Compare Weava and Raindrop.io: Which Extension is the Best?

Weava Highlighter was once a popular choice, but now it’s filled with ads and has a poor user experience. Better options like Web Highlights do the job better without the hassle.
Raindrop.io lets you save, organize, and access bookmarks on any device. Features include highlights, annotations, and full-text search for easy web content management.
Key Features
  • Web & PDF Highlighting: Easily highlight text on web pages and PDFs using various colors.
  • Annotations: Add detailed notes to your highlights for better reference and organization.
  • Cloud Syncing: Seamlessly access your highlights and notes across multiple devices.
  • Organize with Folders: Structure your highlights with folders and sub-folders for easy retrieval.
  • Citation Creation: Automatically generate citations for your highlighted text, simplifying your research process.
  • Full-Text Search: Search through the entire content of saved web pages and PDFs
  • Cross-Platform Sync: Access your bookmarks from any browser or device
  • Highlighting & Annotations: Mark important parts of web pages and add notes
  • Collections & Tags: Organize content with customizable collections and smart tags
  • Permanent Library: Keep copies of web pages even if they're taken down
  • Team Collaboration: Share collections with team members or make them public
Our Rating
7.0
8.9
Total users
200,000
741,698
Total ratings
2,728
1,803
Average rating
4.1 ⭐
4.3 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.1
3.01
2.7K+ ratings
200.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.1
4.31
735 ratings
300.0K+Users
Edge
-
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.5
4.49
44 ratings
109.7K+Users
Firefox
-
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.3
4.34
289 ratings
32.0K+Users
Safari
-
-
Features
8.5

Weava offers basic but functional features like web and PDF highlighting, annotations, and folder organization.

The basic functionalities work great but the lack of innovative or advanced functionalities, especially compared to competitors, limits its appeal.

Top 3 Features of Weava Highlighter

1. Highlight Websites and PDFs

Highlighting text with Weava

Similar to our favorite highlighter Web Highlights, you can highlight text on any website or PDF. Choose different colors to customize your highlights and make important information stand out.

2. Organize Research into Folders

Organize in folders

Weava lets you save your highlights and organize them into folders, making it simple to keep your research organized and find what you need fast.

3. Collaborate with Your Team

Share folders with your co-workers

Weava allows you to share folders with your team, making collaboration on research projects easy. Everyone can add and view highlights and notes all in one place.

9.0

Raindrop.io offers an exceptional set of features that go far beyond basic bookmarking. The full-text search capability is particularly impressive, allowing users to find content within saved pages. The highlighting and annotation tools are well-implemented, making it easy to mark important sections of web pages. The team collaboration features are robust, and the permanent library feature ensures you never lose access to important content. Cross-platform sync works seamlessly, and the availability of browser extensions for all major browsers and mobile apps makes it accessible everywhere. The API access for developers and custom domains for public collections add significant value for power users.

Performance
7.0

Weava performs adequately when it comes to basic highlighting and syncing. However, the overall performance is marred by the intrusive ads and occasional bugs that make the experience less smooth than it should be.

9.0

The performance of Raindrop.io is generally excellent. Bookmark saving is fast and reliable, search results are quick, and sync works efficiently across devices. The mobile app performs well, though there's room for improvement in some areas. Resource usage is efficient, and the browser extension is stable. Page loading is quick, though users might occasionally experience sync delays. Overall, the performance is solid and reliable for daily use.

Design
6.0

The design is where Weava really struggles. The interface is cluttered with ads, making it not only visually unappealing but also frustrating to use.

Here's a screenshot showing one of their ads taking up nearly half the height of their sidebar:

Ads are covering half of the sidebar

The overall design feels outdated and lacks the intuitive flow found in other tools. This poor design significantly hampers the user experience.

