The Pocket alternative that deletes what you never read. Save once, get 24 hours -- read it or let it burn. AI-summarized vault for what survives.
If your Pocket backlog became a graveyard after Pocket shut down in July 2025, Burn451 answers the opposite question. Not "how do I save more," but "how do I keep only what's worth keeping." Built for the Instapaper and Readwise crowd who outgrew them, and the bookmark people who never read what they save.
The average person saves hundreds of bookmarks and reads almost none. Every "Save for Later" is a tiny lie. Burn makes you honest.
How it works:
FLAME -- Every save gets 24 hours. Save a URL, and the clock starts. Read it or watch it burn. No guilt -- the decision is made for you.
SPARK -- Read something worth keeping? It becomes a Spark. You get 30 more days to revisit, reflect, or let go. Still a deadline -- because deadlines work.
VAULT -- Only the best earns a permanent spot. Your Vault is your curated knowledge base -- tagged, searchable, exportable. Not a graveyard. A library you actually use.
For AI power users:
Burn exposes your Vault via Model Context Protocol (MCP). Connect the companion MCP server to compatible desktop AI tools. Your AI does the thinking; Burn provides the saved context:
- "Summarize what I read this week"
- "What themes keep showing up in my saves?"
- "Find something I saved about [topic]"
Why Burn is different:
Other read-later apps help you save more. Burn helps you save less.
Other apps become digital attics. Burn is a furnace -- what survives the fire is gold.
Features:
- 24-hour countdown timer for every save
- Automatic content extraction and reading time estimate
- Clean reader mode -- no ads, no clutter
- Collections for topic grouping
- Voice notes with speech-to-text
- AI Read decision cards
- Long-video transcript support
- Share Extension -- save from any app
- Markdown export from Vault
- MCP-ready Vault access through the companion server
- Cloud sync across devices
- Dark mode + English/Chinese
Free to use. Burn Pro unlocks more for power users:
- 30 Spark slots (free keeps 5)
- Unlimited Vault saves (free includes 5 per month)
- Unlimited collections and collection AI (free includes 3 collections and first-time collection AI)
- 10 Ash rescues per month
- MCP access
- Markdown export
Works with:
X, YouTube, Reddit, Spotify, Hacker News, Medium, GitHub, WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, and any web page.
Privacy first. Your reading stays yours. No ads, no data selling. Analytics are used only to improve the app experience.
Burn Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $4.99/month with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at purchase confirmation. Your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in App Store account settings.
Terms of Use: https://burn451.cloud/terms.html
Privacy Policy: https://burn451.cloud/privacy.html
The Burner design philosophy is incredibly sophisticated, retaining only high-quality content. It can estimate reading time, transcribe videos, and allow one-click saving to any app. Exporting Markdown from Vault is incredibly convenient for note-taking.
The MCP server turned Burn into my second brain
lashell mares
I subscribed to Pro for the extra Spark slots, but the killer feature I didn't expect is the MCP server integration. Being able to query my entire Vault directly from Claude while doing research is incredibly powerful. I'll be writing a report and Claude will surface articles I saved weeks ago that are perfectly relevant — stuff I would have forgotten about entirely. The 24h burn mechanic keeps my Flame zone from becoming a graveyard, and the AI summaries make triage fast. Wish there were more font options, but the MCP integration alone is worth Pro.
From bookmark graveyard to searchable knowledge base
Sanora_Tobinc
What sold me on Pro wasn't the extra Spark slots ��� it was the MCP server. I can now query every article I've ever saved directly from Claude while writing or researching. It turns Burn from a read-later app into a proper knowledge layer that sits between me and my AI tools. The 24-hour burn mechanic keeps inflow manageable, and the Vault is becoming my curated, high-signal library of things I've actually processed. If I'm being picky: Vault search in-app could be more powerful, and I'd love custom tags. But the MCP integration more than compensates.
Clever approach but not for weekend readers like me
Drusilla Freda
Burn is genuinely innovative and the team clearly has a strong vision. The design is beautiful, the MCP server idea is forward-thinking. But after three weeks, I've realized this doesn't fit my life. I save articles throughout the work week and do my reading on weekends. Losing content because I couldn't get to it within 24 hours feels more stressful than having a backlog. Three stars because I respect what they're building �� it just assumes daily engagement that not everyone has.
• Start saving right away — new users no longer need to sign in before their first save
• The rating prompt now appears at a better moment
• Measurement and stability fixes
Version 3.1.1
The developer, 国庆 沈, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Contact Info
Identifiers
Usage Data
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
国庆 沈
Size
8.1 MB
Category
Productivity
Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 14.0 or later.
Apple Vision Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Languages
English and 9 more
English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese
