When I first heard about book summary services in audiobook formats I was thrilled. As a passionate Audiobook listener, I was very excited at the opportunity to listen to an entire book in 15 minutes.
Blinkist and GetAbstract are both services that pay writers and narrators to summarize a non-fiction book. A typical book might take between 4 to 10 hours to read or listen to. That is a long time to invest to learn a few key lessons. Book summary services distill the key messages and takeaways from the book and transform them into much shorter versions.
Of course, a summary audiobook service will only work with educational, self-improvement or business books, you could not summarize a Sherlock Holmes Crime Thriller into 15 minutes, the book would be ruined.
GetAbstract vs Blinkist Contents
- GetAbstract vs Blinkist -- Verdict
- Product Comparison
- Pricing Comparison
- Customer Service Comparison
- Apps & Devices Comparison
- Full GetAbstract Review
- Full Blinkist Review
GetAbstract vs Blinkist -- Verdict
Both GetAbstract & Blinkist offer great services, after significant usage and testing I can assure you, you will be happy with either service. Which one you choose just depends on what you are looking for.
| GetAbstract vs Blinkist Results |  |  |
| Rating | ☆☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
| Audiobook Type | Summary | Summary |
| Summaries | eBook, Audiobook, Analysis | eBook, Audiobook |
| Summary Collection | 20,000+ | 3,000 + |
| Summaries / month | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Subscription /month | $29.90 | $15.99 |
| Subscription /yearly | $299.00 | $99.99 |
| Free Membership | No | Yes |
| Perfect for: | Business | Individuals |
| Result | Winner | Winner |
| Visit GetAbstract | Visit Blinkist |
Yes, you read correctly, both Blinkist and GetAbstract are winners. This head to head comparison is too close to call because they are both excellent in their own ways. Let me explain.
4 Reasons Why GetAbstract is Better Than Blinkist
- Library Size: GetAbstract has over 20,000 titles vs Blinkist with 3,000 titles.
- Summary Service: GetAbstract offers not just eBook & Audiobook summaries but analysis of the meaning of books also.
- GetAbstract also has a very well-curated learning stream system that can be tailored for teams or big businesses.
- GetAbstract provide customer enterprise services to enable the integration of learning streams into Learning Management Systems (LMS)
5 Reasons Why Blinkist is Better Than GetAbstract
- Blinkist may only have a library of 3,000 titles, but all of them are guaranteed to have an Audiobook summary, unlike GetAbstract, who only has a small minority of Audiobooks.
- Blinkist has a fantastic selection of the best books, there is no legacy garbage in their library, every book is a winner.
- Blinkist is incredible value for money, on a yearly contract it costs only $99, compared to Getabstract at $299
- Blinkist has a free membership where they send you 1 free summary per day
GetAbstract vs Blinkist Apps & Devices Comparison
| GetAbstract vs Blinkist Apps & Devices | | |
| App Store Rating | 3.9 ☆ | 4.4 ☆ |
| Devices | iPhone, Android, PC | iPhone, Android, PC, Export to Kindle, Evernote |
| Smart Speaker | ✘ | Amazon Alexa |
| Result | Winner | |
| Visit GetAbstract | Visit Blinkist |
Blinkist is the winner of this section with its users rating the App at 4.4 stars in the App stores, while GetAbstract, seems to have multiple issues. Another difference here is that Blinkist will play on your iPhone, Android and even Alexa will play your audiobooks, GetAbstract does not have this.
GetAbstract vs Blinkist Customer & Service Comparison
| GetAbstract vs Blinkist Customer Service | | |
| Enterprise Servies | Learning Consultant, Enterprise LMS Integration | Support for Teams |
| Customer Support | Phone, Email | |
| Result | Winner | |
| Visit GetAbstract | Visit Blinkist |
GetAbstract is ultimately targeting businesses to provide the following services to corporations and large enterprises:
- Brand Specific Portal for Employees to Register & Learn
- Specific Channel Learning Curated to Fit Your Enterprise
- Learning Management Systems (LMS) Integrations
- A Dedicated Learning Consultant to Help the HR Team and Assist with Integration
- Human Resources Reporting Services
Blinkist does not provide these levels of enterprise services, but it does excel in services for individuals.
GetAbstract Full Review
The Biggest & Best Audiobook Summary Collection, Perfect for Business
GetAbstract Review Summary
Blinkist and GetAbstract are both services that pay writers and narrators to summarize a non-fiction book. A typical book might take between 4 to 10 hours to read or listen too.
