Reading Highlights

Best Apps Like Readwise: Top Reading Highlights and Spaced Repetition Alternatives in 2026

Readwise aggregates highlights from Kindle, Instapaper, Pocket, and books, then resurfaces them via daily email and spaced repetition review sessions.

Why People Look for Readwise Alternatives

Kindle's built-in highlights and notebook are free for Amazon device users.
Notion can serve as a highlight database with manual imports at no subscription cost.
Obsidian plugins (Readwise, Omnivore) can replicate highlight routing for free.
Anki is a free spaced repetition tool for users willing to manually create cards.

6 Best Alternatives to Readwise

Each app below addresses a specific gap in Readwise's offering. We picked them based on real user review patterns and feature differentiation.

Kindle Highlights

Free built-in highlight export from Amazon Kindle.

Amazon provides free access to all Kindle highlights at read.amazon.com. Users can browse, copy, and share highlights without any third-party app. Popular Kindle books have community highlights visible to all.

Kindle-only readers who want free access to highlights without a subscription. Free with Kindle account.
Explore Kindle Highlights data →

Anki

Free open-source spaced repetition flashcard system.

Anki is the gold standard for spaced repetition learning. Users create flashcard decks manually from any content source. It lacks Readwise's automatic import but offers more control over what gets reviewed.

Learners who want full control over spaced repetition review with no subscription. Free on desktop and Android; $24.99 iOS one-time.
Explore Anki data →

Obsidian with Readwise Plugin

Route all highlights into Obsidian for notes-based review.

Obsidian's official Readwise plugin syncs highlights from Readwise into your Obsidian vault as Markdown notes. Combined with Obsidian's spaced repetition plugins, it replicates the core Readwise workflow inside a local notes system.

Obsidian users who want highlights routed into their personal knowledge base. Obsidian free; Readwise subscription required for syncing.
Explore Obsidian with Readwise Plugin data →

Matter

Read-it-later app with highlights and social reading.

Matter handles article and newsletter reading with highlighting and annotation, and its premium tier adds integration with note-taking apps. It overlaps with Readwise Reader for reading workflows but lacks the spaced repetition review layer.

Readers who want highlighting in their reading app without a separate review subscription. Free; Premium $9.99/mo.
Explore Matter data →

Supermemo

The original spaced repetition software.

SuperMemo is the research-origin tool that created spaced repetition algorithms. It is more complex than Anki but has deeper algorithmic sophistication. Available on Windows with a steep learning curve.

Advanced learners who want the deepest spaced repetition algorithm without subscription overhead. SuperMemo 18 $46 one-time (Windows).
Explore Supermemo data →

Clippings.io

Export and manage your Kindle highlights for free.

Clippings.io imports Kindle highlights from your device and provides browsing, tagging, and export to Evernote, Notion, and other tools. The free tier handles basic management; Pro adds unlimited exports.

Kindle users who want free highlight management and export without a Readwise subscription. Free; Pro $2.99/mo.
Explore Clippings.io data →
How we found these alternatives

Readwise later launched Readwise Reader, a full read-it-later app bundled with the core Readwise subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

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