What Happened to Pocket? Why Mozilla Shut It Down — and What to Use Now
Updated 2026-05-31 · 4 min read
Mozilla shut down Pocket on July 8, 2025. The apps and extensions stopped working, and users had until October 8, 2025 to export their saved articles before that data was permanently deleted. If you still have your export file, you can move everything into another read-later app in a few minutes — you don’t have to lose your library.
Pocket shutdown timeline
- May 22, 2025
Mozilla announced the shutdown and pulled Pocket from the app stores.
- July 8, 2025
Pocket's apps, website, and extensions stopped working; the service went export-only.
- Oct 8, 2025
Final deadline to export your data; Premium billing ended.
- After Oct 8, 2025
Mozilla permanently deleted remaining Pocket account data.
Why did Mozilla shut down Pocket?
Mozilla said it was refocusing on its core Firefox products and noted that the way people save and discover content on the web had changed since it acquired Pocket in 2017. Pocket had a loyal base, but it never became central to Mozilla’s strategy, and maintaining a standalone read-it-later service across web, iOS, and Android is expensive. Rather than keep it on life support, Mozilla wound it down and gave users a window to export. The short version: it wasn’t about Pocket’s quality — it was a business-focus decision.
Can I still get my Pocket data back?
Only if you exported it before October 8, 2025. getpocket.com is offline and Mozilla has deleted server-side data, so there is no way to recover saved articles from Pocket now. If you did export, you have a file named something like ril_export.html — that file is your library, and many read-later apps can import it.
Didn’t export in time? Your old list is unfortunately gone. The practical move is to start fresh in a tool that lets you own and export your data, so a future shutdown can’t strand you again.
What should I use instead of Pocket?
There is no single “Pocket successor,” but a few apps cover what it did — honestly compared:
| App | Works on | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| LinkMemo ours | Save once, read on any device | |
| Raindrop.io | Polished, visual bookmark organizing | |
| Instapaper | Clean, distraction-free reading (now free) | |
| GoodLinks | Apple users who want a one-time purchase |
If your saves were spread across an iPhone and an Android tablet or a work laptop, cross-platform sync is the first thing to check — it’s where these apps differ most.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pocket coming back?
No. Mozilla permanently shut down Pocket and deleted its data, and there is no indication it will return.
Can I still export my Pocket data?
No. The export deadline was October 8, 2025. If you did not export before then, the saved data is gone.
What is a good free alternative to Pocket?
For a cross-platform option, LinkMemo works the same across web, Chrome, iPhone, and Android on one account and has a free tier. Raindrop and Instapaper also offer free tiers.
How do I avoid losing my saved links again?
Choose an app that lets you export your data at any time. Portability is the real protection against a future shutdown, so check for it before you commit.
A read-later app that works on every device
Save links on your laptop, read them on your phone — synced in one place across web, Chrome, iPhone, and Android.
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