Honest Comparison

The Best Readwise Alternative in 2025

Notate offers free web highlighting with built-in AI, YouTube timestamps, and screenshot capture. See how it compares to Readwise.

Notate vs Readwise: Full Comparison

An honest look at both tools

Feature
Notate
Readwise
Monthly Price
Free / $4.99
$8.99
Web highlighting
YouTube timestamps
PDF annotation
Built-in AI chat
Page chat (entire page)
Screenshot capture
Notion sync
Obsidian sync
Kindle sync
Spaced repetition
Auto-scrollback

Why People Switch to Notate

Features Readwise doesn't offer

More Affordable

Notate's free tier is generous. Premium is $4.99/mo vs Readwise's $8.99/mo.

Built-in AI

Chat with AI about your highlights. Ask questions, get summaries, go deeper.

YouTube Support

Readwise can't save video timestamps. Notate captures exact moments.

Screenshot Capture

Capture any part of a page. Perfect for charts, diagrams, and visual content.

Auto-Scrollback

Click any highlight to jump back to that exact location. Readwise can't do this.

Page Chat

Chat with AI about entire pages, not just your highlights. Readwise doesn't offer this.

When Readwise Might Be Better

We believe in honest comparisons

Kindle Integration

If you primarily read on Kindle, Readwise's sync is excellent.

Spaced Repetition

Readwise's daily review feature helps retention through spaced repetition.

More Integrations

Readwise connects to more reading apps (Pocket, Instapaper, etc.).

Bottom line: If you primarily highlight web content, YouTube, and PDFs, Notate offers more features at a lower price. If you're deep into Kindle and want spaced repetition, Readwise might be worth the premium.

Try Notate Free Today

No credit card required. See why thousands switched from Readwise.

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Best Readwise Alternative 2025 - Free Highlighter with AI | Notate | Notate