better adapted" to users' browsing habits, as well as "their online needs." It's worth noting that Fakespot, another service acquired more recently to flush out fake reviews, is suffering the same fate. This outlines a clear refocusing strategy, perhaps dictated by economic imperatives and the desire not to disperse its forces.
Concretely, what does this change for users?
No need to panic for users who can continue to use the application until July 8. However, you will have to act quickly since Pocket will switch to export mode only after this date. If you have treasures accumulated in your Pocket, you have until October 8, 2025 to export all your data: articles, favorites, and even your highlights and notes. After this deadline, everything will disappear into digital limbo. Mozilla promises clear instructions for this export, but a word of advice: don't wait until the last minute.
For Premium subscribers, monthly payments will automatically stop after July 8, and annual subscriptions will be refunded pro rata. A small consolation for fans of the "Pocket Hits" newsletter: it will survive under the name "Ten Tabs," managed by the Firefox team.
And now, what alternative should we turn to?
Nature abhors a vacuum, and the disappearance of Pocket opens a boulevard for its competitors. Several names keep coming up, starting with Instapaper, Raindrop.io, and Wallabag. The former is a long-standing rival with a freemium model and a paid version, while the latter defines itself as a more comprehensive solution than a simple "delayed reading" service. As for Wallabag, it is an open-source alternative that may appeal to those who want to keep control of their data. Other, more general-purpose tools like Evernote or Notion's "web clippers" allow you to save pages, but their primary purpose isn't optimized reading.
However, none of these alternatives offer exactly the same experience as Pocket. The end of the service is a reminder that nothing lasts forever in the digital world, even the most popular tools.
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