That is a long time to invest to learn a few key lessons. Book summary services distill the key messages and takeaways from the book and transform them into much shorter versions.
The key differences between GetAbstract and Blinkist are the size of the library and the target customers.
GetAbstract is the largest book summary service with over 20,000 book summaries in audio and written formats in 7 different languages.
They also analyze the book not just summarize it, which can help you make sense of the meaning and ramifications of a topic.
The GetAbstract Library
In terms of target customers, you can see this is a solution geared for business, as they will also assist you in rolling out the learning solution to your organization.
In fact, over 150 of Fortune 500 companies have already deployed GetAbstract to their companies.
Pricing
| Student Starter | Student Pro | Pro | Enterprise |
| Free | $99 /year | $299 /year | Custom Pricing |
| 5,000 Summaries | 20,000 Summaries | Unlimited Access | Unlimited Access |
If you are a student, you get a really amazing deal as you can see in the table above. For regular individuals, the price of $299 per year is $200 more than Blinkist, but the depth of topics is clearly way ahead.
Also, you can probably write these costs off against tax as part of your professional development investment.
So, ultimately GetAbstract is the best book summary service available, so the pricing is invariably higher than Blinkist.
As an individual, who wants access to a great selection of summaries at a low-cost look at Blinkist. For power users and small to enterprise-scale businesses, GetAbstract is the right choice.
GetAbstract -- Key Features, Benefits & Costs
| Audiobook Service | |
|---|---|
| Our Rating | ☆☆☆☆ |
| Audiobook Type | Summary |
| Do You Own the Audiobook | ✘ |
| Lifetime Access to Books | ✘ |
| Audiobooks Collection | 20K+ |
| Membership /month | $29.90 |
| Membership /yearly | $299 |
| Audiobook Service | |
| # Audiobooks | Unlimited |
| Subscription Required | Yes |
| Audio Quality | Good |
| Books Returns Policy | N/A |
| Customer Support | Phone, Email |
| Audiobook Service | |
| Special Services | |
| eBooks | ✔ |
| App Store Rating | 3.9 ☆ |
| Devices | iPhone, Android, PC |
| Smart Speaker | ✘ |
GetAbstract is Targeted at Big Business
GetAbstract is ultimately targeting businesses to provide the following services to corporations and large enterprises:
- Brand Specific Portal for Employees to Register & Learn
- Specific Channel Learning Curated to Fit Your Enterprise
- Learning Management Systems (LMS) Integrations
- A Dedicated Learning Consultant to Help the HR Team and Assist with Integration
- Human Resources Reporting Services
GetAbstract Review -- Pricing & Services That Target the Enterprise
GetAbstract Review Summary
Although on the surface, GetAbstract looks like it is competing with Blinkist, its primary revenue source and business model is focused on the corporation. This is a good thing as it has the scale to integrate into corporate learning systems to help employees boost there career and performance.
GetAbstract is an excellent service for the enterprise and very good for individuals if it was not for the large price tag for individual consumers.
Blinkist Review
The Best Value Audiobook Summary Subscription Service by Far, With Great Narrators & Quality Summaries
Blinkist Review Summary
About 6 months ago I signed up for a free trial of Blinkist to try out Audiobook summaries. I liked the service so much I purchased a yearly subscription.
As a passionate Audiobook listener, I was very excited at the opportunity to listen to an entire book in 15 minutes. Interestingly, there were books that I thought had some great messages and I learned from them.
There were also books that I was very pleased I did not spend 10 hours reading to get that simple or even unremarkable message.
So for me, this service is great.
Blinkist is a very professional service, their narrators are first class, and the books are very logically laid out and easy to follow.
With every book summary, you get a high-quality 15-minute audiobook and a written summary of the book if you prefer to read it.
I particularly like the feature to listen to the summaries of the New York Times Bestsellers List (see image right).
The single downside for me is that you only have access to the books as long as you subscribe to the service. This is however understandable because the service is unlimited listening, you do not buy a book, you buy the access to all the books.
