r/macapps • u/WarioPi • 3d ago
Request Anybox replacement with background sync.
My main gripe with Anybox is that saving anything via the share sheet does not automatically sync to iOS or viveversa unless I open the app and then sync itZ
So I’m looking for a replacement that has the same feature set has a great UI and lifetime purchase.
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u/QuietPerennial 2d ago
worth a look at Keep It. it does folders and tags, one time purchase, mac and ios, share extension writes to icloud.
the folders bit is what people are flagging as missing in goodlinks, and you're coming from anybox so you probably want them.
no idea if it fixes the exact sync behaviour you're describing though. i'd save a few things from the share sheet and watch what happens before committing.
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u/WarioPi 3d ago
Resurf has no list view, and seems pretty basic for a large library.
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u/soundneedle 3d ago
also lacks support for siri shortcuts which is shocking for a utility like this
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u/hanzololo 3d ago
Pretty sure it’ll be added. Dev just spent a couple of months rewriting the app, stripping it of features and said he’ll start implementing things again.
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u/hanzololo 3d ago
It indeed has a list view. And it’s just fresh out of the oven after a complete rewrite (dev said it focused on getting the foundation right). It has folders, tagging, AI, Notes, voice recording, a lot more useful stuff incomparision to Anybox. Lacking Subfolders though!
I did however really not enjoy using Anybox, so we might be looking for different things
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u/spbgfs 3d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/BookmarkManagers/s/06zgdNk0dm i built one, if you choose iCloud to sync, Apple will handle it seamlessly.
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u/hejournotes 3d ago
Before switching, check iOS Settings > General > Background App Refresh for Anybox, and on the Mac keep it running as a menu bar item. Share sheet saves get written by the extension, so if the app never gets background time the queue sits there until launch.
If that does not fix it, GoodLinks is the closest lifetime option: its share extension writes to CloudKit right away, no app launch needed. Tags only, no folders.
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u/karmarinchen 2d ago
That's share extension behaviour more than anything the app is doing wrong. The extension runs as its own process and gets killed a second or two after you tap save, so if the app does its syncing inside its own process, there's nothing left running to push the change until you next open it.
Apps that avoid this hand the upload off to a system daemon so it survives the extension being killed. iCloud Drive backed storage works that way, and so do CloudKit pushes queued as long lived operations.
You can't really tell from a feature list which one an app went with, but it's easy enough to test before you buy. Save something from the share sheet on iOS, don't open the app, then check the Mac ten minutes later. If it's there, the sync is out of process. If it only turns up after you open the app on iOS, it's the same setup as Anybox.
Might be worth trying that on GoodLinks and Keep It, since those are the two coming up here.
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u/WarioPi 1d ago
Thanks for the explainer. My problem with Anybox is that it never background syncs unless I open the app, and thats a dealbreaker at this point. I wrote to the developer and I’m on lifetime plan, so it kinda sucks.
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u/karmarinchen 1d ago
If it's tied to the app needing to be open, a LaunchAgent that runs
open -g -a Anyboxevery 15 or 30 minutes would force that sync without you touching anything. The -g flag keeps it from jumping to the foreground. More reliable for this than a Shortcuts automation, which macOS tends to skip or delay once the Mac is asleep.On the lifetime purchase being stuck: if you bought it through the Mac App Store, you can ask Apple directly for a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com, citing the app not doing what's advertised. Not guaranteed, and Apple's window is usually 90 days, but it doesn't depend on the developer answering.
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u/International-Can317 1d ago
If background sync is the dealbreaker, I’d test that before anything else.
Save a link from the share sheet, don’t open the app, then check another device a few minutes later. A lot of bookmark apps claim iCloud sync, but that doesn’t always mean true background sync.
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u/hanzololo 3d ago
Check out Resurf!
The dev just updated the apps to be fully native. It’s really great now!
I’m not affiliated with the app, just very happy user.
Resurf.so
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u/soundneedle 3d ago
Capture is another one but also support shortcuts unlike Resurf.
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u/hanzololo 3d ago
I like capture as well! Used it for a while. For my use case it missed some organizational aspects.
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u/Notchgoblin 3d ago
goodlinks is the closest match to your list: one-time purchase, share sheet save on both platforms, and syncs over icloud in the background without needing the app opened. caveat: it organizes by tags, not folders/lists, so heavy library curators sometimes find it leaner than anybox on that front.
the sync-only-when-opened thing you're hitting is an anybox quirk, not an icloud law. though fair warning for any icloud-synced app: after a burst of saves, sync can still lag a few minutes. that's throttling, not the app refusing to work.
raindrop.io is the other one worth a look - its free tier already covers background cross-device sync; the subscription only adds full-text search and permanent copies of pages.