Looking for a Readwise Alternative?
Readwise shifted its focus to Reader. Screvi is built from the ground up as a highlights manager, with AI search, a highlights feed, spaced repetition, and all your sources in one place.
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What is Readwise?
Readwise launched in 2018 as a highlights manager that syncs your Kindle, Apple Books, and other reading highlights, then resurfaces them via daily review emails. In 2022, Readwise launched Reader, a read-it-later app that became their primary focus. Reader is now included in the Readwise Full plan. They also offer Readwise Lite (daily review only) at a lower price. At $12.99/month (or $9.99/month billed annually for the Full plan), Readwise is one of the more expensive options in the space.
Why people look for Readwise alternatives
- Readwise Full costs $12.99/month ($9.99/month annually), significantly more than many alternatives
- The team's focus has shifted to Reader, which is now bundled into the Full plan
- No AI semantic search: Readwise only offers basic keyword search across highlights
- The UI feels dated compared to modern alternatives
- No social-media-style highlights feed for rediscovering your content
- No AI topic discovery to find connections across your reading
- No AI-powered physical book scanner: Readwise has basic OCR but not Gemini-powered text extraction
Screvi vs Readwise: Feature Comparison
Screvi: 23/29 features · Readwise: 11/29 features
| Feature | Screvi | Readwise |
|---|---|---|
| Import Kindle highlights | ||
| Import Kobo highlights | ||
| Import Apple Books highlights | ||
| Import PDF annotations | ||
| Import Twitter/X bookmarks | ||
| Spaced repetition review | ||
| Daily email digest | ||
| Tags | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| iOS & Android apps | ||
| Public API | ||
| Article reader (read-it-later) | Included in Full plan (Reader) | |
| AI semantic search | ||
| Highlights feed | ||
| AI topic discovery | ||
| AI highlight cleanup | ||
| Physical book scanner (OCR) | AI-powered (Gemini) | Basic OCR |
| Save YouTube transcripts | Full plan only (Reader) | |
| Personal newsletter inbox | Full plan only (Reader) | |
| AI article summaries | Full plan only (Ghostreader) | |
| EPUB reader | Full plan only (Reader) | |
| RSS feed reader | Full plan only (Reader) | |
| Text-to-speech | Full plan only (Reader) | |
| iOS home screen widget | ||
| Tags with colors | ||
| Share highlights as images | ||
| Audio transcription (voice to highlight) | ||
| Lifetime plan available | $199 one-time | |
| Starting price | $4.99/mo | $5.59/mo (Lite) / $9.99/mo (Full, annual) |
Why choose Screvi over Readwise
Lower price, more features
Screvi starts at $4.99/month vs Readwise Full at $9.99/month (annual) or $12.99/month. Or get lifetime access for $199, a one-time payment with no recurring fees. All plans include every feature.
AI-powered semantic search
Readwise offers basic keyword search. Screvi uses AI embeddings to find highlights by meaning. Ask "what did I read about decision-making?" and get results even if those words don't appear.
Your highlights feed
A scrollable feed of your highlights, designed like a social media feed but filled with your own ideas. Readwise shows a static list. Screvi makes rediscovery feel natural.
All-in-one from the start
Readwise evolved into two products (Readwise + Reader) now bundled under one subscription. Screvi was designed from day one as a unified highlights manager and article reader, simpler and more focused.
AI-powered book scanner
Both apps scan physical books, but Screvi uses Google Gemini AI to extract highlighted and underlined text from photos, handling messy handwriting and complex layouts. Readwise uses basic OCR.
AI topic discovery
Screvi clusters your highlights into themes across all sources. Discover that your reading about psychology, business, and philosophy connects around decision-making.
Switching from Readwise?
Switching from Readwise is easy. Go to Integrations > Readwise Import and either upload your CSV export or enter your Readwise API token. All highlights and tags are imported. The process takes under a minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try it with your highlights
Create your account, add your highlights and see how Screvi can change the way you read.