Need to solve my bookmarks
I've been using GoodLinks for over a year now and it's literally the only app where I've managed to build a workflow that actually works for me. But here's the thing – it stopped syncing between my Mac and iPhone a while back and it's driving me crazy. I've hit up the devs and support multiple times with zero response. At this point I'm just gonna look for something to replace it. I've been thinking about using a notes app (I use Bear) to organize my bookmarks instead, but I'm not sure if that's even the right move. Would love to know if anyone actually uses a notes app for this and has some kind of organization system that works. The other option is switching to a different bookmarks app, but honestly every one I've tried has let me down – I've paid for apps that just die or have issues like GoodLinks. Anyone got any suggestions for what I need? The workflow I've got with GoodLinks right now is pretty straightforward – whenever I find a URL I wanna save for later, I just hit the sharesheet, open GoodLinks, and save it with the "bookmarks" tag. Then every so often I go back and review those bookmarks, and the ones worth keeping or saving for later I categorize into other tags I've already set up in the app. That's basically it.
Collected discussion
Anybox works great for my needs ;)
In fact I bought anybox
Raindrop? I’ve started using Craft to sort my mess of tabs, by exporting them as a list and having its AI assistant sort them and categorize them by topic.
I used Raindrop before GoodLinks but I never really got used to it. Maybe I should give it another shot.
I've never used a third party bookmarks app for my bookmarks so maybe I dont know what I'm missing but i just save bookmarks in Safari, which syncs across my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. When i want to save something for later without bookmarking it, i add it to the Safari Reading List. Is this not suitable for you? What extra features do apps like GoodLinks provide that I'm missing out on?
I’ve always used external apps for managing bookmarks. Maybe I should give a try for safari. The only issue is that I don’t use Safari on macos
Tried it, fails in a very basic way: can’t save from other apps. For example you find something in LinkedIn you want to store
I would keep bookmarks separate from notes if the main workflow is saving links and reviewing them later. Notes apps are flexible, but they usually make the capture step easy and the later cleanup harder. The things I would care about are reliable share-sheet capture, full-text search, saved tags, and a way to review everything that has not been touched in a long time. The bigger concern with GoodLinks here is not the feature set, it is whether the developer is still maintaining the sync path.
Thanks! That is exactly my worry with using notes for that.
Obsidian? Maybe the workflow together with the Obsidian Webclipper could work for you. I really like to know that you have your bookmarks stored as plain text.
With goodlinks, they can be exported in plain text. If I were to use a notes app, I would use Bear instead of Obsidian.
Before moving anything, I would first work through GoodLinks' own iCloud checklist: confirm iCloud Drive is enabled, confirm GoodLinks has permission, restart both devices, then send the generated log if sync still fails. If you do migrate, test the replacement with a small sample before committing the whole library. For your inbox then review workflow, the important features are an untagged view, bulk tagging, duplicate detection, and a portable full export. Bear can reproduce capture and tagging, but link checks and bookmark cleanup become manual work.
Did all of that, even reinstalled the app in both iOS and macOS. iOS and iPadOS syncs perfectly, macOS doesn't
What exactly is out of sync? Is your iPhone missing bookmarks that are on your Mac? Is your Mac missing bookmarks that are on your iPhone? Or are both devices out of sync with what you know should be the complete library? If one device clearly has the most complete and up-to-date library, I would make that your source of truth. Before doing anything else, identify that source-of-truth device and export your library (Settings → Advanced → Export Data). Verify the export completed successfully before making any changes. From there, I would try the following approaches, in order from least invasive to most invasive. **Approach 1: Reset the sync state** On any device that appears to be out of sync, go to **Settings → Advanced → Reset Sync State**. According to GoodLinks, this forces the app to resync all local data from iCloud. After doing this, give iCloud plenty of time to finish syncing before checking your other devices. This is the safest option and the one I'd try first. **Approach 2: Rebuild the local libraries** If Reset Sync State doesn't work: Confirm which device has the latest and most complete library. Make that your source of truth. Export the data from that device again as a safety backup. On each GoodLinks device, use **Select All → Delete All** to remove the local library. Do **not** use **Reset iCloud Data** at this stage. On your source-of-truth device, restore/import your exported backup. Wait for that device to fully sync to iCloud before opening GoodLinks on your other devices. Once every device matches, resume using GoodLinks normally. **Approach 3: Rebuild the iCloud database (last resort)** Only do this if you're absolutely certain your export is complete and verified. Verify your export one final time. Close GoodLinks on all of your devices. On one device, go to **Settings → Advanced → Reset iCloud Data**. This permanently deletes the GoodLinks database stored in iCloud. Restore/import the exported backup on your source-of-truth device. Allow it to completely upload back to iCloud before opening GoodLinks on your other devices. Verify every device contains the same library before resuming normal use. I've personally been using GoodLinks across over five Apple devices (multiple Macs, iPads, and an iPhone) and haven't experienced any sync issues. That doesn't mean your issue isn't real, but it does make me wonder if your iCloud sync state became corrupted at some point. I've run into similar iCloud sync problems with other apps over the years, and following a progression like the one above has often resolved them. Hopefully it's just an iCloud sync issue rather than GoodLinks itself. All the best to you!
The one in the left (with less tags) is the one from my Mac, the other one is what I see on my iPhone and iPad
two of your three devices agree and only the mac is behind, that usually points at the local state on that one machine rather than the icloud database, so whatever you do don't touch reset icloud data. export first, then wipe the local library on the mac only and let it pull down fresh. also worth confirming the mac is on the exact same apple account as the phone, a work account on the laptop catches people all the time.
Same icloud account. I have reset, reinstalled, etc. it just doesn’t get data from iCloud
Raindrop is the easiest tool for saving and searching for links. Here’s the link: https://raindrop.io/ - https://raindrop.io/ It can be used used just with safari/chrome extension or with IFTTT to link it with multiple services, such as Reddit, Youtube etc.
Stash is pretty good. Found it on this sub https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stash-anything-digital-vault/id6758998468
Stash Anything: Digital Vault — by Sean-Thomas Hammon Ratings: 159 worldwide · rated in 34 countries Average: 4.58 ★ Age: released ~5 months ago · updated 11 days ago · rated 4+ Overall score: 71 / 100 Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review
I’ve been using Stash as well. Used Raindrop for years. Stash is really clean with a great interface and syncs to all my devices.
+1 for Stash. Game changer for me.
I started using Stash earlier this year. It's been a game changer for me. Link below: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stash-anything-digital-vault/id6758998468
Interesting. Will check it put
I can’t say enough good things about Raindrop. It just works and it’s packed with features. Highly recommend.