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I'm looking for an easy way to sync bookmarks between multiple browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge) on multiple Desktop computers (Windows, OSX, Linux) and phones (iOS, Android, Windows Mobile).

About 10 years ago I was very happy using https://del.icio.us/ . However, the webservice seems to have lost traction, has been sold to a new owner and even the landing page is cluttered with untrustworthy ads. I'm not sure if this is the kind of service that I want to trust in the future.

I've also had a look at https://xmarks.com , but I also have the impression that the service is poorly maintained and might be fading away over time. Also some essential features, like the iPhone app, require a Pro subscription.

I've also tried Evernote. However, bookmarks in Evernote are essentially just notes. So to find a bookmark, I would have to first find it between my thousands of other notes in a separate application. I'm more looking for a tool/service that provides me a traditional bookmark menu in my browsers.

The same problem applies to all the reading list services, such as getpocket.com . Pocket has integrations with most relevant browsers on almost all relevant operating systems. However, it's not meant to store and sort bookmarks. It's more focused on the "save now, read later, then throw away" workflow for articles/blog posts.

And last but not least, most browsers have their own propretietary bookmark syncing service. But from my understanding, it's always limited to the same platform/ecosystem (i.e. Chrome only syncs with Chrome).

So, what's the 2016 approach for bookmark syncing?

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  • "it's always limited to the same platform/ecosystem" isn't true: Mozilla's bookmark synchronisation service is available to everyone, but I've no idea of there are implementations for other browser as Firefox…
    – wb9688
    Commented Oct 23, 2016 at 20:53
  • Speaking of XMarks: I've used that in the past, syncing via my own FTP server. So technically you don't need to use their service, just the addon. Not sure if the implementation on other browsers gives that option, though, Similar for FF's own sync, which can be used with your own server as well – again not sure if you could sync other browsers to that. As you mentioned Pocket, maybe Wallabag is worth a look – but like Pocket, it doesn't reflect the "bookmark tree" or integrates with that.
    – Izzy
    Commented Oct 23, 2016 at 21:23
  • What is your budget? Gratis? Are you OK with some ads?
    – Nicolas Raoul ♦
    Commented Oct 24, 2016 at 2:45
  • both ads, subscription or one-time purchase are okay for me. I'm looking for a solution that I can trust my bookmarks in the coming years.
    – Chris
    Commented Oct 24, 2016 at 18:25

2 Answers 2

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As far as I understand, https://pinboard.in might be an answer to your needs.

Quoting from the main page (emphasis mine, with relation to your requested features):

Pinboard is a fast, no-nonsense bookmarking site for people who value privacy and speed.

[...]

Pinboard lets you bookmark from any browser, connect up to three Twitter accounts (and favorites), and sync with popular services like Instapaper or Pocket.

For a few more bucks a year, Pinboard offers an archiving service which saves a copy of everything you bookmark, gives you full-text search, and automatically checks your account for dead links.

Also from the Site Tour:

[...] You can import all your existing bookmarks from Delicious, Google Bookmarks, Diigo, Firefox, Safari, and many other sources by following the instructions on the howto page.

[...]

My top priorities are safeguarding your data and keeping the site fast and useful. I'm always glad to answer questions and hear advice from users.

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  • Many thanks, pinboard seems to be pretty close to what I was looking for. I'll try it.
    – Chris
    Commented Oct 29, 2016 at 2:10
  • Just as a follow up: I have now been using pinboard.in for about a year and I am super-happy. @akavel - Thanks again for the recommendation.
    – Chris
    Commented Nov 1, 2017 at 21:06
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While I'm still happy with pinboard.in, with raindrop.io a new option has emerged. Advantages over pinboard.in are that there's a free plan (unlimited bookmarks and basic features) and there are mobile apps for all platforms. If I would start from scratch today I would probably choose raindrop.io over pinboard.in.

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