Instaread Review May 2023 – Is It Worth Your Money?
Instaread is a popular book summary app, but is it the best? Should you spend your money on it – read on!
Instaread Review Summary
Don’t Want To Wait? Here’s Our Verdict!
Quality of book summaries & Titles collection
Instaread has around 5500+ titles available for subscribers. The collection size is better than Headway App, and comparable to Blinkist (its main competitor). Book summary apps mainly cover nonfiction books, but Instaread had a decent collection of fiction as well.
The summaries tend to be longer (some times up to 25 minutes), which is unique to Instaread. Most of the other book summary apps tend to have summaries around 12 to 15 minutes. Does longer make it better? Not, in my opinion.
The summary content was decent and covers the key insights, but I felt the audio versions were a bit of drag. The voices were a bit too robotic for my liking.
Ease of use
The app was easy to use, the design is smooth. You wouldn’t struggle to get to what you want to see/listen. I’d rate it as ‘on par’ with it competitors.
Pricing & Plans
The annual plan (paid once a year) is $120 (approximately $10/month).
The monthly subscription (paid monthly) costs around $12. The discounts are usually much better on annual plan, but Instaread team doesn’t seem to encourage annual plan for some strange reason.
Is Instaread worth it?
This entire blog is the long answer to this question, but the short answer is NO.
The quality of summaries aren’t the best in class, and Instaread is more expensive than Blinkist though it offers the same number of titles.
My strong recommendation is to try Blinkist first before you try any other book summary app. For the pricing, the quality of summaries & the title collection it offers, Blinkist is easily the best app in the market.
Blinkist also offers a 7 day free trial. Try it before you make a commitment. Here’s a detailed Blinkist review.
Disclosure: This site is user supported. 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.
Here’s a video reviewing the best book summary apps in the market today!
More about Book Summary Apps
- Honest Headway app review (gets over 7K clicks/month)
- The best book summary apps
- Shortform vs Blinkist
- getAbstract vs Blinkist
- Blinkist vs Headway App
- Honest Blinkist Review
- Complete Instaread review
Quality Of Book summaries
I tested the following books on Instaread. I picked these titles as I have read these books, and have also listened to these on the competition (Blinkist, Headway App, getAbstract & Storyshots).
1- Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
The great book covers how we think and explains how our brain works. It is one of the most insightful books I have ever read. The author’s style is closer to listening to college lecture (he is a professor after all). It is a hard book to read (for an average person like me), but packs so much value.
2- Atomic Habits – James Clear
I have read this book as well. The book has an easy flow and packs a lot of practical tips. This book is a good test, as you can clearly tell the quality of summaries by measuring how much detail they skip & how they summarize a key section.
What I liked about the book summaries?
The key insights were clear & concise enough. The author’s perspective wasn’t missed. The fact that most summaries are around 20 – 25 minutes also helps in including a lot of key insights.
If you prefer reading the summaries, you are more likely to find the summaries on Instaread helpful.
What I didn’t like about the Instaread summaries?
The summaries are sometimes long (up to 25-30 minutes) even though all the key takeaways were in tact. But this isn’t designed for people who are short on time.
The main reason people use book summaries is to get the condensed version quickly, I felt 25-30 minutes was pushing my patience levels. The voice seems too robotic to my liking.
Title Collection
Instaread paid access covers over 5600+ titles. You will very likely find the book you are looking for. The collection includes most non fiction titles across categories like business & economics, politics, history, health & fitness, social sciences etc.,
Interestingly, Instaread also covers other nonfiction sources like Harvard business review etc., in its title collection.
Instread pricing – how much does Instaread cost?
Instaread offers two payment options for its users: the annual plan and the monthly subscription. The annual plan is paid once a year and costs $120. On the other hand, the monthly subscription costs approximately $12 per month.
While the annual plan provides slightly better discounts compared to the monthly subscription, it is way below what competition offers. For example, the annual pricing of Blinkist is almost 50% cheaper than monthly pricing. This may be some that Instaread team may want to review.
Additionally, Instaread offers a free trial for those who want to try out the app before committing to a paid plan.
PS: Prices may vary slightly depending on your location & currency.
The Discover Tab
The app’s discover tab features different sections that are presented in a sequential order as you scroll down. These include:
New: In this section, users can browse the latest titles that have been uploaded on the app. They can either click “view all” to see all of them at once or scroll horizontally to explore more without having to leave the page.
Popular: This section features the most popular titles on the app among its users. As users continue scrolling down, they can also discover more genres presented in the same fashion.
The Highlights: This section showcases a curated selection of top summaries that have been chosen by the Instaread team. The summaries automatically scroll past one by one horizontally, and users can also swipe left or right to navigate manually.
I’m not a fan of the infographics or cards option. It condenses the message too much and almost becomes irrelevant.
Instaread Originals
Instaread also has a original collection of books published/distributed via its app. The title collection seems to indicate that focus is primarily biography/ autobiography type of books.
Instaread Alternatives – What is the best alternative to Instaread?
Here’s my detailed blog about best book summary apps. The main alternative to Instaread is Blinkist in my opinion.
Instaread vs Blinkist
Book summary quality
The quality of summaries are much better on Blinkist, they cover the key insights without becoming boring. The audio versions are much more engaging that the robotic versions of Instaread. I also like that most audio summaries on Blinkist are about 15 minute long, just the right time for a summary.
The winner – Blinkist!
Title collection
Both Instaread and Blinkist have similar title collection size at around 5500+ titles. The most popular books seem to be available on both platforms.
The winner – It is a tie!
Pricing
Blinkist annual subscription costs around $6-$8 depending on the location and currency compared to $10 on Instaread. For the quality it offers, Blinkist delivers much better value for money.
The winner – Blinkist, by a distance!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there summaries for Fiction books?
Book summary apps tend to focus mainly on nonfiction books, however some fiction books are also beginning to get covered these days. Please note that listening to these summaries will not help you get the flow of the story, but just the main points so you can decide if it is worth your time.
Are book summary apps a replacement for reading the entire book?
Book summary apps are not a replacement for reading the entire book. However, they can be a great way to get the key insights from a book in a shorter amount of time. If you want to fully understand the book or dive deeper into the content, you should read the entire book.
Can book summary apps be trusted to provide accurate information?
Most book summary apps are written by professionals who have read the book and summarized it. However, there is always a risk that some information may be missed or misinterpreted. It’s important to use book summary apps as a supplementary tool to reading the full book and not rely on them as your sole source of information.
Do book summary apps offer audio versions of the summaries?
Many book summary apps offer audio versions of their summaries, making it easy to listen to the key insights while on-the-go. However, not all book summary apps offer this feature, so it’s important to check before you subscribe if this is something that’s important to you.
How do I make the most out of using a book summary app?
To make the most out of a book summary app, it’s best to approach it with a clear goal in mind. Are you looking to quickly learn the main ideas of a book? Do you want to use it to determine whether or not a book is worth reading in full?
Once you have a clear goal, choose the books you want to read and stick to the summaries that meet your needs. Also, try to actively engage with the content by taking notes, summarizing key points, and applying the ideas in your life.
If you are into productivity apps , you might be interested in AI writers like CopyAI, Peppertype, Quillbot or Writecream. Read more here. I also write at Medium.
