Instaread: Learn Something New

• Free to download
• In-app purchases

Last verified 31 Jul 2026

4.6 9329 ratings · App Store

1. 5/5Tech Support?

   Most Recent Update: 24 Jan 2018 ******************************************* There are a lot of opportunities to acquire summaries of fiction and non-fiction audiobooks and I’ve tried a good many of the vendors. They are (IMHO) generally fairly similar, varying only: in their library - in this case better than most; in the utility of the software - easy to use; and in their concerns of the user base - unsurpassed. The old saw “You get what you pay for” is in this instance an undervaluation... here I’ve gotten more than I expected. I’ve changed my evaluation to 5 stars. ******************************************* UPDATED REVIEW ***************************************************************** I initially posted a one star review because I got stuck in a loop and couldn’t access my account. The owner reached out to me and we figured out where the problem(s) started. As is the case with the majority of single engine aircraft accidents, pilot error is the first place to look. I suggested to them to make a couple of changes on their WEBsite to prevent a similar situation. Having used just one item from their catalog - successfully - I will change my review to three (3) stars. I will update the review at the end of my trial. Stay tuned. 😊 ***************************************************************** FIRST REVIEW They have none. Uninstalled. Bye-bye, we gone. Signed: a VERY satisfied long-time Blinkist subscriber.

   ISISucks · 31 Jul 2026

2. 1/5Watch out before signing up for a trial

   BE AWARE Im a college student who likes to read. I saw Instaread and wanted to give a try so I signed for a trial. I was always planning that if I liked it i would go for the monthly subscription which is around $9. Well, it turns out that it charged me $90 dollars for a year round subscription that I didn’t sign for, and plus that, they don’t even have a customer service where I can try to fix this problem. I cancelled the subscription and it didn’t refund the money. It said: your subscription will still valid for 1 year. I haven’t see any similar online scams recently. They don’t refund, they don’t even switch from yearly to monthly. Once you paid, the money is gone. I needed that money for a college textbook. So BE AWARE

   John12SM · 31 Jul 2026

3. 5/5Disappointment

   ******** UPDATED REVIEW ********* Instaread Tech Support reached out to me and fortunately fixed my issue with the app freezing up. Based upon their timely response, I am changing my review to 5 stars. This app is great for catching up with the books I have been interested in without having to commit to buying and reading. (I think of it like the “Cliff Notes” version.) If I really like the book, I am able to purchase it and read the entire thing knowing that I won’t be wasting my time and/or $$$. I recommend this app for anyone with limited time and a desire to stay “current” with their reading. ************************************* I used to love this app. I’ve had this app for a long time (I purchased a “lifetime” subscription). However, I’ve noticed, over time, the quality of this app was deteriorating to the point of rarely working. It was my go to app when traveling because it allowed me to catch up on new reads. It’s disappointing to see a once great app become useless! I was also shocked to find, when deciding to write a review, that this app automatically defaults to a 5-star glowing review that is pre-written for you. Really?? Shame on you, Instaread!!

   2dum2no · 31 Jul 2026

4. 3/5Too long

   I really enjoy the summaries but it seems like they should be a little shorter. 12-15 mins is about my attention span, but that’s just me. Also, why is the actual books cover art not being used? Having different covers makes it had to scan for a book and I don’t associate the knowledge to the actual authors’s visual interpretation of what the cover should look like, but it’s not a huge deal so I wouldn’t count a star off for that. Otherwise I really enjoy listening:) Oh and being able to speed up the readers pace is really handy!

   Nikkihuy · 31 Jul 2026

5. 1/5Great content, terrible app

   The summaries of nonfiction books are excellent. Instaread content is a great way to absorb a large amount of information quickly. The audio player is terrible. The user interface is terrible. The whole app needs to be overhauled. The problems are numerous: -if you close the app for more than a few minutes, it will not keep your place where you left off. You have to search for the thing your were listening to. Even if you take the time to find it, it will most often start over at the beginning. -if you listen to something part last through then try to start something else, when you come back to the first thing, more often than not it starts over at the beginning. So frustrating. -half the time you hit fast forward or rewind, instead of going 15 or 30 seconds as indicated, it will just go back to the beginning, or skip a whole chapter. -there is no way to save things you’ve listened to separate from a single shelf that includes everything you save. Once you save a few things, you have to wade through to get to things you haven’t listened to yet. There is no way to organize or only show things you haven’t listened to yet. -if you are browsing the app for other content while you listen, there is no way to quickly navigate back to what you’re listening to. You have to search for it or navigate back to your library and scroll through to find it. It is a real shame such great content is languishing in such a disaster of poor design. For someone who listens to content while driving, the constant restarting at the beginning is actually unsafe. It is too distracting to try to find my place, so I just give up. This is a one star app. With the great content provided, it could easily be a five star app with any effort to bring it up to speed with every other popular podcast or audiobook app available.

   Luke1322 · 31 Jul 2026

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