Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Workflowy VS Readwise

Compare Workflowy VS Readwise and see what are their differences

Workflowy logo Workflowy

A better way to organize your mind.

Readwise logo Readwise

Effortlessly rediscover and organize your Kindle highlights
  • Workflowy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-03

Workflowy offers a simpler way to stay organized. If you have a crazy job or an ambitious project, we will be your trusty sidekick.

  • Readwise Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-10

Workflowy

$ Details
freemium $4.99 / Monthly (Workflowy Pro)
Platforms
Browser Windows Mac OSX Linux Android iOS
Release Date
2010 August
Startup details
Country
United States

Workflowy features and specs

  • Kanban boards
  • Tags
  • Search and Filtering
  • Files & Attachments
  • Mobile apps (iOS & Android)
  • Live copy
  • Bidirectional links
  • No-login Sharing
  • Text Highlighting
  • Dates and times
  • Publishing
  • Lists
  • Global Search
  • Notes
  • Todo's
  • Slash command

Readwise features and specs

  • Centralized System
    Readwise allows users to consolidate highlights and notes from various reading platforms, such as Kindle, Instapaper, and Pocket, into one place.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform is user-friendly, making it easy to import, organize, and review highlights.
  • Spaced Repetition
    Readwise uses spaced repetition algorithms to help users retain and recall information over time by regularly revisiting highlights.
  • Customizable Export Options
    Users can export their highlights and notes to other services like Evernote, Notion, or plain text files, allowing for flexible usage of the stored data.
  • Search Functionality
    Readwise offers robust search capabilities, making it simple to find specific highlights or notes across your library.

Possible disadvantages of Readwise

  • Subscription Cost
    Readwise operates on a subscription model, which may be considered expensive for some users relative to the features offered.
  • Limited Functionality Without Subscription
    While there is a free trial available, many features are gated behind a subscription, limiting the usability of the free version.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its overall user-friendliness, some users might find a learning curve when initially setting up and configuring the system to suit their needs.
  • Dependence on Third-Party Integrations
    Readwiseโ€™s value is largely dependent on its integrations with third-party services, meaning any changes or issues with those services can impact its effectiveness.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Since Readwise collects and stores data from multiple reading platforms, there may be privacy concerns regarding how this data is handled and stored.

Analysis of Workflowy

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Workflowy is an excellent tool for those who appreciate a straightforward, yet powerful organizational system. Its ease of use combined with robust features makes it suitable for both personal and professional use. While it may require a bit of a learning curve to fully take advantage of all its features, many users find it invaluable once they integrate it into their workflows.

Why this product is good

  • Workflowy is considered good for its simplicity and powerful features. It offers a minimalistic, distraction-free interface that allows users to focus on their tasks efficiently. Its unique bullet-point organization system enables users to create infinitely nested lists, which can be expanded or collapsed as needed, offering flexibility in organizing tasks and ideas. Additionally, Workflowy supports tags, notes, and easy search functionalities, making it excellent for complex project management and note-taking. Its ability to sync across devices ensures that users can access their information anytime, anywhere.

Recommended for

  • Individuals who prefer minimalist yet powerful productivity tools
  • Writers or content creators needing to organize thoughts and notes
  • Project managers looking for a simple but effective way to track tasks
  • Users who appreciate flexibility in the organization of tasks and notes
  • People needing a tool that offers real-time, cross-device synchronization

Analysis of Readwise

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Readwise is well-regarded for its utility in helping users actively engage with and digest their reading materials. It provides a streamlined way to revisit and reinforce key concepts, making it a valuable tool for those serious about boosting their information retention.

Why this product is good

  • Readwise is designed to help users retain information from their readings by organizing, highlighting, and revisiting key excerpts. It integrates with various platforms like Kindle, Instapaper, and Pocket to collate highlights in one place. The daily review feature encourages consistent engagement with past highlights, aiding in better recall and comprehension. The platform is beneficial for avid readers, students, and professionals who wish to maximize their learning retention and make the most out of their reading habits.

