Instapaper vs Notion

2024. Notion acquires privacy-focused productivity platform Skiff



Notion has acquired Skiff, a platform established in 2020 by Andrew Milich and Jason Ginsberg, which specializes in providing end-to-end encrypted file storage, document management, calendar functionalities, and email services. Skiff initially garnered $14.2 million in funding and positioned itself as a secure alternative to Google Docs, expanding its offerings to include productivity solutions like calendars and emails. Skiff announced its integration with Notion on its website, along with the decision to discontinue its services after a transition period of six months. The company assured users that their Skiff accounts would not be automatically converted into Notion accounts but emphasized the ease of exporting or migrating data to other platforms.


2024. Notion launches a stand-alone calendar app



Notion, a widely used platform for note-taking and project management, has introduced a dedicated calendar service, drawing from its acquisition of the well-designed Cron calendar app in 2022. Positioned as a free next-generation iteration of Cron, Notion Calendar incorporates a built-in scheduling tool reminiscent of Calendly and offers optional deep integration with Notion. Accessible on Mac, Windows, iOS, and the web (with an Android app in development), the calendar seamlessly merges work and personal calendars, providing users with a unified view for effective day management. Although Notion has previously featured a calendar view within workspaces, it now integrates with external calendars, starting with Google Calendar. Emphasizing its standalone nature, users can opt for Notion Calendar as a standalone smart calendaring service, but for Notion users integrating it into their workflow, there's the added benefit of attaching Notion docs to calendar events, fostering better preparation and alignment within teams.


2021. Notion acquires India’s Automate.io in push to accelerate product expansion



Workplace productivity startup Notion has recently acquired Automate.io, an Indian startup renowned for developing connectivity and integrations with more than 200 services. This acquisition serves as a strategic move for Notion to expedite its product expansion and enhance its appeal to the growing number of individuals and businesses transitioning to digital collaborative tools. With the addition of Automate.io, Notion gains valuable insights into the 200 integrations the Indian startup has built. This knowledge will enable Notion to empower users and enterprises by incorporating their workflows seamlessly into the Notion platform.


2020. Online workspace startup Notion raises $50M



Online workspace startup Notion has secured $50 million in fresh funding, valuing the company at $2 billion. Established in 2016, Notion offers a comprehensive workspace solution encompassing note-taking, task management, wikis, and databases. Its unique proposition lies in consolidating various work applications into a single platform, making it ideal for efficient task and project management. Notably, amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, Notion's remote work support played a significant role in attracting investors. The company experienced a surge in new customer sign-ups, setting new records, as remote working became the norm due to the pandemic. The exponential growth of remote work in 2020, spurred by COVID-19, has significantly bolstered the user base of remote work tool providers across different industries.


2016. Instapaper premium goes free for all users



The Premium version of the news reading app Instapaper is now available for free to all users. Following its acquisition by Pinterest in August, Instapaper continues to operate as a separate entity and receives updates from the dedicated Instapaper team at Pinterest. With the backing of a larger organization and its abundant resources, Instapaper can now focus more on user acquisition and engagement without the immediate need for monetization. Instapaper was one of the pioneers of the "save it for later" concept, enabling users to hold onto long-form content instead of simply skipping over it and missing out. It gained significant popularity as an early iPhone application and consistently ranked highly in the App Store's news category. However, the competition in this space, particularly from companies like Pocket, has been increasing, posing challenges for Instapaper's growth.


2016. Pinterest buys news-reading app Instapaper



Pinterest has recently made an acquisition by acquiring the original read later service, Instapaper. While both Instapaper and Pinterest function as bookmarking services, Instapaper primarily focuses on text-based content, whereas Pinterest is renowned for its emphasis on images. As of now, the official stance is that there will be no immediate changes following the acquisition. Pinterest's interest in acquiring Instapaper lies in its technology, particularly its impressive text parser, and the talented individuals responsible for developing that technology. However, it seems highly unlikely that Pinterest is primarily interested in retaining the Instapaper service itself. While Pinterest has committed to keeping Instapaper operational, there is a notable distinction between sustaining the service and actively enhancing it.


2015. Instapaper launches Notes in its mobile news-reader



News reading and sharing app Instapaper has introduced a new feature called Notes, which enables users to annotate specific text in articles or other content. By default, Notes are kept private, ensuring that no one else can view your comments. However, users have the option to share their annotations using Twitter's textshot feature. Additionally, sharing is possible through various third-party iOS applications like Facebook, Evernote, and Tumblr, as well as through a new IFTTT trigger. Instapaper has also included a "Share All Notes" button for those who wish to share all their annotations by default.


2015. News reading app Instapaper adds speed reading option



The mobile news reader, Instapaper, has introduced an app update that introduces several noteworthy features to enhance the user experience. With Instapaper 6.2, users now have access to a feature called Speed Reader, which presents a single word at a time, enabling a more focused and efficient reading experience. Additionally, the update brings faster article saving from mobile devices and Instant Sync, a faster and more reliable method of transferring articles to the Instapaper app on iOS. Instapaper recently underwent a complete redesign, launching version 6.0 as a freemium model for the first time. While Speed Reader will be available for free ten times per month, it will subsequently be included in the premium tier of the service.