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Browser Extensions · head to head

Instapaper vs Violentmonkey

Instapaper logo

Instapaper

Browser Extensions

Save anything for reading later

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Violentmonkey logo

Violentmonkey

Browser Extensions

Open source userscript manager

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Violentmonkey smaller script ecosystem compared to Tampermonkey which has larger user base and more available scripts
  • They diverge on capability: Instapaper covers Save for later, Violentmonkey covers Userscript support.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Instapaper and Violentmonkey actually diverge.

Attributes where Instapaper and Violentmonkey differ
AttributeInstapaperViolentmonkey
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX)Chrome, Firefox, Edge
Founded20082013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Browser Extensions).

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
  • Safari support

Only in Violentmonkey

  • Userscript support
  • Clean interface
  • Cloud sync
  • Script editor
  • Opera support

Both cover

  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support

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 Violentmonkey
  • Building a searchable personal archive of things worth keepingnot Violentmonkey

Violentmonkey

  • Run open-source userscripts to customize or automate web pagesnot Instapaper
  • Import scripts compatible with Greasemonkey and Tampermonkey formatsnot Instapaper
  • Sync scripts and settings across browsers via Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or WebDAVnot Instapaper
  • Batch import/export scripts as zip filesnot 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

Violentmonkey

  • Smaller script ecosystem compared to Tampermonkey which has larger user base and more available scripts
  • Less marketing and visibility results in lower adoption compared to more widely-known alternatives
  • Community maintenance model means slower feature development compared to commercial alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Instapaper

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Instapaper review.

Violentmonkey

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Violentmonkey review.

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.
Instapaper review

Choose Violentmonkey if

  • You need userscript support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge.
  • You also want clean interface.
Violentmonkey review

Questions people ask

Is Instapaper or Violentmonkey better?
Neither clearly leads. Instapaper starts at Free and Violentmonkey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Instapaper or Violentmonkey?
Instapaper starts at Free and Violentmonkey at Free.
Does Instapaper or Violentmonkey run on more platforms?
Instapaper runs on Web, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX). Violentmonkey runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge.
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 Violentmonkey is typically brought in for.
What can Instapaper do that Violentmonkey cannot?
Instapaper covers Save for later, Clean reading, Highlighting, Full-text search. Violentmonkey covers Userscript support, Clean interface, Cloud sync, Script editor. Both handle Chrome support, Firefox support, Edge support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Violentmonkey: Is Violentmonkey open-source?

Yes. Violentmonkey is fully open-source and available on GitHub, making it free to use and community-maintained unlike Tampermonkey which has a larger proprietary ecosystem.

Source
Violentmonkey: What browsers does Violentmonkey support?

Violentmonkey works on browsers with WebExtensions support, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and other Chromium-based browsers.

Source
Violentmonkey: How does Violentmonkey compare to Tampermonkey in performance?

Community benchmarks show Violentmonkey uses about 15 to 30 percent less RAM on Chrome compared to Tampermonkey when managing many open tabs.

Source
Violentmonkey: What is the current version of Violentmonkey?

Violentmonkey reached version 2.46.0 as of July 31, 2026, with active ongoing development and regular updates to the open-source project.

Source
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Related pages

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