Somewhere in the course of Internet history, along with the decline of Del.icio.us, bookmarking lost it’s popularity. Nevertheless, bookmarks should be considered indispensable for any modern computer user.
Believe it or not, the Mac is actually home to several outstanding apps which should help you organize your bookmarks past the basic capabilities afforded by your browser. Some, like Pukka and Thumbtack aim to be as unobtrusive as possible, while others like Delibar have no problem showing off their interfaces; there’s something for just about everyone. So if you think it’s about time to get your bookmarks in order, this is one roundup you won’t want to skip!
Many of the tools in this roundup use either Pinboard or Delicious to sync your bookmarks. Delicious is completely free while Pinboard charges a one time signup fee of around $10 to use their minimalist and ad free service.
Delibar
It just wouldn’t be a bookmarking app roundup without Delibar; by far the most well-established of the bunch, this app works from your menu bar to manage bookmarks for Delicious and Pinboard. The developer offers a free version which only allows you to search your bookmarks, whereas the $10 pro upgrade allows you to unlock sharing, management, and discovery functionality.
Also of note is the newly released Delibar app for iPhone which lets you manage your bookmarks on the go for only $3. All-in-all, Delibar’s interface is a bit too over encumbered for my tastes, but that shouldn’t hold you back from at least trying it out for yourself.
Price: Free/$10
Requires: Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Developer: Shiny Frog
Thumbtack
Thumbtack is basically the antithesis to Delibar – its interface is simpler, its functionality is minimal, and there are absolutely no tools for doing anything beyond viewing your bookmarks.
In addition, if you’re a Delicious user, Thumbtack shouldn’t even be on your radar, as it only supports the Pinboard service. With all this in mind, at a mere $2, Thumbtack delivers on its promise to give you access to “your recent Pinboard items right from the menu bar”. Thanks to its low price, lightweight user interface, and Pinboard support, I’ve made Thumbtack my personal solution for bookmarking on my Mac.
Price: $2
Requires: OS X 10.7 or later, 64-bit processor
Developer: Reactiv Code
Pukka
Pukka is another old favorite in the world of Mac bookmarking – and for good reason; with support for both Pinboard and Delicious as well as a feature set that would make your head spin, Pukka should satisfy even the most demanding user.
Two features which set it apart from the crowd are offline support with searching and the ability to have multiple accounts. The interface is pretty lightweight, but just seems a bit dated to me. Nevertheless, if you are a bookmarking power user, look no further.
Price: $17
Requires: Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Developer: Code Sorcery
Delish
If I had to pick a personal favorite out of this bunch, Delish might just be it. With support for both Pinboard and Delicious, Delish’s feature set is easily on par with Pukka or Delibar, but what sets the gem apart from the rough is its interface.
First of all, you’ll notice that Delish is on of the few bookmarking apps that doesn’t live in your menubar, rather you can expect to use it just like any other app. Since it occupies its own window, Delish shows you high resolution thumbnails of all your saved bookmarks. Long story short, Delish makes good use of its interface.
Price: $15
Requires: OS X 10.7 or later, 64-bit processor
Developer: Pine Point Software
Pins
Next to the other apps in this roundup, Pins is a bit of a black sheep. The app keeps its own database, independent of services like Delicious or Pinboard. While this might be a deal-breaker for some, Pins still has quite a bit working in its favor.
To start off, it’s worth noting that since Pins doesn’t sync with Delicious or Pinboard, your bookmarks are safe no matter what happens in any distant data center; which should be comforting for those who value full control over their data. If you’ve already got bookmarks on Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Camino, Delicious, Instapaper, or Read it later; the app can import them and add them to your Pins database.
Moreover, if you use more than one Mac, you can sync your Pins database across them. Pins isn’t good choice for the average Mac user, especially with the other apps in this roundup surpassing it in functionality, syncing tools, and even price. Still, there are bound to be users who value Pins unique take on bookmarking.
Price: $10
Requires: OS X 10.6 or later
Developer: ObjectiveSheep
Wrap Up
With our 21st century information overload, managing your bookmarks can be an important step towards keeping your computer in order. As with most things in life, there isn’t a one size fits all bookmarking solution for your Mac.
While I personally love the simplicity of Thumbtack, others will no doubt opt for more feature rich solutions such as Delibar or even Pins. If you aren’t ready to jump into the next level of bookmarking just yet, almost any modern web browser such as Safari or Google Chrome includes some useful bookmarking tools to help you get started. So what are you waiting for? Get bookmarking!
If there’s something I missed, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below with the apps or solutions that you use.