Shortform Reviews 962

TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.2

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 150 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the high-quality summaries of non-fiction books, often finding them more in-depth and detailed compared to other services, which helps them absorb and retain ideas effectively. Many appreciate that the service provides additional context, counterpoints, examples, and extra explanations, making it feel like a comprehensive study guide rather than just a summary. The ability to listen to summaries on the go and the clear, concise, and actionable nature of the content are also frequently highlighted as valuable, saving a lot of time. People also commend the excellent customer service, noting the helpfulness and quick resolution of issues by the support team. However, some customers expressed dissatisfaction with the subscription process, reporting unexpected charges for yearly renewals and a lack of clear communication regarding trial periods and auto-renewal dates. A few other people also felt that the summarizers sometimes excessively debate with the author or add too much context, which can detract from the original content. Additionally, some reviewers mentioned a desire for a wider selection of books, particularly in genres beyond self-help, and noted issues with the app's user interface, such as small buttons and poor contrast, as well as problems with audio controls and password syncing across platforms.

What people talk about most

User experience

Customers had positive experiences with user experience, finding the app easy to use, with straightforward... See more

Product

Reviewers mention positive feedback about the product, highlighting its outstanding ability to help them... See more

Service

People report ambiguous experiences with service, with some reviewers recommending to avoid it entirely due... See more

Customer service

Users describe positive interactions with customer service, highlighting exceptional support and a great... See more

Subscription

Consumers find subscription experiences to be ambiguous, with some praising the value, especially for... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Probably the best app of the sort. Much more in-depth summaries than some of the competitors. The summaries do start with an ultra-condensed "1-page" summary which is great. The biggest problem is tha... See more

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

My first experience. I liked it. Personally, I would rather read the actual book but time is limited. Even squeezing the summary into my day can be hard. I would suggest (dearly love) to have the oppo... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Shortform has many interesting books, a lot of interesting articles; I like that you can also listen to them, that additional context is provided, and the summary feature is also very helpful somet... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Shortform -book summary app does 3 things really well. 1) Gives you a high-quality summary of a nonfiction book - Instead of reading the whole book, it gives you the main ideas, usually broken i... See more


Company details

  1. #34 of 46 best companies in Media Company

Written by the company

Shortform has the world's best guides to bestsellers and non-fiction books. Learn faster and better.


Contact info

4.2

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

962 reviews

5-star
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1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 36% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 month

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I just started using short form and I…

I just started using short form and I absolutely love how it's set up

March 28, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you're enjoying the short form feature. We're always working to improve our platform and appreciate your feedback.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Prompt response to problem while using short form extension

When using the short form extension to summarise material in a political video, I found I couldn't erase this material when I wanted to move on to the next video. I asked short form to help with this and they very quickly suggested that I refresh the page when I moved to the next video and this worked.

March 20, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We understand the frustration of encountering unexpected behavior while using our platform. It's great to hear that refreshing the page resolved the issue. We're always striving to improve our user experience and will take your feedback into consideration as we continue to develop our features.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Content, Great Commentary

Great Content, Great Commentary - has greatly accelerated my desire to continue learning.

March 18, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear that our content has been so impactful for you. It's wonderful to know that our commentary has sparked your passion for learning.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Not friendly

Not friendly, three books per week to download

March 15, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

We understand your frustration with the current download limit. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our services.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

While the service is valuable

While the service is valuable; it would be good that loyal customers are given a discount on annual plans instead of risking losing another paying customer

March 10, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate your feedback and understand your perspective on loyalty programs. We value your continued support and are always looking for ways to improve our offerings.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Positive experience

Short form is very easy to use. I was able to find a summary for a book that I could not find on any other summary site. Additionally, when I had a billing issue,
I was able to resolve it to my satisfaction.

March 11, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear that you found our short form easy to use and helpful in finding the book summary you needed. We're also glad that you were able to resolve your billing issue to your satisfaction. Your feedback is valuable to us as we strive to provide the best possible experience for our users.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Support

The Shortform support team is amazing. They are very responsive and are great at fixing issues.

March 12, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We're so glad to hear that you had a positive experience with our support team. We strive to provide excellent customer service and appreciate your feedback.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

not enough books to begin with and not…

not enough books to begin with and not enough fashion books

January 10, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. We understand your disappointment with the selection of books, especially the lack of fashion titles. We're always working to improve our inventory and will take your suggestions into consideration.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Shortform is an awesome resource of…books, articles and podcasts

Shortform is an awesome resource of guides for books, articles, podcasts and more! They summarize and editorialize in a way that makes for easy, fast reading that I might otherwise skip altogether. And if they do not have a guide you are looking for in their library, you can easily ask them and they respond quickly and effectively. Most times they will get what I ask about in about one week. Shortform is a great value for all types of readers!

