A Private Alternative to Glasp
Glasp is a social highlighting tool where your notes are public by default. Screvi takes the opposite approach: your highlights are yours, private by default, searchable with AI, and organized however you want.
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
What Is Glasp?
Glasp (short for "Greatest Legacy Accumulated as Shared Proof") is a browser extension that lets you highlight text on any web page and share those highlights with the world. The concept is ambitious: build a collective library of human knowledge through shared highlights.
With over 500,000 users, Glasp has gained real traction. The Chrome extension works well for highlighting websites and PDFs. It supports Kindle sync, generates AI summaries of YouTube videos, and sends a daily email digest. You can follow other users, browse their highlights, and discover content through what other people found interesting.
The catch is in the name. Your highlights are your "shared proof," and they're public by default. Glasp's philosophy is that knowledge should be shared openly. That's a meaningful position, but it's not for everyone.
The Privacy Question
When you highlight something in Glasp, other users can see it. Your reading profile (the articles you've read, the passages you've marked, and any notes you've written) is visible on your public Glasp page.
For some people, that's appealing. Sharing reading notes publicly can start conversations and connect you with others who read similar things. Some academics and content creators actively want their highlights out in the open.
But many readers don't. Research notes, personal development reading, highlights from sensitive topics, work-related articles. There are plenty of reasons someone wouldn't want their reading activity on display. And even if you're comfortable sharing some highlights, you might not want all of them visible by default.
Screvi's approach is the opposite. Your highlights are private. Only you can see them unless you explicitly choose to share something, like exporting a highlight as a styled image. There's no public profile, no follower count, no social feed of your reading activity. Your reading library is personal by default.
An Honest Look at Glasp
What it does well
- Well-made Chrome extension for web highlighting
- Interesting Social discovery (see what others highlight)
- Kindle highlight sync works reliably
- YouTube AI summary feature is useful
- Free tier available with generous limits
- Daily email digest to revisit past highlights
Where it falls short
- Highlights are public by default (no truly private option on free plan)
- Chrome-only browser extension (no Firefox or Safari)
- No Kobo or Apple Books import
- No spaced repetition system
- No AI semantic search across your own highlights
- No article reader (just a highlighter overlay)
- No physical book scanner with AI text recognition
- No newsletter inbox
- No iOS widget
- Limited organizational tools compared to dedicated highlights managers
Feature Comparison
Glasp focuses on public, social highlighting. Screvi focuses on private highlights management with AI-powered recall.
Screvi: 19/22 features · Glasp: 7/22 features
| Feature | Screvi | Glasp |
|---|---|---|
| Web highlighting | ||
| Browser extension | Chrome, Firefox, Safari | Chrome only |
| PDF highlighting | ||
| Kindle highlight import | ||
| YouTube highlights | ||
| Daily email digest | ||
| Highlights are private by default | ||
| Kobo highlight import | ||
| Apple Books import | ||
| AI semantic search | ||
| Spaced repetition | ||
| Highlights feed | ||
| AI topic discovery | ||
| Distraction-free article reader | ||
| Physical book scanner (AI) | ||
| Newsletter inbox | ||
| iOS widget | ||
| Tags with colors | Labels | |
| Share highlights as images | ||
| Social features / public profiles | ||
| Follow other readers | ||
| Public API |
Why Readers Switch from Glasp to Screvi
Private by Default
Your highlights, notes, and reading activity are visible only to you. Share individual highlights when you want to, but nothing is exposed without your explicit choice.
Works Across All Browsers
Screvi has extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Glasp only supports Chrome, which leaves Firefox and Safari users without a way to highlight the web.
More Sources, One Library
Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, web articles, YouTube, newsletters, physical books, and PDFs, all in one place. Glasp covers web pages, Kindle, and YouTube, but misses Kobo, Apple Books, newsletters, and physical book scanning.
AI Search Across Your Highlights
Screvi's semantic search understands what you mean, not just what you type. Search for "arguments about attention spans" and find highlights about focus, distraction, deep reading, and media consumption.
Spaced Repetition
Glasp has a daily digest, which is a start. Screvi goes further with spaced repetition that surfaces highlights at intervals tuned for long-term memory, plus a highlights feed for casual rediscovery.
A Real Article Reader
Screvi doesn't just overlay highlights on cluttered web pages. It has a distraction-free reader that strips away ads, sidebars, and popups so you can focus on the content.
How to Switch from Glasp to Screvi
Moving your highlights from Glasp to Screvi takes just a few steps.
Step 1
Export Your Glasp Highlights
Go to your Glasp profile and use the export feature to download your highlights. Glasp supports exporting to Markdown, CSV, and other formats.
Step 2
Sign Up for Screvi
Create your Screvi account and start your 14-day free trial. No credit card required upfront.
Step 3
Import Your Data
Upload your exported Glasp highlights into Screvi. Your highlights, notes, and source URLs will carry over into your new library.
Step 4
Connect Your E-Readers
If you also read on Kindle, Kobo, or Apple Books, connect those accounts to pull in book highlights that Glasp didn't support.
Step 5
Install the Browser Extension
Get the Screvi extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Your web highlighting workflow stays the same, but now your highlights are private.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try it with your highlights
Create your account, add your highlights and see how Screvi can change the way you read.