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Readwise Books combines an e-book shop with detailed reading analytics
Readwise has launched Readwise Books, an app that combines an e-book shop and reader with tools for logging and analysing reading. The move puts the bootstrapped company in competition with Amazon’s Kindle and Goodreads, while offering more detailed measures of reading activity.
The US store offers millions of e-books from major publishers, as well as print books and some audiobooks. Readers can track pace, words read and sessions, import DRM-free EPUBs, listen to text-to-speech and record reading outside the app, including through Kindle Cloud Reader or photos of physical books. Readwise says the app will also offer publisher-approved AI features such as recaps, definitions and translations; Kindle holds an 83% market share when Kindle+ is included.
In short
- Readwise has launched an app combining e-book buying, reading and tracking.
- It offers detailed metrics such as pace, immersion and words read.
- Its US store includes millions of e-books, plus print books and some audiobooks.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Readwise Books could give readers more choice by combining book purchasing with tools that make reading habits visible and easier to sustain. Detailed measures, support for imported books and ways to log reading beyond the app may help people understand their progress without being tied to one device or shop.
The case against
More detailed tracking may make reading feel like a productivity task, encouraging people to focus on pace and volume rather than enjoyment or reflection. A smaller service competing with Kindle also raises questions about the durability of its shop and library, while AI summaries and other features may change how readers engage with books even when publishers approve them.
Explained simply
Readwise is a US software company best known for tools that help people save and review notes and highlights from what they read. Its new book service brings a shop and a digital reading app together, while also letting users record activity from books they read elsewhere.
The service offers e-books from major publishers, along with some print books and audiobooks. Readers can import certain e-books, use spoken text and track measures such as reading time and pace; Readwise also says it plans to offer AI tools approved by publishers.
The service enters a market where Amazon’s Kindle is the leading e-book platform, while Goodreads is widely used for keeping track of books and sharing reviews. Readwise’s focus on detailed reading records gives it a different emphasis, and its success will depend in part on whether readers choose to use it alongside or instead of established services.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “Readwise takes on Amazon’s Kindle and Goodreads with its new app for book lovers”.