Bookey App Review: 223 Minutes Later, Here’s What I Found

With an impressive 4.7-star rating on the App Store, Bookey promises to bring the world of books right to your fingertips—for FREE. 

Yes, it does offer premium plans, but after spending 223 minutes diving into its features, I couldn’t find a compelling reason to upgrade.

In this in-depth Bookey review, I’ll guide you through everything you can expect from the FREE version of Bookey and help you decide if it’s worth a spot on your iPhone.

Setting it up is super easy. Just download the app, answer a few quick questions, and you’re ready to explore.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free to use with rich features
• Unique IdeaClips for quick learning
• Interactive tools (daily goals, badges, etc.)
• Donation feature to help underprivileged children

Cons

• Limited library (only 1,000+ books)
• AI-generated voices for audio summaries
• Text summaries need better formatting

App Interface

Bookey keeps things simple and user-friendly.

It’s divided into four main tabs:

1. Discover

This is the app’s homepage, and it greets you with your daily streak right at the top—motivating you to keep going.

Below that, you’ll find a variety of book summaries neatly arranged into different categories.

2. Donation

This is something truly special, but it deserves its own spotlight.

I’ll talk more about it later, so stay with me.

Read more: Headway app review

3. Library

This tab is your personal tracker.

It shows all the books, IdeaClips, notes, quotes, and collections you’ve saved.

It even keeps count of how many books you’ve completed—a great way to see your progress at a glance.

4. Me

This one’s fascinating, and trust me, it needs its own section. Stick around—I promise it’ll be worth it.

Now that you’ve got a feel for how Bookey’s interface works, let’s dive into the features that really stand out.

Read more: Instaread app review

What Stands Out

The Bookey app has a lot to offer, but the real question is—are these features enough to convince you to download it?

Let’s dive in and find out.

1. IdeaClips

Every book summary app tries to bring something unique to the table, and Bookey’s answer to that is IdeaClips.

You’ll find them in a dedicated section under the Discover tab—just scroll down a bit.

These IdeaClips are bite-sized lessons pulled from books, designed to give you key takeaways in under three minutes.

Perfect for those moments when you’re short on time but still want to learn something new.

Here’s how they work: swipe left or right to move through the clips.

Each IdeaClip has a tag in the top left corner that takes you straight to the book it’s based on—super handy if you want to explore the full summary.

And if you’re looking for ideaclips from a specific category, there’s a toggle button at the top to filter them.

You can also find IdeaClips for any specific summary—just open the summary, scroll down, and you’ll see the IdeaClip option waiting for you.

2. Mind Map

Mind maps in the Bookey app are like mini-infographics that visually summarize the key ideas from a book.

It’s a creative way to make learning easier, and you can even download or share these mind maps.

To find them, open any book summary, scroll down, and you’ll spot the Mind Map option right after IdeaClips.

They’re a neat addition for visual learners who enjoy seeing concepts laid out at a glance.

3. Quiz

Next up is the quiz feature.

Once you’ve read or listened to a summary, you can test your understanding by answering a few questions about it.

You’ll find the quiz option right after the Mind Map.

Here’s the fun part: if you don’t get all the answers right, the app gently nudges you to review the summary again.

It’s a fantastic way to reinforce what you’ve learned and make sure the ideas stick.

I’ve got to give credit to the Bookey team for this one.

Adding a quiz feature is such a thoughtful touch—it shows they genuinely care about helping you engage with the material on a deeper level.

Read more: Retell review

4. Topic of the Week

On the Discover page, you’ll find a section called Topics.

Each week, the Bookey app introduces a new topic, and here’s the exciting part—it comes with rewards.

The topic goes live every Monday at 12:00 am (UTC) and runs until the following Monday at the same time.

The winners are announced later that day, by 8:00 am (UTC).

Here’s how the rewards are distributed:

• First Reward: 90 days of free Bookey Premium for the participant with the most upvoted answer on the winning side.
• Second Reward: 60 days of free Bookey Premium for the most upvoted answer on the other side.
• Lucky Draw: 30 days of free Bookey Premium, randomly awarded to one of the remaining participants who voted. This happens automatically.

The fun part? You can upvote answers, just like on Reddit. The more upvotes your answer gets, the better your chances of winning.

For example, this week’s question has already got 308 votes and over 18 answers.

You can read all the answers by tapping the View button.

The app even shows you how many days are left to participate.

Once the topic ends, Bookey sends out a notification with the results.

Here’s what mine looked like from last week:

I love this feature—it’s a fantastic way to connect with other users and makes the app feel more interactive.

Plus, the chance to win free Premium access? That’s just the cherry on top.

It’s hands down my favorite feature among all the book summary apps I’ve tried so far.

Read more: Uptime review

5. Learning Paths

Scrolling down the Discover tab, I came across a section called Learning Paths.

Think of these as curated collections of book summaries, each focused on helping you master a specific skill.

For example, I wanted to improve my time management skills, so I chose the Master Time Management path.

It included 7 summaries, or Bookeys, that were all about time management. I’ve already finished one and, fingers crossed, I’ll wrap up the rest by tomorrow.

This feature feels like a treasure trove for serious learners who want to dive deep into a particular area.

Read more: Wiser review

6. Rankings

I couldn’t help but smile when I found the Rankings section—it’s such a cool addition.

This section shows the top-trending summaries on the app, like the Top 5 of the Week or the Top 10 of the Month.

It also highlights trending summaries based on your preferred topics.

