Blinkist vs Headway [Nov 2023] – What’s Better Value For Money

You’ve made an effort to be here, so let me save you the suspense and time.

Blinkist is the clear winner in the battle with the Headway app. Blinkist isn’t just better than the Headway app, but is the best book summary app in the market. When you compare the title collection, quality and the pricing, nothing else even comes close. The rest of the blog goes in detail on the comparison and explains why Blinkist is better.

Blinkist vs Headway App – Quick Comparison

Book summary apps are a great way to find new non fiction books and explore an authors’ back catalogue. These book summary apps condense the major ideas of the entire book and provide you a fifteen to twenty minutes of summarized version.

The summaries also help you quickly get a sense of the overall book and whether it is worth your money and if it is worth the time to read in full at your own pace. Blinkist and Headway are two of the most popular services and both have considerable strengths.

In this blog, we will compare and contrast the features, pricing, and overall value of these two book summary apps to help you decide which one is right for you. Here’s also a video version of why I think Blinkist is the best book summary app.

Here’s a full review of Blinkist & Headway app if you want to read more in detail.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can help me buy a coffee or two at no extra cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. These are products I’ve personally used and stand behind.

More about Book Summary Apps

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Blinkist vs Headway – Quality of Book Summaries

When trying to decide between Blinkist or Headway, the quality of book summaries is probably the most important deciding factor. Both apps have a large selection of summarized books on various topics and genres across non fiction titles.

I compared the same titles on both Blinkist & Headway to assess which app has better summaries. I have also read the books, so I use the same baseline to know which one offers quality summaries.

I’m keen to see which app presents the crucial details better, and if they leave you with a sense of satisfaction. For the test, I chose a list well known nonfiction summaries for the comparison. These nonfiction titles are popular enough to be used as a baseline (+ I’ve read the books).

• Thinking, Fast and Slow
• Rich Dad Poor Dad
• Atomic Habits

Blinkist

Blinkist presents the book summaries in a clear, concise format that is easy to read and understand. The summaries are divided into chapters and provide key takeaways from each section.

I found the experience similar in the audio format as well compared to the text summary.

Headway

The nonfiction books offered by Headway are also well written and provide the key takeaways from each chapter in an engaging format. However, I felt that some of the summaries were not as detailed or comprehensive as those provided by Blinkist (could be a personal perception).

The audio version of Headway’s summaries is also good, although I found the voices to be a bit robotic and lacking in emotion.

Verdict: Blinkist vs Headway – Quality of Book Summaries

While both platforms offer high-quality summaries, I found Blinkist services offer slightly better quality summaries in comparison to Headway.

Headway’s summaries may cover some self-published titles and non-fiction works that may not available on Blinkist. However, Headway does not have the same level of editorial oversight and quality control as Blinkist, so you may find that some of their summaries are not as well written or organized.

Who has more useful quality summaries? – Blinkist, it is!

Blinkist vs Headway – Title Collection / Library Size

The other important factor when deciding between Blinkist and Headway is the size and breadth of their book collections. You not only want to make sure that the service you choose covers a wide range of popular non fiction titles, but also that it has all of your favorite books and authors.

Blinkist

Blinkist offers a vast selection and is much larger than Headway, with over 5500+ nonfiction titles available on its platform. The collection of books summarized includes popular titles on a wide range of topics, including self-improvement, business, personal finance, and current affairs.

The books Blinkist offer are usually from the best seller lists, and you are likely to find one that you always wanted to read.

Headway App

Headway has a more limited selection of titles, with around 1500+ books currently available.

Despite the smaller collection size, Headway does offer some unique titles that are not available on Blinkist, such as self-published and lesser-known nonfiction works.

Verdict

Blinkist wins this battle easily, with its large and comprehensive selection of titles covering a wide range of topics and interests.

If you are looking for popular, well-known titles and a big library of books to choose from, then Blinkist will be the best choice for you.

If you are more interested in lesser-known, self-published titles or want to get access to specific books or genres that are not available on Blinkist, then Headway may be a better fit for you.

Who has a bigger library? – Blinkist, it is!

Blinkist vs Headway App – Cost

Another important factor to consider when choosing between Blinkist and Headway is the cost of their subscription plans. Both apps offer monthly and annual pricing options, with discounts for committing to a longer subscription period.

You’ll the premium membership for an unlimited access to the app’s complete book collection.

Blinkist Pricing & Plans

Blinkist subscription can either be annual or monthly. The monthly plan is priced at $14/month. A much cheaper annual plan at 50% discount (costing $7/month or $84/year) is also available.

The premium subscription gives you access to their entire library of book summaries, so you can learn about more topics and improve your knowledge in less time.

Headway Pricing & Plans

The headway subscription service is slightly more expensive compared to Blinkist. The monthly subscription costs $19,99 a month for full access to the library. The prices may vary slightly depending on the country and currency.

Headway’s pricing comes slightly cheaper and closer to Blinkist when you choose the yearly plan instead – costs around $70 per year.

Verdict

If monthly plan is what are you are after, the Blinkist is a cheaper option. If you want a slightly cheaper option paying annually, then Blinkist is slightly more expensive than Headway. But if you are investing on yourself, is $15 per year a lot to consider?

I’d call it even on the pricing – there is no clear winner. You’d have to compare other factors to pick a winner!

Blinkist vs Headway – What About Free Trials?

Blinkist

Blinkist offers a 7 day free trial. You can explore the entire library and pick a few listens/reads to understand if Blinkist works for you.

Headway

Headway app offers a seven day free trial, but you’d need to commit payment. You can of course cancel the free account access just before the end of the seven day free trial period.

Verdict

Blinkist wins!

Blinkist vs Headway – The Clear Winner Is Blinkist!

These are the key factors to consider

• Are the summarizing services of top quality? Can They precipitate the key ideas and help us gain knowledge to decide if the book is worth our time?
• Do the two apps offer a large personal library with great selection and variety of books, especially the ones you are likely to read
• How much do they cost?

Headway offers a lot – it provides a decent summary and is relatively cheaper on the annual plan. However, it has one downside – the library size.

I’d recommend Headway App if you plan to purchase an annual plan + if you find the books you like in the library.

So, at a reduced cost (when paid monthly) Blinkist app offers a much wider collection. The quality of summaries is very good quality as well.

For me, the obvious winner is Blinkist!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a Free Account / Is there a Free version of the apps?

No, both Blinkist and Headway offer only free trials. There is no free version of the app. However, you might want to check out getAbstract, it offers a free version for students (limited access to 5000+ titles).

Read a full review of getAbstract here. Read a comparison of getabstract vs Blinkist!

StoryShots is worth checking out as well, try it for FREE here

Why do the book summary apps cover only non fiction books?

The way a story unfolds is as important as the story itself. Fiction books fiction enthusiasts prefer to get the entire story in 500 pages rather than just read a summary in 50. Reading the actual books will satisfy customers than summaries. There is just no commercial business case for it.

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