Software · head to head
Instapaper vs Pear Deck

Pear Deck
Software
Interactive presentations that engage every student
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Instapaper full text search across saved articles is Premium only, at $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year; Pear Deck the Teacher Dashboard, draggable and drawing responses and Reflect and Review require Teacher Premium at $149 per year
- They diverge on capability: Instapaper covers Save for later, Pear Deck covers Interactive slides.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Instapaper and Pear Deck actually diverge.
| Attribute | Instapaper | Pear Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX) | Web, Chrome Extension |
| Founded | 2008 | 2014 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Instapaper
- Save for later
- Clean reading
- Highlighting
- Full-text search
- Chrome support
- Firefox support
- Edge support
- Safari support
Only in Pear Deck
- Interactive slides
- Real-time responses
- Formative assessment
- Student-paced mode
- Dashboard
- Audio responses
- Drawing
- Vocabulary
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Instapaper
- Saving articles to read later with the clutter stripped outnot Pear Deck
- Building a searchable personal archive of things worth keepingnot Pear Deck
Pear Deck
- Turning slide decks into interactive lessons with student responsesnot Instapaper
- Running formative checks for understanding during classnot Instapaper
- Student paced review activities and assessmentsnot Instapaper
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Instapaper
- Full text search across saved articles is Premium only, at $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year
- Free accounts are limited to 5 notes a month, against unlimited on Premium
- Text to speech, speed reading and the permanent archive are all Premium only
- The free web experience carries advertising
Pear Deck
- The Teacher Dashboard, draggable and drawing responses and Reflect and Review require Teacher Premium at $149 per year
- Pear Assessment Premium is a separate $125 per year purchase from Pear Deck Premium
- Standards aligned content, district library and efficacy reports are only in the Schools and Districts plan
- SIS and LMS integration is only in the Schools and Districts plan
- School and district pricing is by quote with no published rate
Pricing, plan by plan
Instapaper
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Instapaper review.
Pear Deck
Free- FreeFree
- 5 question types
- Real-time responses
- Student-paced mode
- Premium$149.99/month
- All question types
- Audio responses
- Flashcard factory
- School/District$undefined/month
- All Premium
- Admin dashboard
- Rostering
Which should you pick?
Choose Instapaper if
- You need save for later.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX).
- You also want clean reading.
Choose Pear Deck if
- You need interactive slides.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Chrome Extension.
- You also want real-time responses.
Questions people ask
- Is Instapaper or Pear Deck better?
- Neither clearly leads. Instapaper starts at Free and Pear Deck at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Instapaper or Pear Deck?
- Instapaper starts at Free and Pear Deck at Free.
- Does Instapaper or Pear Deck run on more platforms?
- Instapaper runs on Web, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX). Pear Deck runs on Web, Chrome Extension.
- Can I use Instapaper for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Instapaper best used for?
- Instapaper is most often used for saving articles to read later with the clutter stripped out, building a searchable personal archive of things worth keeping. Of those, saving articles to read later with the clutter stripped out and building a searchable personal archive of things worth keeping are not what Pear Deck is typically brought in for.
- What can Instapaper do that Pear Deck cannot?
- Instapaper covers Save for later, Clean reading, Highlighting, Full-text search. Pear Deck covers Interactive slides, Real-time responses, Formative assessment, Student-paced mode.
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- Pear Deck vs ClassDojo
- Pear Deck vs Cornerstone Learning
- Pear Deck vs Coursera
- Pear Deck vs Google Classroom
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