In our current world, everything moves fast—trends, concepts, and even knowledge.
Naturally, our busy lives make it hard to keep up with everything you want to do. And if the list of books you’ve been eyeing is big enough, you may find that lagging behind your reading goals is as easy as breathing.
At least until now.
While reading book summaries does not entirely replace the experience of reading a book from start to finish, it is an excellent way to acquire critical knowledge within a short timeframe. Taking a day off to finish a book is nearly impossible, but 20 minutes a day sounds much more reasonable, right?
Luckily, there are plenty of websites and apps that summarize books for your convenience.
- Why Read Book Summaries
- The Best Book Summary Apps and Websites
- How to Pick the Best Book Summary App or Website
- Updated Your Reading Goals?
Why Read Book Summaries
Before getting too far ahead, it’s worth noting some of the reasons why book summaries are worth reading whether you’ve already read the book or not.
For one, reading book summaries can save a lot of time. Sometimes we just don’t need to read the full book to gain what we are seeking and there’s also the case that not all books are the right fit for us, and a book summary can help us determine whether the book is worth reading.
Next, reading book summaries can help with research and validating a book. If you want to learn more about a specific topic, then reading books is one of the best ways to do so. However, to ensure that you are reading the right books, reading short book summaries can help with determining the books’ relevancy.
Another point worth mentioning is that reading book summaries can provide you with a different perspective. Book summaries are written by someone else and contain their personal summary of the piece. This can help give you a different perspective on the book, whether you’ve read it or not.
Lastly, reading a book summary can refresh your mind. Unless you have an amazing memory, it’s safe to say that as time moves on, so does your memory. Book summaries can help you remember what you already read without having to reread the entire book.
With that said, here are some of the best paid and free book summary apps and websites you can get.
The Best Book Summary Apps and Websites
1. Blinkist
| 💻 Format: | Website App |
| 💲Price: | $7.49/month, totaling $89.99/year. Has a free 7-day trial |
Perhaps the most well-known book summary website, Blinkist remains at the top of the popularity lists for a good reason: being excellent at what it does.
As one of the pioneer companies venturing into book summaries, Blinkist has amassed 27 million readers and features a collection of over 6,500 non-fiction books, making it perhaps the most extensive summary library to date.
2. Instaread
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | Annual plan costs $7.99/month. Has a free 7-day trial |
Providing keen insights into the meat of each book, Instaread delivers some of the most high-quality book analyses you can find.
Instaread stands out because, unlike most other book summary apps and websites featured on this list, its catalog includes works of fiction alongside non-fiction, making it a well-rounded option for bookworms and eager minds.
As a bonus, Instaread also features original books worth checking out.
3. Shortform
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | Annual plan costs $16.42/month. Has a free 5-day trial |
Although it is one of the most expensive entries on this list, its ever-growing userbase praises the exceptional quality of the guides’ insight, making it one of the best apps that summarizes books.
Shortform provides both a guide and a complete audio narration for each book you seek and also includes exercises to help you practice and solidify the knowledge you just acquired.
4. Four Minute Books
| 💻 Format: | Website |
| 💲Price: | Free |
Is it possible to understand a whole book in four minutes or less? Yes, according to Four Minute Books’ creator Niklas Göke.
Despite being one of the only two free entries on this list, Four Minute Books packs quite the punch. Göke and his team post an entirely new book summary each Wednesday and have a catalog of over 1,200 summaries—and it just keeps growing.
5. GetAbstract
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | Annual plan costs $25/month |
Although GetAbstract is undoubtedly a book summary app, it is also far more than that.
Unlike other entries on this list, GetAbstract provides content for other mediums, such as podcasts, articles, and more. The result is a platform that covers a broad spectrum of information and thus can enhance your learning more profoundly.
It focuses more on providing corporate solutions, but its extensive catalog of over 25,000 summaries appeals to all sorts of people.
6.ReadinGraphics
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | Multiple payment options, up to $14.14/month for the annual subscription. Also features free summaries. |
ReadingGraphics is far more than an app that summarizes books—it is the most well-rounded solution for all types of people seeking to learn something new.
Some folks are visual learners, while others prefer listening to a good audiobook. ReadinGraphics supports everyone by providing summaries in three different formats: text summaries, audio alternatives, and a one-page infographic.
Best part? You can buy single summaries if you don’t wish to commit to a full subscription.
7. Sumizeit
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | The annual plan costs $50, which is approximately $4.2/month |
Sumizeit is relatively new, yet it has quickly established itself as one of the most popular options for people seeking engaging summaries. Sumizeit provides more than just information; it also focuses on making learning as fun as possible.
Achievements, quizzes, trivia, and more interactive features make acquiring new knowledge efficient and entertaining. The entire non-fiction catalog includes audio, infographic, and video formats to ensure multiple choices according to tastes, and they incorporate new books each week.
8. 12Min
| 💻 Format: | App |
| 💲Price: | The annual plan costs $109,90, approximately $9.2/month. Has a free 7-day trial |
The name says exactly everything you need to know: in 12 minutes, you will learn something new.
