Do you store my Pinboard API token?

Not for a one-click import - the token is used once to fetch your bookmarks and is then discarded. If you switch on ongoing sync, it is stored encrypted so the recurring sync can run, and you can remove it whenever you like.

Can I keep using Pinboard at the same time?

Yes. Cowpin can push your saves and edits back to Pinboard, so both stay current and you can walk away from either one without losing anything.

Will my Pinboard apps and scripts still work?

Cowpin exposes a Pinboard-compatible API, so tools written against Pinboard can generally talk to Cowpin by changing the endpoint they point at.

Can I get my bookmarks back out?

Any time, as JSON, Netscape HTML or del.icio.us XML. No export fee and no waiting period. This audience has been burned by lock-in before, so there is none here.

Everything is free during the beta, including the import and every Pro feature. Pricing comes later, and importing or exporting your own bookmarks will never sit behind a paywall.

Pinboard to Cowpin

Move your Pinboard library in about two minutes

Cowpin imports every bookmark, tag, note and privacy setting from Pinboard - with a one-click token import, or from your export file if you would rather not share a token.

Start your free import Read the full import guide

Free during beta. For a one-click import your token is used once and then discarded.

How the move works

1
Create a free account
Sign up with Google or an email address. It takes a few seconds and there is no card to enter.
2
Point Cowpin at Pinboard
Paste your Pinboard API token for a one-click import, or upload your JSON or HTML export file instead.
3
Your library lands intact
Every bookmark arrives with its tags, notes, privacy setting, read-later flag and original save date.

What comes across

The whole point of a migration is that nothing is lost. Here is exactly what Cowpin carries over.

Every bookmark URL and title
All of your tags, exactly as you wrote them
Your notes and extended descriptions, in full
Private bookmarks stay private
Read-later flags stay on the right items
Original save dates, so your history stays in order

The honest version

Pinboard is a good product built by one person, and it has outlasted almost everything else in this category. If it still works for you, keep using it - Cowpin can mirror your saves back to Pinboard, so you are not forced to choose. Cowpin is much younger. What it adds is full-text search across archived page content, a reader with highlights, a dashboard of what you actually revisit, and AI that ranks your read-later queue. What it does not have yet is a long track record. Import is free and export is always available, so trying it costs you a few minutes and nothing else.

Questions Pinboard users ask

Bring your library over

About two minutes, every tag intact, and an export button waiting if you change your mind.

Start your free import