Instapaper's Upcoming Change
Instapaper users may soon need to pay extra to keep sending saved articles directly to their Kindle devices. The company has announced that its Send to Kindle feature will become exclusive to the service’s Premium subscription starting February 19.
Reason Behind the Change
According to Instapaper, the move is tied to the ongoing costs of maintaining Kindle delivery. Generating Kindle digests is resource intensive, involving parsing articles, downloading images, and creating an ePub file.
Impact on Users
For some readers, Send to Kindle is a core part of the Instapaper experience. The feature has long provided a way to move saved reads onto a Kindle without manual downloads or workarounds. While Instapaper does offer a paid tier with additional perks, Send to Kindle has historically been available to free users.
Effect on Other Devices
The update applies specifically to Kindle delivery. Kobo integration relies on Instapaper’s API and does not carry the same resource demands, meaning it will remain free.
Instapaper Premium
Instapaper Premium currently costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. The subscription includes additional features like full-text search, unlimited notes, and a permanent archive, plus a handful of additional tools.