For me, it displayed lists like the Top 10 Management & Business Books, Top 10 Psychology & Happiness Books, and Top 10 Personal Development Books.

Your lists might look different based on your interests, but it’s a great way to discover what’s popular right now.

7. Collections

Next, we have Collections.

This section groups books by specific topics and makes it easy to explore them.

You’ll find this on the Discover page, and there’s no shortage of options.

For instance, I checked out a collection about exploring the human mind.

When you open a collection, it gives you an About section to explain the theme and then lists all the Bookeys with their details.

It’s perfect for when you want to focus on learning about a particular subject.

8. Quotes

Just below the Collections, you’ll find the Quotes section.

The Bookey app curates tons of quotes from books and influential personalities, which I found super inspiring.

I especially love how you can choose from various themes to display the quotes, but this feature is only available with a premium subscription.

9. Donation

Now let’s talk about something truly heartwarming—Donations.

This feature has a meaningful backstory.

Here’s how it works: as you use the app, you earn points.

For every 100 points, the app donates a book to disadvantaged children in Africa. Your points get deducted, and the donation is made in your name.

So far, Bookey has had 684 donors and donated 1,795 books.

To earn points, you simply complete summaries, browse IdeaClips, check out quotes, and achieve daily goals.

In just four days, I’ve earned 72 points, and I’m determined to hit 100 soon so I can donate a book too.

You can even check the full list of donors—it’s such a motivating feature.

10. Interactive Tools

Finally, let’s talk about the interactive tools.

I absolutely love apps that include tools to keep me motivated and disciplined, and Bookey excels in this area.

Unlike apps like 12min or StoryShots, Bookey offers a wide variety of tools.

Head over to the Me tab, and you’ll see:

• Daily Goals: Track how many days you’ve hit your goals and keep your streak alive.
• Time of Use: See how much time you’ve spent on the app.
• Finished Books: Check off the books you’ve completed.
• Badges: Celebrate your achievements! (I’ve earned 4 badges so far.)
• Weekly Growth Report: Get a detailed summary of your progress.

There’s so much to explore here. I won’t spoil it all—you’ve got to check it out yourself.

But trust me, these tools are a game-changer for staying on track and motivated.

Audio Summaries: My Experience

Let’s talk about the audio summaries—and I’ll be honest, this part left me a bit disappointed.

Bookey uses AI-generated voices for all their summaries, and to me, that just doesn’t feel right.

The quality of the voices isn’t great either.

When you compare this to other apps like Blinkist and getAbstract, which use real human narrators, Bookey falls behind.

Those human voices add so much warmth and connection to the listening experience.

I really hope the Bookey team considers switching to real narrators because it would make a huge difference.

Listening to a summary is easy—you just tap the Listen button.

Since I’m using the free version of the app, I need to watch an ad first before I can access the audio.

The audio controller itself is pretty simple.

You can jump forward or back, adjust the playback speed, or switch directly to the text format while listening.

But overall, the audio experience feels lacking.

For an app to truly stand out in this competitive space, it needs to go the extra mile, and in this case, real voices could be a game-changer.

Text Summaries: My Experience

Let’s talk about my reading experience with the Bookey app.

Honestly, it was a mix of good and not-so-good moments.

To read any summary, all I had to do was tap the Read button, watch a quick ad, and voilà—the summary was ready to go.

The app even offers a Customizer feature that lets you adjust the background, font size, and fonts.

Some font options are free, while others are part of the premium plan, which I think is fair.

But here’s where things fell short for me: the Bookey app uses a wall of text format for its summaries.

No short paragraphs, no bullet points, no quotes sprinkled in—it’s just solid blocks of text.

Reading that for 30 minutes straight? It’s tough, trust me.

If I could give one piece of advice to the Bookey team, it’d be this: break those long paragraphs into smaller chunks, add some bullet points, and throw in a few quotes.

These small tweaks could make a huge difference in the reading experience.

On a brighter note, before tapping the Read button, you can scroll down and see a section listing all the quotes from the book, plus some information about the author.

While it’s nice to have, I wish these quotes were integrated into the summaries instead of being separate.

Content Quality

I have to give credit where it’s due—Bookey’s content quality is impressive.

Each summary is around 30 minutes long, which means you get a more in-depth look at the book.

That said, their library currently includes just 1,000+ book summaries, which feels a bit limited compared to other apps.

However, they’re constantly adding new titles, and you can even check out these updates in the Weekly New section on the Discover tab.

Another feature I appreciate is their IdeaClips—short, 3-minute insights from books.

They’re perfect when you’re short on time.

Still, I feel the app is missing something unique, like original content, which could set it apart even further.

Pricing Plans

As I mentioned earlier, I’m using the free version of the Bookey app, but they also offer premium plans if you’re interested:

• Monthly: US$12.99
• Yearly: US$79.99
• Lifetime: US$199.99

My Final Take on Bookey

I’m definitely keeping the Bookey app on my iPhone and plan to keep exploring it further.

It’s a fantastic app for book lovers, packed with features like IdeaClips, Topics, and various interactive tools that make it genuinely enjoyable to use.

That said, there are two major areas where the app could improve.

First, its library is limited to just 1,000+ books, which feels a bit small compared to the competition.

Second, the use of AI-generated voices for audio summaries is disappointing—real human voices would make a world of difference.

I’m hopeful that the Bookey team will address these issues soon.

But for now, I highly recommend trying out the Bookey app. It’s a great way to keep learning and discovering new ideas, all at your fingertips.