March 1, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear that you find Shortform a valuable resource. We strive to provide concise and insightful summaries that make it easier to engage with a wide range of content. We're also glad you've found our customer service responsive and helpful. Your positive feedback motivates us to continue providing high-quality summaries and excellent support.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I do not recommend

I do not recommend. I canceled trial subscription and they continued to renew.

On same day I saw they withdrew $24, I tried again. They only stated they would return 50 percent.

Service and quality better with blinkest.

March 1, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We understand your frustration with the recent charges. We're committed to providing a positive experience for all our customers. We'll investigate this matter further to ensure this doesn't happen again. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our services.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The only summaries of enough quality to be worth your time.

Summaries are only worth it if they are made with the same quality and care as the original sources. Shortform’s summaries are fantastic and meticulous (something that other well-known summary services do not achieve). Plus, their summaries include commentary/notes from the Shortform team that add complementing/contrasting ideas from other authors, or noting when an idea is controversial, lacking evidence, etc. 100% would recommend.

February 26, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience. We truly appreciate your feedback and are thrilled to hear that you find our summaries to be of high quality and value. We strive to provide our users with insightful and comprehensive summaries that capture the essence of the original source material. We are also pleased that you find our commentary and notes to be helpful and enriching. Your positive feedback is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional content and service.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great service from the beginning when I…

Great service from the beginning when I first subscribed to the end when I left. I had an issue with billing that customer service jumped on quickly and resolved, demonstrating you’re as valued when you leave as when you join. 👍

February 26, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate you taking the time to share your positive experience. We're thrilled to hear that you had such a great experience with our service, from your initial subscription to your departure. It's wonderful to know that our customer service team was able to quickly resolve your billing issue and that you felt valued throughout your time with us.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great product and customer service

Great product and customer service. I had an issue and customer service solved quickly and fairly

February 24, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had a positive experience with our product and customer service. We strive to provide excellent service and are happy to know we met your expectations.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I love Shortform

I love Shortform! I have been a user of competitive services like Blinkist. Shortform’s book summaries are much better. They hit the right points and provide a more accurate summary of the main ideas. It’s not cheap but worth it!

February 24, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience. We are thrilled to hear that you find our book summaries to be insightful and helpful. We strive to provide accurate and engaging summaries that capture the essence of each book. We appreciate your feedback and will continue to work hard to deliver the best possible experience for our users.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had an issue with an unauthorized…

I had an issue with an unauthorized charge on my Shortform account, and Edel handled the situation with professionalism and care. Edel took the time to review my case thoroughly with their manager and ultimately processed a full refund. They were patient, understanding, and made sure I was kept in the loop throughout the entire process. I appreciate how they worked toward a fair resolution without making me jump through unnecessary hoops. Great customer service—thanks again, Edel!

February 18, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We're so glad to hear that you had a positive experience with our team. We strive to provide excellent customer service, and it's wonderful to know that Edel went above and beyond to ensure your issue was resolved promptly and fairly. We appreciate your kind words and will share your feedback with Edel.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Good summary + additional ideas not…

Good summary + additional ideas not just a summary

February 16, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

We appreciate your kind words and are glad you found the summary helpful. We're always striving to improve and welcome your suggestions for additional ideas.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Shortform is amazing

Shortform is amazing. The book summaries are more meaty than I've seen at other companies (e.g., Blinkist) and I love how you can read them or listen to them or both. The other offerings, such as articles and the Chrome AI tool for summarizing any website, are great, too.

February 6, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you find our book summaries insightful and appreciate the flexibility of reading, listening, or both. We're also glad you enjoy our additional offerings like articles and the Chrome AI tool. We strive to provide valuable resources for learning and we're grateful for your positive feedback.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic professionalism

Fantastic communication, rapid answers, kindle, and helpful. Great staff, so complete professionalism. Congrats!

February 5, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had a positive experience with our team. We strive to provide excellent customer service and appreciate your recognition of our efforts.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Do not give refunds!

Do not give refunds even within a few days of subscribing.

Have blocked them from charging my card again, as it seems they have a habit of doing so, even after cancelling subscriptions.

February 3, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We understand your frustration with the refund policy and the recurring charges. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and will take your feedback into consideration as we continue to improve our services.

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