Readwise Reader is a read-it-later app for heavy readers, officially described as the first reading app that combines read-it-later, email newsletters, RSS reading, and web highlighting in one. It aims to bring all of a user's reading content into one place to cope with information overload, and supports instant search and highlighting.
Main capabilities
- Content aggregation: can save articles, PDFs, EPUB ebooks, email newsletters, RSS feeds, YouTube videos, X (Twitter) posts, and more. RSS feeds can be easily added to Reader; PDFs are integrated into the reading workflow after upload; YouTube videos can be watched in Reader with subtitles highlighted; Twitter posts can be organized into long-form articles.
- Web highlighting: through the Reader browser extension, users can freely highlight and annotate directly on the open web.
- Powerful highlighting: the official description calls highlighting a first-class feature, with the ability to highlight images, tables, rich text, and more, on any device.
- Integration with Readwise: Reader automatically syncs to the original Readwise, highlights go into Readwise, are reviewed through Daily Review, and can be exported to note-taking apps such as Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research, Evernote, and Logseq.
- Daily review: using the principles of spaced repetition, it resurfaces the right highlights at the right time via email or in the app to help users remember what they have read.
- Keyboard reading: browse, navigate, highlight, and annotate documents without a mouse.
- Ghostreader: officially described as a GPT copilot for reading, it can answer questions, define terms, simplify complex language, and more.
- Full-text search: fast search, so users can find something even if they only remember one word, and it supports offline use.
- Text-to-speech: can read any document aloud with human-like voice, with adjustable speed and support for dozens of languages.
- MCP server: can connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible assistant to the reading library, letting AI answer questions based on the user's own reading content and even organize documents; it also provides a full command-line interface.
How to use Users can access content through the web app, iOS app, Android app, Chrome/Firefox/Safari browser extensions, Mac/Windows desktop apps, and dedicated viewing modes on e-ink devices (such as BOOX and Daylight Computer), with continuous syncing across all devices and support for offline use. Reader can also send documents to Kindle. For importing, it can import directly from Instapaper, accept Pocket export files (if saved before shutdown), and accept CSV files from any URL; RSS feeds can be migrated in one step via OPML files; ebooks and PDFs can be dragged in directly. All data can be fully exported at any time: documents as CSV, feeds as OPML, uploaded files as a zip, and highlights and annotations as Markdown.
Use cases Officially positioned for "power readers," founders, professionals, scholars, engineers, technical experts, and others. It is suitable for users who need to manage different documents such as work PDFs, email newsletters, and leisure ebooks side by side, and who want their reading annotations to flow smoothly into writing tools, reducing switching between multiple apps and repeated organizing.
Pricing and limits The official offering includes a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. After the trial ends, a Readwise Full subscription is required to continue using Reader: $9.99 per month when billed annually, or $12.99 per month when billed monthly. Students, educators, nonprofits, military personnel, first responders, and users in regions where U.S. pricing is unreasonable can apply for a 50% discount by emailing hello@readwise.io. The official description says Readwise has been self-funded and profitable since 2017, supported by subscribers rather than venture capital. Apart from the above, no other limits are provided.