Recommended for

  • Avid readers looking to remember more from their books
  • Students who need to recall key concepts from academic materials
  • Professionals who want to maintain a repository of valuable insights from articles and reports for reference
  • Anyone interested in personal development and continuous learning through reading

Workflowy videos

Organize Your Brain with WorkFlowy (Real-Time App Review)

More videos:

  • Tutorial - 7 Ways to Get More Done with Workflowy Free | Workflowy Review and Tutorial
  • Review - Workflowy 2020 First Impressions (minimalist todo list)
  • Demo - Get Started With Workflowy
  • Review - Workflowy Review: Is It Worth It?
  • Review - Obsidian Vs WorkFlowy | Worth Switching?
  • Review - WorkFlowy | Digital Notes - First Impression

Readwise videos

Readwise: How to use Spaced Repetition with your books

More videos:

  • Review - Keep track of Kindle highlights with Readwise [#49] Adam Franklin

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Workflowy and Readwise)
Task Management
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
47 47%
53% 53
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Bookmark Manager
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Workflowy and Readwise. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Workflowy and Readwise

Workflowy Reviews

20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
Workflowy is a note-taking app with several task management tools. This app refers to itself as a sidekick for busy and ambitious people. Workflowy is on this list of Obsidian alternatives because of its simplicity. All you need to do is log in and start typing out your thoughts on Workflowy!
Source: clickup.com
The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data
Workflowy is an online app that uses an outline format and is actually more flexible than it looks at first.
15 Best Notability Alternatives 2022
WorkFlowy is another alternative to Notability that provides everything you need to take notes quickly and effectively. Instead of creating little notes represented by small cards, WorkFlowy helps you create elaborate outlines and drill down into the bedrock of your project or content.
11 Best Note-Taking Apps to Help You Stay Organized at Productive in 2021
WorkFlowy is a digital document where you create and organize an infinitely nesting list of notes and tasks. That makes it simple to use and especially useful for ticking off to-dos and writing down ideas in a bulleted fashion. However, it also limits the organization to a hierarchical, outlined structure. You can use WorkFlowy in your browser, and itโ€™s compatible with Mac,...
Source: builtin.com
17 Top Evernote Alternatives for Note-Taking for 2019
WorkFlowy is hardcore simple and thatโ€™s what most people love about it. If youโ€™re a list lover, or if youโ€™re one of those evolved people that truly believe everythingโ€™s better in an outlineโ€”first of all, let me say: youโ€™re right. And secondly: WorkFlowy was made for you.

Readwise Reviews

  1. Great help to review books

    I imported my kindle highlights, as many others. Now I daily review some highlights (thanks to a dashboard, I am motivated). And where I didn't create highlights, as I only listened to the audiobooks, I get the highlights from others. It also allows to create beautiful quotes. It adds the book cover and matches quote and background with colours found on the book title! Really nice!

    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Review books|Beautiful quotes|Dashboard motivates

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Readwise seems to be a lot more popular than Workflowy. While we know about 88 links to Readwise, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Workflowy. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Workflowy mentions (2)

Readwise mentions (88)

  • Relego, a free, self-hostable alternative to Readwise
    Anyway, as I reached the end of the chapter, I wanted to read my Readwise's daily recap. However, my iPhone was in other room. I didnโ€™t want to get up; I was tired. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Exporting Mac OSX Book Highlights into an Obsidian Vault or Markdown Files
    The only highlights that Readwise retrieves semi-automatically are from the books I buy from Kindle, by going into the Readwise app and clicking a button. If I upload them to Kindle or need highlights from the Apple Books app, I have to open the book, go to my highlights, select them all, and then email them to a Readwise email address. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Show HN: I combined spaced repetition with emails so you can remember anything
    Readwise also has this feature. I get a daily email with a random assortment of highlights that have been pulled in from multiple sources (Reader, Notion, Kindle, etc.) The product benefit in their case is that it's kind of like Zapier, but for notes. https://readwise.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Building a Code Snippet Library with Readwise, Obsidian, and Visual Studio Code
    Go to readwise.io and create an account if you don't already have one. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Mastering Knowledge Retention with Readwise and Obsidian
    Sign up for a Readwise account if you haven't already readwise.io. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Workflowy and Readwise, you can also consider the following products

Todoist - Todoist is a to-do list that helps you get organized, at work and in life.

Raindrop.io - All your articles, photos, video & content from web & apps in one place.

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

Instapaper - Instapaper is a simple tool to save web pages for reading later.

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.