Capturing the essence of a lengthy book quickly and, most importantly, accurately sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Lucky for us, we live in the tech age, when artificial intelligence handles complex tasks in minutes – AI-powered platforms for online book summaries prove that perfectly. But how can you find the tool that will match your needs while delivering high-quality outputs? To help you achieve the expected results, we have compared the most popular platforms available today: Shortform, AI Book Summarizer, and Blinkist.
Shortform
Shortform is a subscription-based digital platform that offers more than 1,000 ready-made guides to popular non-fiction works. It’s designed not only to summarize book titles but also to provide interactive exercises, expert commentary, and cross-referenced ideas from related content to help readers better understand the material. This makes Shortform perfect for learners and educators seeking to simplify complex material, explore new topics, and make key insights easier to review. The platform may also suit busy individuals who do not have time to read full-length books.
There’s a 5-day free trial that gives you limited access to Shortform features. Subscription costs $24 per month or $197 per year.
Key Highlights:
- In-depth online book summaries for 2,000-5,000 words that take 20–30 minutes to read or listen to
- Availability of AI-narrated audio summaries
- Links to related topics or books
- Personalized reading plans
- Content translation in Spanish, German, and Portuguese
- Kindle support and Notion integration
- Shortform browser extension for webpage summaries
- Community discussions
- Apps for Android and iOS
How to Use Shortform
- Register at the Shortform website and complete a questionnaire about your reading preferences.
- Browse the library or use the search field to find the book you need.
- Open the summary and decide if you want to read or listen to it (there’s a Headphones icon for an audio version).
- Engage with the content (write notes, do exercises, or highlight key points).
- Stay updated for new Shortform guides and online book summaries.
AI Book Summarizer
AI Book Summarizer is a powerful web-based tool for generating short, well-structured summaries of different PDF, EPUB, and TXT files, from fiction/non-fiction books to research-heavy papers and business reports. Thanks to the integration of advanced AI algorithms, it provides accurate text insights and in-depth analysis irrespective of content complexity.
Besides creating an AI book summary in mere seconds, you can also chat with the tool to clarify things you are interested in or adjust its outputs (e.g., if you want to learn more about a character or get an in-depth summary of a particular section). In addition, the tool provides lots of ready-made book overviews, allowing you to grasp the key points of popular titles without reading them in full.
Unlike Shortform or Blinkist, AI Book Summarizer is entirely free and does not require registration. All this makes it perfect for regular use, whether you are a student or a busy professional.
Key Highlights:
- Short yet precise summaries that take just a couple of minutes to read
- Ability to ask follow-up questions to get tailored summaries that align with your interests
- Intuitive interface and quick summary generation
- Ease of extracting key points from the entire text or a specific section
- Content translation from/into multiple languages is possible
- Seamless optimization for any device, with no need to download the tool
- Comprehensive summaries of popular books
- No paid features or daily upload limits
How to Use AI Book Summarizer
- Open AI Book Summarizer in a web browser.
- Upload your book file or drag and drop it into the corresponding window.
- Read the summary generated for you.
- If you need additional information, go to the Ask Questions tab and chat with the tool for more details.
Blinkist
Blinkist is a popular website that summarizes books into 15-minute “blinks”, giving you the key takeaways of 9,000+ non-fiction titles in a way that is easy to digest. It’s great for people seeking quick insights instead of going too deep. It also lets you listen to summaries and quickly generate overviews of videos, podcasts, documents, and web articles. The tool is particularly well-suited for busy professionals who typically opt for audiobooks instead of reading or want brief insights from numerous titles.
Blinkist AI requires a PRO subscription, which costs $174.99 per year. However, you can get it with a 20% discount for $139.99. There’s also a 7-day free trial, but it doesn’t include access to premium features.
Key Highlights:
- Wide range of book categories, podcasts, and expert guides to choose from
- Audio versions of online book summaries for on-the-go learning
- Synchronization with Evernote and Kindle
- Ability to highlight the needed content for further saving or sharing
- Support for English and German
- Personalized self-growth plan and book recommendations
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
How to Use Blinkist
- Install the app or open Blinkist in a web browser.
- Complete the registration process and answer a set of questions about your personality and reading habits.
- Go to the “Explore” tab and find a book you are interested in. Alternatively, you can also upload your file to get a brief summary through Blinkist AI.
- Choose whether you want to “Read” or “Play” the summary.
- Highlight content or make notes if needed.
- Save book overviews to your library to keep them at hand.
Final Thoughts
By comparing the tools mentioned above, you can now choose the best AI for book summary that matches your needs. If you are seeking a tool for deep, thoughtful learning, Shortform is your way to go. Blinkist suits those who want to blaze through as many nonfiction titles as possible, do not have time to learn, or are just tired of listening to traditional podcasts. If all you need is a well-functioning online tool for accurate content summaries with the ability to ask follow-up questions, AI Book Summarizer is the best choice, especially since it’s free.2
