Readwise Books launches as a Kindle and Goodreads rival
Readwise has launched Readwise Books, a free app that combines an e-book store, a Goodreads-style tracker and detailed reading stats to challenge Amazon.
Readwise, the maker of a read-it-later app and a tool that collects highlights across services, has launched Readwise Books, an e-book store and reading tracker that goes straight at Amazon's Kindle and Goodreads. The bootstrapped startup calls it "a cross between Kindle and the Goodreads apps": one place to buy, read and log books.
A store, a tracker and richer stats
The store offers "millions" of e-books from the big five publishers and others, initially in the U.S., with more countries planned. Print books, fulfilled through Bookshop.org's distributor, and some audiobooks are also on sale. Readers can upload DRM-free EPUB files, listen to books through text-to-speech and share progress with friends.
The main pitch is depth of data. Beyond start and finish dates, the app shows words read, pace, depth, immersion and sessions. Readwise likens this to a "Strava for reading". Co-founders Daniel Doyon and Tristan Homsi argue that measuring reading makes it legible, and that what is measured tends to improve. The company says the most consistent user feedback is that the app has made people read more without goal-setting, streaks or scheduling.
Books outside the ecosystem can be tracked too: through Kindle's browser-based Cloud Reader, or by photographing a physical book to mark progress.
AI features and open access
With publishers' permission, the app will support AI features such as session recaps, definitions, translations of words and phrases, and location-aware questions about the passage being read. So far only HarperCollins has opted in.
Unlike Goodreads' closed ecosystem, Readwise offers a public API and an MCP server. That lets AI agents research recommendations, build a books page on a personal site or log sessions from a hackable e-reader.
The challenge is steep: Kindle holds an 83% share of the e-book market when Kindle+ is included, and it controls hardware as well as software. Readwise Books will stay free, with some AI features later moving behind a paywall. The company's earlier reading and highlights apps cost $7.99 per month each, or $9.99 per month for both.
Apps worth a look
SUMO: the number puzzleTap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.
Dialo: learn languages by speakingTalk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.
ediviewer: read EDI files like documentsOpen EDIFACT and X12 messages, see every segment explained, convert to JSON/XML, export PDF and Excel. Runs locally, no upload.
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