Apps for Android and iOS with the Best Book Summaries

A book can take a long time to read. You may procrastinate starting to read a book because you need to research and purchase the book first. Using book summary apps is one approach to make this process easier and faster. In text and audio forms, these apps explain the book's essential topics and insights. You can read more books in less time by skipping the fluff and getting down to the meat of the matter. On Android and iPhone, you'll need the following book summary applications.

Apps for Android and iOS with the Best Book Summaries

Let's start with my personal fave.

1. Be a Blinkist

Blinkist summarises almost 5,000 nonfiction books in fields such as psychology, productivity, management, technology, health, economics, parenting, religion, money, politics, and more. Blinkist refers to these book summaries as blinks, which can last up to 15 minutes and come in both text and audio formats.

The unrestricted version Blinkist is ad-free and offers a free blink or book overview of a random book from the aforementioned categories every day. A subscription of $16/month or $100/year is required to get limitless blinks and read the summary of any book in the catalogue. Additional features include Evernote sync for highlighting and saving, as well as Shortcasts, which are premium podcasts on certain topics. You can also purchase audiobooks through the app, making it a one-stop shop for summaries and audiobooks.

Pros:

• UI that is easy to use
• Writing that is clear and concise.
• Kindle support

Cons:

• 7-day free trial 1 free blink in the free version
• Premium plan is prohibitively expensive.
• Like most book summary applications, it only works with nonfiction books.
• Non-premium members must pay for audiobooks.

2. Duration: 12 minutes

The app is well-known for giving about 12-minute summaries for over 2,500 non-fiction books in its library. Both text and audio versions of the summaries are provided. Aside from the standard book titles, 12 Mins also has its own original 12 minute episodes on a variety of topics, locations, notable individuals, and writers.

12 Mins, like Blinkist, offers a premium plan for $89 per year. In the free edition, you get a 3-day trial and a free summary of a random book every day. The added capabilities of this book summary software are its true selling point. You can mark the book as read and add it to your reading list. Playlists, which are collections of books on a single topic, are supported. Consider it a folder. You can, for example, choose a playlist based on finance, focus, or procrastination. This is a great method to discover new and intriguing books.

Pros:

• Every day, a free summary is provided.

Cons:

• Kindle does not support library playlists or directories.
• The trial period is shorter than the competition.
• Interface is clumsy.
• Book summaries in a small collection

3. succinct

Shortform is a brand-new book summary software that was just released. Though we don't know the precise number of books in their collection, the Shortform team claims to publish more than 5 summaries every week and accept subscriber recommendations for new novels to add to their shortlist. Because of the extensive summaries, shortform stands out. Instead of providing brief summaries of 10 to 15 minutes, it delivers lengthy descriptions that can take up to an hour to read.

It's like reading a chapter from a book. So, if 15 minutes of reading isn't enough for you, Shortform, which goes deeper than the other book summaries apps on the list, is a must-try. These summaries also include extra analysis, as well as pertinent information and quotes from other publications. As a result, reading these summaries is a one-of-a-kind experience. There are also discussion boards, quizzes, and other interactive activities. You can only read the first few paragraphs of the synopsis in the free version. Premium membership is $24 per month or $192 per year.

Pros

• summaries that are detailed and in-depth
• Support for Kindle and Evernote in a simple layout
• Suggestions for books for summaries
• Quizzes and interactive activities

Cons

• Subscriptions are expensive.
• The free trial period is only three days long.

4. Snapshots of the Story

StoryShots is the best app on the list if you are seeking for a free choice. Previous book summary applications required a premium subscription to operate fully, but StoryShots is the best app on the list if you are searching for a free alternative. If you don't mind commercials, StoryShots offers its vast library of book summaries for free.

With a $8.99 one-time purchase, you can quickly opt out of these advertising. The premium version adds Kindle support as well as the ability to view infographics. All of the summaries are accessible for free on YouTube. The premium plan also grants access to a longer video explanation of the book (long video shot) as well as other video content.

Pros

• Ad-supported book summaries are available for free.
• Option for a lifetime subscription
• Infographics
• Support for the Kindle
• Take notes, underline text, and create PDFs

Cons

• The summaries are taken directly from the book, with little input from the reader.
• The audio version is simply a system-generated TTS voice.

5. Initiated

This app is similar to the others on the list in that it provides 15-minute summaries in text and audio forms. To access all book summaries, a subscription of $8.99 per month or $95 per year is required. With the app, you may also obtain a free summary of a random book every day.

However, the app distinguishes out because it includes cards. Instead of reading a book, you open the cards section and get random information and quotes from various books. These cards are short, to-the-point, and have the sensation of scrolling through social media. These cards can also be liked and shared. You can also sort the cards by the themes that interest you. The best part is that you can read as many cards as you want because this service is entirely free.

Pros

• Cards provide a novel reading experience.
• Every day, a free book summary is provided.
• Key takeaways that aren't as long as the summary

Cons

• The user interface is slow.
• There is no support for the Kindle.

6. Make progress

Recommendations, challenges, and selected material are all advantages of this app. It takes more than 10 minutes to simply set up the app with themes you'd like to read, books you'd like to read, and so on. Challenges are simply a list of books that you must read in a certain amount of time. It's a clever way to get into the habit of reading. In addition, book summaries are longer than usual because they contain chapters. You'll also get stories that are quotes from other books, as well as strange information.

Headway, like other book summary apps, is a premium software that requires a $9.99 monthly membership. You get a 7-day free trial that you must cancel at least 24 hours before the plan expires. In addition, exactly like other apps, you get a free book synopsis every day.

Pros

• 7-day free trial on challenges
• Book recommendations and challenges that have been curated
• Every day, a free book summary is provided.
• The features of the app can make it feel overwelming.

Cons

• To avoid being charged, you must cancel the subscription 24 hours before the plan expires.
• Headway is available for Android and iOS.

7.getAbstract

With over 22,000 book summaries, this app has the largest library. Text and audio versions of all summaries are available. After the 3-day trial period expires, you must pay a $99/year subscription fee. After the trial period has ended, no free book summaries will be supplied.

All of the essential features are included, such as book recommendations, the ability to create your own library, and the ability to mark books as read. Each overview lasts between 7 and 20 minutes. Because the library is so large, you can get editors' recommendations to help you identify books you should read. A link to Amazon and Kobo is provided if you enjoy a book and want to read the original version.

Pros

• 22,000+ book summaries in a vast collection
• Book summaries that last 7 to 20 minutes
• To listen to the summary, human-sounding voices are used.

Cons

• There is just a three-day free trial available.
• There are no free book summaries available like in other apps.
• GetAbstract is available on Android and iOS.

Apps for Book Summaries

The majority of book summary apps, with the exception of StoryShots, are subscription-based. Every day, they all provide a free book synopsis of a random book. Shortform is better for in-depth summaries. Blinkist is a great app for quick summaries. Instaread comes with cards that make it easy to read. Headway has challenges to assist in the formation of a habit. Before subscribing to one or two book summary apps, we recommend using the trial edition.