Readwise has unveiled Readwise Books, a new application that merges an ebook storefront, granular reading tracking and AI-powered tools into a single platform. The company pitches it as a hybrid of Kindle and Goodreads, and it arrives as a direct challenge to Amazon, which controls roughly 83% of the e-reader market according to figures cited in the announcement. The launch positions Readwise not as a catalog or pricing competitor, but as a rethinking of how reading itself is measured and experienced.
- Store plus tracker plus AI: Readwise Books bundles an ebook shop, detailed reading analytics and AI features in one app.
- Beyond read/unread: The tracker measures words read, pace, depth, immersion and session data, likened to a Strava for reading.
- Limited AI rollout: AI summaries and queries depend on publisher permission, and only HarperCollins has signed on so far.
- Invite-only beta: The app is free, with some AI features slated for a paid tier later; access is by invitation except for existing subscribers.
A Reading Tracker That Treats Books Like Workouts
The storefront is almost incidental to the proposition. What sets Readwise Books apart is its insistence on treating reading as a measurable activity, much like fitness apps treat running or cycling. Instead of simple dates and a binary read/unread flag, the app logs words read, reading pace, depth of engagement, immersion levels and individual sessions. Readwise itself describes the concept as a Strava for reading, borrowing the social and statistical hooks that have made fitness tracking so habit-forming.
Crucially, the tracking is not confined to books purchased through the Readwise store. The app lets users log sessions through Kindle’s web reader, mark progress in a physical book by snapping a photo, upload DRM-free EPUB files and use voice reading. That flexibility matters in a market where formats and DRM restrictions have long fragmented the reading experience across Kindle, Kobo and tablet devices.
The store side sells millions of ebooks from major publishers, initially in the United States, and also offers physical books and some audiobooks. But the real differentiator remains the analytics layer that sits on top of whatever you happen to be reading.
AI Features Hinge on Publisher Consent
The AI layer adds summaries of each reading session, definitions and term search, translation of words and phrases, and the ability to ask questions about the specific passage you are reading. There is a significant caveat, however: these features depend on permission from each publisher, and so far only HarperCollins has agreed to participate. That single-publisher roster underscores how cautiously the industry is approaching AI features layered onto copyrighted text.
The app is free to use, though some AI capabilities will eventually require a paid plan. Readwise’s existing apps cost $7.99 per month each, or $9.99 for both. Readwise Books is currently in beta and invitation-only, except for existing subscribers. The company, which is funded without outside investors, also includes a public API and an MCP server, opening the door for AI agents to log reading activity automatically. That open approach stands in sharp contrast to the closed ecosystems of the major ebook stores.
An Uphill Battle Against Amazon’s Scale
The challenge facing Readwise is formidable. It is taking on Amazon’s roughly 83% market share with an invitation-only app and a single publisher on board for its AI features. Yet the strategy is clever: rather than competing on price or catalog size, Readwise is betting on an idea Amazon has never fully exploited, turning reading into something measurable and social.
For the obsessive reader, knowing how much they read, at what pace and with what depth could prove as addictive as the statistics in a running app. The risk is the familiar one when an open challenger confronts a giant: that Amazon copies whatever works and folds it into the Kindle already sitting in millions of homes. Readwise has the idea; what it lacks is scale, and scale cannot be bought with a single clever feature.