Readwise costs $9.99 per month billed annually, which works out to $119.88 per year, or $12.99 per month if you pay month to month. That full plan is the one that includes Readwise Reader. There is no permanent free tier, only a 30-day trial. A cheaper Lite plan exists at $5.59 per month billed annually, but it covers highlight review only and does not include the Reader app. You can confirm the current numbers on the official Readwise pricing page.
Last reviewed: July 12, 2026.
The short answer
- Readwise Lite: $5.59/month billed annually. Daily highlight review, highlight search, sync from all sources, tags and notes. No Reader app.
- Readwise (full): $9.99/month billed annually ($119.88/year), or $12.99/month billed monthly. Everything in Lite plus the Readwise Reader app, export to Notion and Obsidian, and early access to beta features.
- Free tier: none. You get 30 days free, and you can extend the trial by referring friends. After that it's paid only.
- Student discount: 50% off.
If you came here asking "how much is Readwise Reader by itself," the answer is that Reader is not sold separately. It comes bundled with the full Readwise subscription.
Lite vs full
| Readwise Lite | Readwise (full) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.59/mo billed annually | $9.99/mo billed annually, or $12.99/mo |
| Annual total | $67.08 | $119.88 |
| Daily highlight review | Yes | Yes |
| Highlight search and tags | Yes | Yes |
| Readwise Reader app | No | Yes |
| Export to Notion / Obsidian | No | Yes |
| Free tier | No, 30-day trial | No, 30-day trial |
What you're actually paying for
To be fair to Readwise: the full plan is the most capable product in the category. You get a read-later app, an RSS reader, a newsletter inbox, PDF and EPUB support, and a highlighting system that syncs into Obsidian and Notion, all in one subscription. If you use most of that, $119.88 a year is a defensible price for what is effectively three or four tools.
The complaints you see about Readwise pricing usually come from people who use a fraction of it. If your actual workflow is "save articles, read them, find them again later," you are paying for a lot of machinery you never touch, and the absence of a free tier means there is no way to stay on a lighter version for less.
Where the price lands against alternatives
| App | Cheapest paid year | Permanent free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Readwise (full, with Reader) | $119.88 | No |
| Instapaper Premium | $59.99 | Yes (without full-text search) |
| Matter Premium | $60 (on the web) | Yes |
| Gleamr | $49.99 (Founder Annual) | Yes (50 articles, with full-text search) |
Sources: Readwise pricing, Instapaper Premium, Matter, Gleamr pricing.
If you only need save, search, and export
This is the gap Gleamr sits in. It does not try to be an RSS reader or a highlighting system. It saves articles, organizes them with tags, searches the full text of everything you saved (on the free plan too, not just paid), and exports your whole library to JSON whenever you want it.
| Readwise (full) | Gleamr | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 30-day trial only | 50 articles, full-text search included |
| Paid monthly | $12.99 | $8 |
| Paid yearly | $119.88 | $49.99 |
| Full-text search | Yes | Yes, all plans |
| RSS and newsletters | Yes | No |
| Highlights and notes | Yes | No |
| Data export | Notion, Obsidian, files | Full library as JSON |
Readwise wins clearly if highlights, RSS, or Obsidian sync are core to how you work. If they aren't, you can keep a searchable reading library for less than half the price.
Just want a searchable library? Start free with 50 articles
For a wider look at the field, see the best read-it-later apps in 2026 or the head-to-head Instapaper vs Readwise Reader.
Is Readwise worth it?
If you highlight heavily, live in Obsidian or Notion, and want your feeds, newsletters, and saved articles in one inbox, yes. It is the deepest tool available and the price reflects that.
If you mostly save articles and want to find them again later, probably not. The features that justify $119.88 a year are exactly the ones a save-and-search reader never uses. Start from what your reading library actually needs, then pay for that.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Readwise cost in 2026?
The full Readwise plan, which includes Readwise Reader, costs $9.99 per month billed annually ($119.88 per year) or $12.99 per month billed monthly. Readwise Lite costs $5.59 per month billed annually and does not include Reader.
Does Readwise have a free plan?
No. Readwise offers a 30-day free trial, extendable by referring friends, but there is no permanent free tier.
Can I buy Readwise Reader separately?
No. Reader is included in the full Readwise subscription and is not sold as a standalone plan. The cheaper Lite plan does not include Reader.
What is a cheaper alternative to Readwise Reader?
If you mainly need to save articles and search them, Gleamr costs $49.99 per year and includes full-text search even on its free plan. Instapaper Premium at $59.99 per year is another option, though its free tier searches titles only. Readwise remains the stronger choice for highlights, RSS, and Obsidian or Notion sync.
Paying $119.88 a year to search your saved articles? Compare the plans first.
Start free with Gleamr