Small Business Product Reviews
Blinkist Review: What Is It and Is It Worth the Price?
Over the years, I’ve made an effort to read/listen to more finance books and review them (in fact, this year, I’ve renewed my goal to review at least one book a month here on the site). While that may seem simple enough, it means not only finding books that interest me but also finding the time to consume them. That’s why I was interested when I came across the service Blinkist, which serves up non-fiction content — including those related to money, business, and more — in easily digestible morsels.
So, having explored Blinkist in the past, does it have something to offer those interested in finance and beyond? Let’s take a closer look at the service and its concept.
Blinkist
Blinkist Review: Sample Several Books for One Annual Fee
3.5
Premium plan cost
$99.99/year
Pro plan cost
$174.99 /year
With Blinkist, you can explore and consume top takeaways from numerous non-fiction books. What’s more, you can do so via digital text or audio. While this is a convenient option, it does come at a cost as Blinkist’s annual plan retails for $99.99. Overall, Blinkist may not be right for everyone, but it could be a great way to sample books before you buy them.
Pros
- Consume condensed versions of top non-fiction books
- Read or listen to material
Cons
- Plans start at regular price of $99.99 per year
- No longer offers monthly plan or free trial
Blinkist: What Is It and Is It Worth It?
What is Blinkist?
Blinkist is a content platform that features short excerpts — or “blinks” — from non-fiction books, podcasts, and more. Members can explore blinks on a number of topics including (germane to this blog) Money & Investments, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Productivity, Politics, Creativity, and several others. Whether reading on the desktop site or via the Blinkist app, you can also highlight key passages and even share them via social media or sync to Evernote. In short, it’s an easy way to preview books, explore new ideas, or learn a bit about subjects that interest you.
Pricing and Options
In addition to a Basic plan that offers one pre-selected Free Daily read, Blinkist offers two paid unlimited plan options: Premium and Pro
Starting with Premium, the current list price is $99.99 per year. However, using our link, I was served an offer for 40% off, making your first year of Blinkist Premium $59.99 (although your plan will renew at the regular price).
Meanwhile, the relatively new Pro plan comes at a cost of $174.99 per year — or $104.99 for the first year with that 40% offer.
Unfortunately, while Blinkist previously offered monthly plans as well, it looks as though this is no longer an option.
As for what the difference between Pro and Premium, it seems to come down to one main feature: Blinkist AI. With this tool, customers can create Blinkist-style summaries of web pages, podcasts, videos, documents, and more.
With Blinkist Pro being relatively new, I’ve only personally had experience with Blinkist Premium. In turn, this review will largely focus on that tier of service.
Consuming Content
There are several different types of content and ways to consume it using either the Blinkist website or mobile app. First, while the word “Blink” is used to describe a minute-or-two-long piece of a book, it’s also used for a collection of these excerpts. So, if you view the Blink for I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi, you’ll find that it’s comprised of seven blinks. Yes, it’s a bit confusing when I write about it, but it makes more sense on the platform itself.
When you select a Blink, you’ll have the option to either read it or listen to it. With the former, you’ll be able to highlight sections and then sync those notes to Evernote or even share them on social media. Additionally, if you prefer to read them on a different device, you can also send them to your Kindle using your Kindle email address — although you’ll need to whitelist Blinkist in order for this to work. Elsewhere, the other main way of consuming Blinks is via audio. If you’ve ever listened to an audiobook before, then that’s essentially what this experience is like.
Speaking of audio, Blinkist also has what they call Shortcasts available for members to listen to. True to Blinkist’s M.O., these short podcasts are around 10 minutes in length. One of the Shortcast selections that caught my eye is So Money with Farnoosh Torabi, which currently has 12 episodes available on Blinkist. While a normal episode of So Money (of which there are more than 1,000) runs between 30 and 45 minutes, these Blinkist versions are between 4 and 10 minutes each.
Going back to Blinks, another smart way to find and consume them is via Collections and Learning Paths. You can think of these as playlists based around certain topics or, in the case of Paths, an outline for bettering yourself over the course of a few days. To me, both of these are great places to start if you’re just exploring Blinkist for the first time.
My Experience with Blinkist
I was initially introduced to Blinkist via an American Express offer. Right after signing up, I came across plenty of Blinks and content to add to my library — which would likely more accurately be called a reading list. And while most of this list is dedicated to matters of money given my profession, a few random other selections have made their way to my library as well.
When it comes to consumption, I definitely prefer the audio option that Blinkist offers. It’s not that I’m against reading… but, if I’m going to do it, I’d much rather read a physical book. Meanwhile, I’ve found listening to Blinks to be a great activity in between podcasts. It’s almost like Blinkist is an audio-only, non-fiction version of Quibi (RIP), but in a good way.
Personally, I’ve found that I enjoy using the Blinkist app over the desktop site for one major reason: the ability to adjust playback speed on audio blinks. It’s not as though I’m in such a rush that I really need that extra couple of minutes saved but honestly I have just grown so accustomed to listening to audiobooks at an enhanced speed that it sounds normal to me now. Thus, I do wish that this simple function was also featured on the desktop site — but at least it exists somewhere.
In terms of the amount of content, while there’s plenty to explore across the numerous topics that interest me, I wouldn’t say the breadth of some of those categories is very large. Still, for each of the five subcategories within Money & Investing, there were between eight and 18 Blinks to be found. I was also pleased to see Blink treatments of books I’ve previously really enjoyed, including Rutger Bregman’s Utopia for Realists.
Personally, while I did find and earmark several Blinks to check out, I never got into the habit of using Blinkist regularly. Instead, I found myself checking out Audible to discover new content and downloading full audiobooks that way. This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy my time with Blinkist, but I guess I just didn’t get as much from it as I think some others will.
Final Thoughts on Blinkist
Final Thoughts on Blinkist
Despite only using Blinkist a few times during my trial, I have to say that I really enjoyed exploring the platform and its content overall. Not only does it feature snippets from books I’ve personally read and recommend but also includes peeks at those I’ve been meaning to look more into. Plus, with the average length of Blinks amounting to around 15 minutes, there’s really not much of a time investment when it comes to trying out a piece of content.
Speaking of investment, however, the $99.99 per year price tag may be a bit high — and, unfortunately, there’s no longer a monthly plan to dip your toe into the platform. Then again, this plan is a better deal than the $15.99 monthly plan they previously offered.
As for whether it’s worth going Pro, I am honestly intrigued by the concept of being able to create your own Blinks. Of course, without trying it, it’s impossible to say whether that capability is worth the extra $75 per year.
With that, whether you’re in search of some daily inspiration, hoping to sample some top business and money tips, or are just a curious person always ready to learn more, I could easily see Blinkist becoming your new best friend. Alternatively, it could make for a good gift as many of us are turning to digital options this year. If nothing else, I’d say it’s worth giving Blinkist a shot and seeing if this unique learning platform is right for you.
Author
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