It’s all change again for Instapaper users. The bad news is that Instapaper has relaunched Instapaper Premium, taking some free features back behind a paywall. The good news is that Instapaper is once again available in the European Union.
A Brief History of Instapaper
Until November 2016, Instapaper offered Instapaper Premium for those who wanted to get the most out of Instapaper. This paid subscription offered a range of extra features for $2.99/month or $29.99/year. And it was pretty popular.
Then, after being acquired by Pinterest, Instapaper dropped Premium, offering its previously paid-for features up for free. In July 2018, Instapaper became independent once again, and now, less than a month later, Instapaper Premium is back.
The Next Ten Years of Instapaper
Instapaper announced the return of Premium in a blog post titled “The Next Ten Years of Instapaper“. This was published on Instapaper’s first day as an independent entity again, and is designed to be the company looking forward to the future.
The relaunch of Instagram Premium is to “ensure Instapaper can continue for the foreseeable future,” as “it’s essential that the product generates enough revenue to cover its costs.” Premium should help Instapaper avoid seeking venture capital.
Instapaper is now independent, and today we're relaunching Instapaper Premium and resuming service in the European Union https://t.co/eSUQ2ZPLgN
— Instapaper (@instapaper) August 7, 2018
Instapaper also announced that it’s returning to the European Union. Instapaper hasn’t been available to users in European Union countries since the General Data Protection Regulation came into force in May 2018.
However, the company has now made the necessary changes to ensure it complies with GDPR, and so European users should regain access to Instapaper. As a goodwill gesture, Instapaper is offering all EU users six months of Premium for free.
How Will Instapaper Users React?
Taking the necessary steps to ensure Instapaper can be used in the EU again is a good move, even though it took far too long. However, asking people to start paying for features they’ve been using for free for a couple of years will surely rankle with some.
Image Credit: Johan Larsson/Flickr
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