Reading more books can seem like an impossible goal with our busy modern lifestyles. Fortunately, advances in mobile technology have given rise to a new class of apps that distill the key insights from bestselling nonfiction books into easily digestible summaries.
I‘ve compiled this definitive guide to the top 12 book summary apps available in 2023 based on hours of hands-on testing and evaluation. Whether you‘re a student cramming for exams, an executive skimming the latest business titles, or just a lifelong learner seeking personal growth, these apps can save you time while expanding your knowledge.
The Benefits of Book Summary Apps
Book summary apps provide the following advantages compared to reading entire books:
- Condense books into 15-30 minute audio or text summaries you can consume on the go
- Quickly absorb key ideas, frameworks, case studies and actionable advice
- Sample a book before deciding if it‘s worth a full read-through
- Reinforce and retain key lessons through microlearning
- Expand your reading list exponentially by previewing hundreds of the top nonfiction bestsellers each year
While nothing can replace the depth and nuance from cover-to-cover reading, book summary apps help ensure we actually extract value from the ever-expanding reading lists we create instead of simply adding to our unread pile of good intentions!
The 12 Best Book Summary Apps
Based on the criteria of content quality, reading experience, value and app reliability across both iOS and Android, I‘ve selected the following 12 apps as the top options:
1. Blinkist – Best Overall
With over 4,000 non-fiction book summaries and a polished user experience, Blinkist remains the gold standard that all other apps are measured against.
I particularly like their Collections and Blinkist Originals features that curate titles into topics like productivity, communication skills and time management while also creating summaries exclusively for their app.
Key Details:
- 4,500+ book summaries
- Text and audio formats
- Highlight and share key passages
- iOS and Android apps
- 7 day free trial, then $12.99/month or $79.99/year subscriptions
2. getAbstract – Largest Business Focus
Trusted by over 30% of Fortune 500 companies, getAbstract offers more than 20,000 condensed book and article summaries with a focus on business titles.
While the web and mobile reading interfaces feel a bit dated, getAbstract‘s expansive library of leading business thinkers like Clayton Christensen and Simon Sinek make this a must-have for executives and entrepreneurs.
Key Details:
- 20,000+ summaries of business books, articles and podcast transcripts
- Corporate plans for internal knowledge sharing
- Daily recommended reads
- Available on web, iOS and Android
- 7 day free trial, then $11.95/month basic or $395/year 5 user Pro plan
3. Shortform – Best Longform Summaries
Prefer more depth from your book summaries? Shortform delivers with their signature "Mind Map" feature that links key concepts together across their 1,000+ title library.
While light on audio content, they make up for it with interactive quizzes and assignments that reinforce the core lessons. Ideal for students and anyone who prefers learning by written word.
Key Details:
- 1,000+ full book summaries, not just key takeaways
- Mind Map graphically connects book‘s key concepts
- Quizzes and assignments to self-test knowledge
- iOS and Android
- 7 day free trial, then $9.99/month or $79.99/year
4. Instaread – Top Rated Summaries
Boasting a 4.8 star iOS app rating with over 5K reviews, Instaread is beloved for their quality summaries sourced from academics and subject matter experts.
They also integrate study guides and lecture notes across many nonfiction genres including self-improvement, health, history and motivation.
Key Details:
- 5,000+ expert-created book and podcast summaries
- Study guides, lecture notes and key quotes
- Subjects include business, health, history, self-improvement
- iOS and Android apps
- 7 day free trial, then $7.99/month or $47.99/year
5. 12min Micro Book Library – Quickest Reads
As the name suggests, 12min summarizes bestsellers into easily digestible 12 minute microbook reads – the shortest format on this list.
While the library only contains around 700 titles, the breadth is strong in areas like motivation, career and psychology. Their smooth one-tap listening experience, offline mode and variable playback speeds also make this a top audio book summary option.
Key Details:
- 700+ micro book summaries readable in ~12 minutes
- Summaries available in text and audio
- Variable speed playback for audio
- Topics include motivation, productivity, psychology, nature
- Free 7 day trial then $7.99/month or $59.99/year
- iOS and Android
6. Soundview Executive Book Summaries
Specifically tailored towards business professionals, Soundview cherry picks 8-12 of the most relevant business, leadership and talent development books each month and summarizes them into 20-page PDFs supplemented by audio overviews.
The focused, quality over quantity approach has built a loyal user base of executives over the past 40 years. While the web and mobile reading experience feels dated, the insightful summaries keep users coming back.