12Min provides up-to-date and fresh non-fiction books to keep you updated on the latest trends or concepts worth exploring. You get access to curated book lists featuring any topic you want, giving you insights into books you may not have heard of.
To make a good deal better, you can get 12Min in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
9. SparkNotes
| 💻 Format: | Website |
| 💲Price: | Free, but SparkNotes PLUS offers bonus features and content |
The dream of students and the nightmare of teachers.
The classics are considered classics for a reason, and SparkNotes has earned the label as much as the books it covers—at least when it comes to book summary websites.
Covering literature classics like Jane Eyre alongside current bestsellers like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo makes SparkNotes everyone’s first go-to option for academic, fiction, and non-fiction books.
10. Mentorist
| 💻 Format: | App |
| 💲Price: | $49/year |
Mentorist is all about going one step beyond just reading. The app provides summaries for plenty of non-fiction books and supports them with actionable steps to ensure your knowledge transforms into positive change.
The app shows you each step in your journey with visual analytics, sets reminders, provides badges, and more incentives to get you to achieve your goals with minimal time investment.
11. 5 Minute Book Summary App
| 💻 Format: | Website |
| 💲Price: | Free |
5 Minute Book Summary App is a go-to resource for accessing over 3000 fiction and non-fiction book summaries. Based on the Blinkist collection, this app offers insightful chapter-by-chapter summaries, all available at no cost. You have the flexibility to explore different categories, utilize a search function to find specific topics, or use a random feature to discover new books.
Moreover, their YouTube channel provides an option to listen to fresh book summaries. Whether you’re a busy reader or simply looking for quick insights, this app is a great tool to stay informed and inspired on the go.
12. SoBrief
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | Free to Read, from $3.75/mo to Listen |
SoBrief provides 73,530 free non-fiction book summaries (with paid audio). The catalog is 10 times larger than Blinkist, and it does not even require a signup to use it. The summaries are available in 40 languages to read and listen to.
13. Headway
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | $12.99/month, $29.99/3-months, and $89.99/year. Free version available with one nonfiction book summary per day |
Headway has over 1,600 book summaries in both text and audio. The summaries cover nonfiction bestsellers and come with microlearning opportunities through games and other features designed to help with memory retention.
14. Readitfor.me
| 💻 Format: | Website |
| 💲Price: | $29/month, $299/year, and $999/lifetime. Some free summaries available |
Readitfor.me (RIFM) is tailored to business leaders interested in business and self-improvement thought leadership books. RIFM’s summaries are around 12 minutes long and many come in easy-to-digest animated videos. The summaries are specifically designed to help business leaders solve problems from management issues to productivity.
15. BookStash
| 💻 Format: | Website |
| 💲Price: | Free |
BookStash essentially provides summaries of book summaries giving readers the key points in under three minutes. The main ideas of the book are listed on digital flashcards that can be saved to your account for quick referencing. All the summaries come from top nonfiction books often in the self-improvement, business, and productivity categories.
16. Bookey
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | $79.99/year. 7-day trial. Free summaries available |
Bookey is primarily an app but does have some summaries available on its website. Book summaries are around 30 minutes long to read or listen to and come with quizzes for better retention. There are also three-minute Idea Clips that summarize key concepts, and each story comes with a Mind Map that provides an outline of key insights.
17. StoryShots
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | $29.99/year, 59.99/lifetime, and $99.99/2 lifetime passes. Thousands of free book summaries available |
With over 300,000 book summaries, StoryShot has a wide range of nonfiction genres to choose from including science, personal growth, relationships, history, investing, leadership, and more. The summaries are in text, infographic, audio, and animation form and can be finished in minutes.
18. SuperSummary
| 💻 Format: | Website & App |
| 💲Price: | $9.95/month or $36/year. 7-day money-back guarantee |
Unlike a lot of the book summary apps available, SuperSummary aims to provide in-depth summaries of books. The summaries primarily come in the form of study guides but can also come in audio form and quick-read plot summaries. There are detailed chapter summaries and analyses along with additional authors, genera, and study resources.
How to Pick the Best Book Summary App or Website
When choosing a book summary app or website, start by finding one that covers your preferred genres (fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, horror genres etc.). Many focus solely on nonfiction, so if you’re looking for fiction summaries, you can quickly narrow your search.
The next step is to determine your budget. There are plenty of free book summary apps to choose from and most offer at least some free summaries to sample. However, if you want one that provides audio versions of the summaries, then you will likely have to shell out at least some money.
Lastly, choose whether you want more in-depth summaries or something quick and easy. The good news is that even if you go for one that is more in-depth, many also provide shortened versions of the summaries if desired.
Updated Your Reading Goals?
All the options mentioned earlier provide high-quality, curated, carefully crafted summaries that can teach you everything you need about your preferred books in a fraction of the time.
However, the most crucial gift book summary apps and websites can give you is the power of choice.
After learning the basics of any book that catches your eye, you can quickly discard books that do not suit your expectations. Thus, by utilizing book metadata, you can easily find, purchase and even rent books and textbooks that align with your preferences.
