Reviews of Readwise Reader

By: Readwise App

List of user reviews and ratings for Readwise Reader

Total ratings

4.20 (Rating count: 551)

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Review summary

Overall, users praise Readwise Reader for Obsidian integration, a smooth Pocket transition, and helpful text-to-speech; but recurring downsides include a pricey, unclear subscription, weak offline support, slow performance, onboarding ambiguity, and occasional TTS glitches. The app shows potential for Obsidian users and API-driven workflows if pricing is clarified and reliability improves.

Pros

Obsidian integration and syncing (Seamless Obsidian PARA vault syncing; strong Obsidian companion).
Smooth transition from Pocket, making Readwise Reader a natural choice for Pocket users.
Text-to-Speech accessibility helps focus and reading, with good voice options.
Overall positive user sentiment and willingness to subscribe after trial.
E-Ink mode support is appreciated and adds versatility for reading on eink devices.

Cons

Pricing and subscription model is opaque and expensive, with multiple complaints about after-trial charges and unclear free plan.
Offline reading reliability is weak: articles sometimes don’t save offline or content won’t load offline.
Performance is slow, especially with many sources or large feeds.
Onboarding and clarity about the app’s purpose and pricing is lacking.
Occasional TTS glitches (e.g., TTS stopping when images are in the document).

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User Reviews

Recent rating average: 3.90

All time rating average: 4.20

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17% (13)

Date	Author	Comment
2026-06-19	cy*****	Demo app that requires sign in at start and purchase after 30 days. did not go past sign in screen as a result. Deceptive advertising.
Demo app that requires sign in at start and purchase after 30 days. did not go past sign in screen as a result. Deceptive advertising.
2026-06-02	R.*****	Good but difficult to highlight passages because the app won't allow you to select a single word to start highlighting a sentence. Sometimes, it doesn't even let you select anything at all. Mostly though, my gripe is with how slow the app is to update its library whenever I add a new link. Whether it uploads or not seems to have nothing to do with its length (it'll tell you if it's processing, so that's not what I'm referring to), and I have to force quit and clear the cache regularly.
Good but difficult to highlight passages because the app won't allow you to select a single word to start highlighting a sentence. Sometimes, it doesn't even let you select anything at all. Mostly though, my gripe is with how slow the app is to update its library whenever I add a new link. Whether it uploads or not seems to have nothing to do with its length (it'll tell you if it's processing, so that's not what I'm referring to), and I have to force quit and clear the cache regularly.
2026-05-23	Mo*****	The ultimate reading and research tool. Hands-down the best read-it-later app available. It handles web articles and dense PDFs beautifully, and the highlighting seamless feeds into the main Readwise ecosystem. It is clean, lightning-fast, and completely streams your note-taking.
The ultimate reading and research tool. Hands-down the best read-it-later app available. It handles web articles and dense PDFs beautifully, and the highlighting seamless feeds into the main Readwise ecosystem. It is clean, lightning-fast, and completely streams your note-taking.
2026-04-23	Si*****	Please remove GMS plugin module so that I can run this app on a phone without Google Play. I think many users on Reddit requested similar change.
Please remove GMS plugin module so that I can run this app on a phone without Google Play. I think many users on Reddit requested similar change.
2026-03-20	sh*****	The TL/DR in the privacy policy says they don't collect any personal info but then just few paragraphs down into the privacy policy, they say they collect and share every personal identifier including phone model, IP address and others. Stay away!
The TL/DR in the privacy policy says they don't collect any personal info but then just few paragraphs down into the privacy policy, they say they collect and share every personal identifier including phone model, IP address and others. Stay away!
2026-02-09	Le*****	Living with EOPD, my focus is a war zone. Reader is the "clean room" that bypasses the cognitive sludge. Text-to-Speech is a lifesaver when neuro-fatigue kills my ability to track lines, and instant highlighting ensures I don't lose data when my motor control glitches. Seamlessly syncing to my Obsidian PARA vault, it turns my "rusted system" into a high-octane research engine. It’s not just an app; it’s a vital prosthetic for a failing attention span. Essential kit. 5/5.
Living with EOPD, my focus is a war zone. Reader is the "clean room" that bypasses the cognitive sludge. Text-to-Speech is a lifesaver when neuro-fatigue kills my ability to track lines, and instant highlighting ensures I don't lose data when my motor control glitches. Seamlessly syncing to my Obsidian PARA vault, it turns my "rusted system" into a high-octane research engine. It’s not just an app; it’s a vital prosthetic for a failing attention span. Essential kit. 5/5.
2026-02-06	Al*****	Best companion to my Obsidian setup ever.
Best companion to my Obsidian setup ever.
2026-01-23	Pa*****	slow
slow
2026-01-17	Sy*****	Love everything about Reader and Readwise!
Love everything about Reader and Readwise!
2026-01-14	Ad*****	Bad for photosensitive people. The screen flickers to white really fast even when in dark mode. I reported this but there was no improvement. Otherwise, the app would've been nice.
Bad for photosensitive people. The screen flickers to white really fast even when in dark mode. I reported this but there was no improvement. Otherwise, the app would've been nice.