Key Details:
- 8-12 highly selective business book summaries per month
- 20-page summarized PDFs plus audio overviews
- Topics include leadership, strategy, innovation, communication skills
- Web access and iOS app
- Free 7 day trial then $99/year Basic or $199/year Plus subscription
7. StoryShots – Most Engaging Summaries
StoryShots sets itself apart with their visually engaging UX that feels more like browsing a social feed than an old-school ebook.
While still text-focused, they sprinkle in lots of photos, quotes and graphics across their 1,000+ title catalog to better hold your attention while learning. Lots of self-improvement focused fare with a smattering of business subtitles as well.
Key Details:
- 1,000+ visually engaging book and podcast summaries
- Topics like habits, productivity, communication, negotiation
- Clean mobile-first UX
- iOS and Android
- Free version with 100 book summaries, Premium unlocks full access for $5.99/$month or $47.99/year
8. Four Minute Books
Four Minute Books provides bite-sized, four-minute summaries of over 700 of the latest nonfiction book releases, focusing primarily on the Business and Self-Help categories.
The website offers a smooth reading experience complete with highlighted quotes and downloadable PDF versions of each summary. While they lack native apps, the responsive mobile web design makes it easy to access summaries on the go.
At under $5/month, Four Minute Books is one of the most affordable options on this list while still offering substantial value.
Key Details:
- 700+ titles summarized into 4-minute excerpts
- Responsive mobile web access
- Primarily business and self-help genres
- Downloadable PDFs
- $4.16/month or $49.99/year
9. Stride Summaries
Focused squarely on the business niche, Stride publishes 5-10 page executive summaries of the latest business books each month.
The crisp summaries are augmented by audio overviews of each book. While the library of a couple hundred books is on the smaller side, the recent titles, consistent monthly cadence and audio component keep business readers engaged.
Key Details:
- 5-10 page summaries of 12+ business books per month
- 200+ titles on leadership, sales, marketing, HR, strategy
- Professional audio overviews
- Responsive web and mobile access
- $11/month or $99/year
10. Growth Reads
An intriguing newcomer, Growth Reads has quickly scaled to provide over 1,000 summaries across a diverse set of nonfiction genres with a focus on self-improvement.
The text summaries get straight to the core lessons while their audio offering sets them apart, with rich narrated summaries that bring each book‘s key messages to life along with accompanying ebooks. Worth watching as they expand their catalog.
Key Details:
- 1,000+ titles and growing quickly
- Self-improvement focus plus health, finance, parenting
- Audio narrated summaries for top books
- iOS, Android and web
- Free version with 100 book samples then $6.99/$month for full catalog access
11. Bookbyte Class Notes
Primarily targeting high school and college students, Bookbyte Class Notes offers study guides, lecture slides and document outlines covering frequently assigned academic texts.
While less focused on business professionals, it‘s still a valuable inclusion for its academic application. Teachers can also leverage these tools both for assignments and test preparation.
Key Details:
- Study guides for classic literature, philosophical texts
- Lecture slide summaries
- Focus on frequently cited academic works
- Used for high school, test prep and university studies
- Freemium access to certain guides then $12/month Premium unlocks full library
- Web and mobile access
12. Librefy Book Summaries
A clean, no-frills option, Librefy offers free book summaries covering many contemporary nonfiction bestsellers. The text summaries get straight to the point, outlining key themes, memorable stories and actionable advice in a scannable format.
IfCLIbryou enjoy bites like Forbes and Harvard Business Review‘s leadership insights but find the full book intimidating or low on your priority list, Librefy extracts the lessons into an easy reading experience.
Key Details:
- 300+ free book summaries of contemporary nonfiction
- Concise, scannable key takeaways
- Business, health and social sciences focused
- Free access, ad-supported
- Mobile responsive web
Are Book Summary Apps Right For You?
Book summary apps provide invaluable efficiency for knowledge workers, students and lifelong learners. While no substitute for deep reading of entire books, they help extract value from the ever-expanding reading lists we place upon ourselves.
Look for apps that align with your reading preferences across textual vs audio summaries, book genres and length to find the right solution. And explore leveraging multiple apps like Blinkist for current nonfiction supplemented by StoryShots for condensed reads optimized for short-form attention spans.
I suggest downloading 3-4 promising options from the above list to test head-to-head before committing. Each offers free trials ranging from 7-14 days which should provide adequate time to evaluate the reader experience, content libraries and value proposition.
From micro book summaries readable in 15 minutes to more expansive summary formats, these apps enable us to sample the overflowing menu of intriguing book options instead of simply adding more unread tomes to the pile.
Now get out there and start discovering your next transformational read!
