The best note-taking apps, photo tools, and reading gear people are actually using right now
Hundreds of reader responses to The Verge's Installer newsletter named the Kindle Paperwhite and iPad Mini as top reading devices, flagged Bear 2.9's Workspaces as a quiet leap forward, and pointed to Aphera as a credible escape from Adobe's subscription pricing.
Key points
- Bear 2.9, a note-taking app for Apple devices, added Workspaces in its latest update, making it easier to organise notes without extra complexity.
- Aphera, a new Mac photo editor, is positioning itself as a cheaper alternative to Adobe Lightroom, a popular but increasingly expensive professional photo tool.
- Kindle Paperwhite and iPad Mini were the most-named reading devices across hundreds of reader responses.
- Library apps Libby and Hoopla came up repeatedly as free ways to borrow ebooks and audiobooks with a library card.
- BookBub, which tracks discounted ebooks, and its audiobook counterpart Chirp were flagged as money-savers by multiple readers.
Sometimes the most useful tech coverage isn't about a billion-dollar launch. It's about what real people have quietly decided works.
The Verge's Installer newsletter asked hundreds of readers to share their reading setups: devices, apps, bookmarking habits, all of it. What came back is practical and, for anyone drowning in unread tabs, a little reassuring.
What tools are people actually using?
Kindle Paperwhite and iPad Mini were the clear device winners. Kobo e-readers, both the Clara and Libra models, had loyal fans too, as did the Boox Palma 2, a pocket-sized Android device that runs reading apps.
Kindle and Apple Books led on the app side. Readwise Reader, a paid app that pulls articles, PDFs and newsletters into one searchable place, earned strong praise for organisation. BookFusion also has devoted users, and Bookshop.org's app is catching on.
Tracking progress matters to a lot of readers. Both The StoryGraph and Book Tracker came up frequently, while practically everyone either quit Goodreads or is planning to.
Libraries got a big cheer. Libby, Hoopla, MyLibro and Sora let anyone with a library card borrow digital books and audiobooks for free. That point alone is worth remembering the next time a subscription fee lands.
Audiobooks aren't just Audible territory anymore: readers noted that Spotify Premium includes 15 hours of audiobook listening per month, which is worth knowing if you already pay for the music tier.
What software updates stood out?
Bear 2.9 arrived with Workspaces, a feature that groups the app's existing tag system into separate views. Bear runs on iPhones, iPads and Macs; its tag-based organisation has always had limits, and Workspaces addresses that without adding complexity. A writer can keep work notes and personal research in distinct areas without juggling multiple apps. It's a small change that makes a real difference.
Aphera is a new Mac photo editor aimed squarely at people frustrated by Adobe Lightroom's rising subscription cost. Early impressions are positive, though it hasn't been tested thoroughly yet. Ditching Lightroom is a lot to ask of any app, but Aphera is at least a credible candidate.
Should the newsletter problem worry you?
One issue came up repeatedly: newsletters. Too many of them, no obvious home, no consensus on whether to route them through Gmail, a reading app or an RSS reader (a tool that collects updates from many sites in one feed). Unread and Reeder were the RSS favourites among respondents; Instapaper, Readwise Reader and Wallabag were the go-tos for saving articles later. Nobody has fully solved the newsletter pile-up, and that gap is worth watching.