8.0

The interface design of Raindrop.io is clean, modern, and professional. The browser extension is intuitive and easy to use, while the web interface offers a responsive design that works well on all devices. The collections view is well-organized, and the visual hierarchy helps users navigate their bookmarks efficiently. The design is consistent across different platforms, though some users might wish for more customization options. The overall aesthetic is polished and user-friendly, though there's room for improvement in terms of personalization.

Value for Money
6.8

The free version of Weava offers basic features, and their premium plan at $3.99/month is priced similarly to competitors.

However, given the ads in the free version and the overall user experience, you can find better value in alternatives that provide more features and a cleaner interface for the same or even lower cost.

9.3

Raindrop.io offers good value for money, particularly for users who need its advanced features. The free tier, while limited, is sufficient for basic bookmarking needs. The Pro plan is competitively priced, especially with the annual discount option. The comprehensive feature set justifies the cost for power users, and regular updates show ongoing development. The support is responsive and helpful.

Ease of Use
6.5

Weava’s basic highlighting functionality is straightforward, but the poor design and mandatory account creation add unnecessary friction. The ads make navigation cumbersome, and while it’s not difficult to learn, using the tool effectively can be a challenge due to these barriers.

8.7

Raindrop.io excels in user-friendliness. The installation process is straightforward, and the browser extension is intuitive to use. The interface is easy to understand, even for new users, and saving bookmarks is quick and efficient. The organization system is logical and straightforward, and the keyboard shortcuts are well-implemented. The onboarding experience is smooth, and features are easily discoverable. The tool manages to pack powerful features while maintaining an accessible interface.

Security & Privacy
7.0

Weava does take steps to protect user data, and their privacy policy is clear about not selling personal information. However, the requirement to create an account and the potential for data collection through ads could be a concern for privacy-conscious users.

9.5

Security and privacy are priorities for Raindrop.io. The implementation of 256-bit encryption ensures data is well-protected during sync. The company's commitment to not selling user data is reassuring, and the private-by-default approach respects user privacy. The privacy policy is clear and transparent, and the service is GDPR compliant. Regular security updates and a secure sync process demonstrate an ongoing commitment to user security. The handling of user data is transparent and trustworthy.

Conclusion

Weava Highlighter may still be a popular choice, but its current state leaves much to be desired. The overwhelming presence of ads and a clunky design significantly detract from the user experience, making it hard to justify its use when other tools offer a more polished and ad-free environment.

If you’re serious about your productivity, it’s worth exploring alternatives like Web Highlights, which delivers all the benefits of Weava without the downsides.

Raindrop.io is a versatile and powerful bookmark manager. The successful combination of feature-rich configuration and intuitive user interface makes the tool the first choice for both occasional users and power users.

Thanks to its cross-platform availability, users have access to their bookmarks anytime and anywhere. The free version with its partially limited range of functions will be enough for many users, while the Pro plan offers excellent value for money for all others.

Particularly noteworthy is the ability to save not just links, but complete websites, supplemented by practical functions such as markers and annotations. This makes Raindrop.io ideal for both students and professionals who regularly need to organize, comment on, and archive web content.

Our Recommendation

In our comparison between Weava and Raindrop.io, Raindrop.io came out on top, scoring 8.9.

Raindrop.io is the most widely used, with over 742k users and 2k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews for Raindrop.io reflect our findings, while we rate Weava lower than users do.

Notably, Raindrop.io has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.26, which supports its strong performance in our review.

There are big differences between these extensions, so it's important to look at the details below to find the best fit for your needs.


  • Looking for the richest feature set? Raindrop.io stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5.
  • Need top performance? Raindrop.io stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.
  • Design lovers, take note: Raindrop.io stands out with a rating of 8. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 6.
  • Want to get the most for your money? Raindrop.io stands out with a rating of 9.3. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 6.8.
  • If you hate complicated tools, Raindrop.io stands out with a rating of 8.7. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 6.5.
  • With privacy and security becoming ever more important, Raindrop.io stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.

If you want a quick recommendation, Raindrop.io is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.