7 Best Book Summary Apps to Boost Your Reading Efficiency

Reading a book can be time-consuming and often requires extensive research and purchasing. However, there are book summary apps available that can make this process easier and faster. These apps provide concise summaries of key concepts and takeaways from various books, allowing you to read more books in less time. If you're looking to boost your reading efficiency, here are the 7 best book summary apps available for Android and iOS.

1. Headway

Headway offers recommendations, challenges, and curated content to enhance your reading experience. The app allows you to set up your preferences and provides challenges to help you form a reading habit. The book summaries in Headway are longer than usual and include chapters. Additionally, the app offers stories, quotes, and random information from other books. While a subscription is required, a free book summary is provided daily

2. 12 Mins

With summaries that take about 12 minutes to read or listen to, 12 Mins offers a vast collection of summaries for over 2,500 non-fiction books. The app also features its own 12 mins originals on various topics. While the free version provides a daily free summary, a premium subscription unlocks additional features like playlists and the ability to mark books as read.

3. Shortform

Shortform is a relatively new book summary app that stands out for its detailed and in-depth summaries. Unlike other apps that provide shorter summaries, Shortform offers summaries that can take up to an hour to read. These summaries provide additional analysis and quotes from other relevant books, offering a unique reading experience. Shortform also includes interactive exercises, quizzes, and the ability to suggest books for summaries.

4. StoryShots

StoryShots is a great option if you're looking for a free book summary app. While it offers a premium version, the ad-supported free version provides access to a vast catalog of book summaries. A one-time purchase can remove the ads and unlock additional features like Kindle support and infographics. The app also offers longer video explanations of books and allows you to take notes, highlight text, and create PDFs.

5. Instaread

Instaread offers 15-minute summaries in both text and audio formats. The app provides a free summary of a random book every day, and a premium subscription is required for full access to all book summaries. What sets Instaread apart is its “cards” feature, where you can get insights from different books in a short, easily digestible format. You can like, share, and filter these cards based on your interests.

6. Blinkist

Blinkist is one of the most popular book summary apps, providing summaries for over 5,000 non-fiction books across various categories. With blinks that can be read or listened to in around 15 minutes, Blinkist helps you grasp the main ideas of a book quickly. While the free version offers a daily free blink from a random book, a subscription is required for unlimited access to the entire catalog. Blinkist also offers additional features like Evernote sync and premium podcasts on selected topics.

7. getAbstract

With a library of over 22,000 book summaries, getAbstract offers a vast collection of summaries in both text and audio formats. The app provides editors' picks to help you find books you should read, and each summary lasts between 7 to 20 minutes. While the app offers a 3-day trial, a premium subscription is required for full access to all book summaries.

In conclusion, these book summary apps can significantly enhance your reading efficiency. Whether you prefer shorter summaries, in-depth analyses, or additional features like challenges or curated content, there is an app for every preference. We recommend trying out the trial versions before subscribing to find the app that best suits your needs. Happy reading!