Blinkist Services, Features & Benefits
| Audiobook Service | |
|---|---|
| Our Rating | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
| Do You Own the Audiobook | ✘ |
| Lifetime Access to Books | ✘ |
| Audiobooks Collection | 3K+ |
| Membership /month | $15.99 |
| Membership /yearly | $99.99 |
| Audiobook Service | |
| # Audiobooks | Unlimited |
| Subscription Required | No |
| Audio Quality | Good |
| Books Returns Policy | N/A |
| Customer Support | Email Only |
| Special Services | 1 Free Book per Day |
| eBooks | ✔ |
| App Store Rating | 4.4 ☆ |
| Devices | iPhone, Android, PC, Alexa |
Blinkist Pricing Plans & Cost
Blinkist Basic Plan -- Free
Amazingly Blinkist allows you to register for their free plan, in which you can access a free Blink (their name for a book summary) of their choice every single day.
I assume the idea is that you will like the Blinks so much you will later upgrade to the Premium service to get access to the whole library and choose what you would like to listen to. Of course, they are correct, this is exactly what I did.
Blinkist Premium -- Unlimited Summaries
Blinkist has a single premium plan that gives you access to as many books as you want. The key difference is in the pricing. If you opt for a monthly subscription it costs, in the USA, $15.99 per month, meaning $191.88 per year.
However, I recommend paying for the year in advance, which is a single payment of $99.99, which gives you 12 months of access for a 45% discount. A great deal.
GetAbstract is also an excellent service which costs $299 per year, with access to 20,000 summaries, but in terms of value for money, Blinkist is a clear winner.
Customer Service & Returns Policy
In terms of returning books, I have previously mentioned you do not actually own the books you access the service, it is more like Netflix rather than buying a DVD. So, ultimately there is nothing to return.
You can cancel your subscription at anytime online with a few clicks and the customer services teams are available via an email or webform.
App & Device Compatibility
Playstore App Rating: 4.4 ☆ Excellent
The App itself is a breeze to use, simple and effective.
My library is well organized and my saved books and favorite books are easy to access.
What I particularly like is the ability to highlight text in a book via the App or Browser.
You can simply select the text and click highlight and it will be saved in your Highlight tab.
This is perfect for keeping track of those lightbulb moments or key inspiring messages in a book.
The app is highly rated in the App stores and impressively Blinkist is also compatible with Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker, so Alexa can read them to you.
My Favorite Blinkist Business Audiobooks
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
by Brad Stone
The definitive story of the rise of the most successful company of our age: Amazon. Stone shows how and why Bezos built Amazon. The Everything Store offers a good history of Amazon and far more.
Stone explores Bezos’ philosophy, personality values, and strategies. By tracking Amazon’s rise, Stone explains the importance of vision, philosophy, strategy, and values in business.
If you want to learn the difference between a visionary entrepreneur and a “businessman,” The Everything Store is a must-read. Stone’s work is necessary reading for anybody who uses Amazon or does business with Amazon. If you want to understand the most important company in the world today, The Everything Store is required reading.
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Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart Into a Visionary Leader
by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli
Schlender and Tetzeli ask how a deeply flawed man evolved from an arrogant upstart into a true visionary. They trace Jobs’ evolution from the failed CEO of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) into the visionary who led one of the greatest business turnarounds of all time.
Today many people forget that Jobs was a failure when he returned to Apple in 1997. Apple had fired Jobs a few years earlier, and his other ventures were failures.
Given a second chance, Jobs succeeded by turning Apple into a new kind of company. Moreover, Becoming Steve Jobs shows how courage and strength of character are vital to business success.
At Apple in the late 1990s, Jobs made and stuck to tough decisions. Jobs ruthlessly slashed the company’s product line and shipped thousands of unsold computers to the dump in 1998 to protect Apple’s reputation; for instance.
For those who want to understand who Steve Jobs was and how he changed business and technology, Becoming Steve Jobs is a great resource.
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How Google Works
by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
An inside look at the world’s most successful search engine; and the company it built, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL). Schmidt and Rosenberg explain the importance of workplace culture and the creativity it can generate.
How Google Works shows how corporate strategy and management philosophy shape a business’s future and drive success.
It also includes business insights from the former top executives at the company, the book lays out, step by step, Google’s path to success; a roadmap that your company can follow, too.
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The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The best book on the philosophy of markets and the reality of capitalism around today. Taleb; a trader turned philosopher, shows how strange and unexpected events can disrupt everything instantly.
The Black Swan shows how people remain blind to massive changes taking place around them. Many business leaders fail to see disruptive technologies, until all their market share disappears, for example.
Understanding that the world is constantly changing and could destroy everything around you is a vital insight all entrepreneurs need. Bezos praised The Black Swan in The Washington Post.
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