Instapaper subscriptions enter beta

Filed under: Web services, iPhone, Web

Instapaper, one of our favorite read-it-later services, has released a beta version of a subscription plan. We recently listed Marco Arment's fantastic iOS app as a must-buy for any iPad user. But of course, running the service costs money, and Instapaper is currently supported solely by on-site adverts . As most interaction with the Web clipping service is done through dedicated apps, Marco needs an alternative method of supporting the increasing costs of Instapaper and furthering his project.

Costing $1 a month and available in a three month package for $3 (thanks to PayPal's fee structure making smaller sums uneconomical), what do you get on top of the already stellar Instapaper package? Admittedly, not a lot at this stage. You can turn off the adverts on the Instapaper website, but it's the knowledge that you're supporting a quality service that's the real draw at the moment.

Marco also talked about the issue of cost and how it had been prohibitive in the past when it came to the implementation of some of the more complex features. He said that subscriptions could fund feature add-ons, such as search. That's not to say that lots of features are going to go subscriber-only. Arment was quick to point out that "Almost all of Instapaper's features will continue to be available to non-Subscribers."

[via TechCrunch]
In Marco's words:

What are the benefits?

Right now? Almost nothing, except knowing that you are supporting the Instapaper service's operation and future feature development.

Some future features may be Subscriber-only, but please don't buy a Subscription solely because you expect these exclusive features to be mind-blowing. They might be, depending on how easily your mind is blown, but I'd feel better if you bought the Subscription because you wanted to support Instapaper.

Subscribers are given the option to hide Instapaper's advertisements. This option appears in Account.

If you use Instapaper in your daily routine and want to keep it that way, head on over to the Instapaper subscription page and for the price of a coffee, support Marco's efforts.

Instapaper subscriptions enter beta originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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