Shortform Reviews 960

TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.2

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 155 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Many customers appreciate the high-quality summaries that distill complex concepts and provide key takeaways, often enhancing understanding beyond the original book. The service is praised for its ability to save time, allowing users to quickly grasp main ideas and decide on further reading, with many finding the content informative and engaging. Reviewers also highlight the excellent customer service, noting helpful and quick resolutions to issues, and the user-friendly interface that makes navigation straightforward. However, some people were dissatisfied with the summarizers occasionally debating authors excessively or adding too much context that felt like arguments. There were also mentions of issues with subscription renewals, where users were charged despite attempting to cancel or not receiving notifications about auto-renewal. Additionally, some customers expressed a desire for a wider selection of books, particularly in genres beyond self-help, and noted difficulties with app usability, such as small buttons and highlighting functions.

What people talk about most

User experience

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of user experience, praising the app's presentation, ease of use, and... See more

Product

Customers consistently note positive experiences with product, praising its ability to help them learn from... See more

Service

People report ambiguous experiences with service, with some finding it excellent for understanding concepts... See more

Customer service

Customers had positive experiences with customer service, often describing it as exceptional, amazing, and... See more

Subscription

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about subscription, with some finding it poor value for money due to... 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. #31 of 44 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

960 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 38% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 month

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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Great Service

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 sometimes.

The only things that could be improved, imho:
I am still missing some books that I would like to read or listen too, so the library could still be expanded. And also the price (without any discount) is quite high, therefore I am regularly re-assessing if I still can/want afford the service (still a 'yes' so far).

December 8, 2025
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I enjoy the summaries, app needs work.

I enjoy the summaries, they are concise and actionable. The app/web integration is still wonky. For example, if I'm reading on one device it won't show up on another. The app on iPhone also doesn't play well with audio controls with Car Play - using talk to text or taking a call will interrupt, and then the audio defaults to other apps, requiring opening the phone and clicking play on shortform.

So far, a reasonable value for the money. With some app improvements I'll stick around for another year.

December 1, 2025
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Shortform Review

I like the summary format Shortform uses. However, I subscribed to Shortform based on the recommendation from Ryan Holiday, so I expected A LOT MORE classics to be included. Instead it seems to be heavily focused on self-help, self-development and popular books, which don’t really need a summary as they are already incredibly easy and fast to read.

December 3, 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Shortform has been great it gathering…

Shortform has been great it gathering information, tips, and tools to learn and live the life I want to live.

October 18, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words. We are thrilled to hear that Shortform is helping you gather the information and tools you need to live the life you want. Your feedback encourages us to keep providing valuable content and support for our users.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Edel was extremely helpful

Edel was extremely helpful, kind, conscientious and knowledgeable in explaining and resolving difficulties that I was having in moving from trial to subscription. She actually did much of it on Thanksgiving!! Thank you!

November 27, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for sharing your experience. We are delighted to hear that Edel was able to assist you so effectively, even on Thanksgiving. Your kind words mean a lot, and we will be sure to share your appreciation with her.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I like the idea of this and all the…

I like the idea of this and all the available content but I don’t use it as often as i had hoped to.

November 27, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your feedback. We are glad you enjoy the content and the concept behind Shortform. We understand that finding time to use it regularly can be challenging and hope you continue exploring it at your own pace.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

They charged me for a year after I…

They charged me for a year after I cancelled my free trial! Absolute scam

November 30, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your feedback. Our free trial automatically converts to a paid subscription unless canceled before the end of the trial period, as noted at signup. We understand this can be frustrating and encourage users to reach out to our support team with any concerns.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your kind words. We are glad you find our reviews thoughtful and insightful. Your feedback encourages us to keep delivering high-quality content that helps our readers learn and grow.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

How Long Is This Going To Take?

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 opportunity, before pressing +START READING, to have an approximation of how long the read will take. That way I can better fit it into my day. Thanks.

November 25, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for your feedback. We are glad your first experience was positive. Your suggestion about showing an estimated reading time before starting is excellent, and we will share it with our team. We hope Shortform continues to help you make the most of your limited reading time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Super concise, yet complete

The Short Form guides super concise. You can get the essence of a complete book in under 30 to 60 mins. That gives you lot of time back for other productive activities.

November 12, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thanks so much for the kind words! We’re glad you’re finding the guides clear, concise, and time-saving. It’s great to hear Shortform is helping you get more value out of your reading time. Let us know anytime if we can support your learning further!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Lots of titles

I like the summary style getting right to the point. It looks like a good selection of titles as well.
One thing that kind of irked me was that I did the trial where I was supposed to be notified on the 3rd day. We'll, that reminder never came. I like the product, so it's not a big deal.

November 13, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thanks for the thoughtful review! We’re happy to hear you’re enjoying the straight-to-the-point summaries and wide selection of titles. We're sorry about the missing day-3 reminder — that shouldn’t have happened, and we’ll look into it. We appreciate you giving Shortform a try, and we're here if you ever need anything!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Valuable resources and great service

I reached out looking for a certain book, and Shortform replied very quickly with a link to the Shortform book summary.
There are a huge number of books and articles to explore, I save a lot of time reading the Shortform summary before deciding whether I want to read the full book or not. I also learn lot about book content from the summary without needing to read the book at all.

November 14, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

Thanks so much for the wonderful review! We're glad our team could help you quickly, and it’s great to hear Shortform is helping you explore more books while saving time. Whether you’re previewing a title or learning from the summary alone, we’re here to support your reading journey!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Beats irs competition, hands down

Nicely summarizes content without sacrificing depth. Unlike most comparable programs, this one delivers.

November 13, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

Thanks so much for the praise! We’re thrilled to hear you’re finding our summaries both clear and genuinely in-depth. We work hard to go beyond surface-level takeaways, so it means a lot that it stands out. Appreciate you being with Shortform!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Refund dispute

I brought this subscription for a year, used it for a few weeks while on holiday but shortly didn't get on with it. I much rather just enjoyed getting the full book on audible and having a real voice. I had at some point through the year believed I had cancelled my subscription from auto renewal. However, another £150 has been taken out of my account. I have messaged them on the same day to only get a response saying we will not refund you the full amount, and the said we don't normally but we will offer you 50%. I have obviously responded that's not good enough and I want the full refund. If they continue to refuse this then I'll be going though my credit card and opening a dispute and chargeback. They also said I would have received an email about the auto renewal date but I have gone though my inbox in detail and all I have is hundreds of emails about shortform promotion of content (even if I did have a reminder email, it would be near impossible to locate it in the mass email form the). Shortform you need to do a lot better, your current practice is extremely poor from a payment and customer service perspective.

November 13, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

We’re sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you sharing this feedback.

We understand how frustrating unexpected renewals can feel. Our annual plans renew automatically as stated at checkout and in our reminder emails before renewal. While we don’t offer prorated or full refunds after a renewal, our team made an exception to offer a partial refund as a courtesy.

We appreciate your feedback on our communication and renewal process, and we’ll continue working to make this clearer for users in the future.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Quicky and actually very helpful customer support!

Direct and helpful response for payment requests and open about feedback to improve the site in future. Highly rate the experience, especially with support from Edel G

November 10, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shortform

Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re glad to hear our team, especially Edel, could help make things smooth for you.

We really appreciate your feedback and will continue working to improve our payment process and overall experience for all users.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

What you carry is great…just need more selections

The information you provide on the books you carry is the best around; just wish your book selection could increase some—especially in eadership, business and military history. What you do have is unmatched in content.

November 4, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

We’re so glad to hear you find our book guides unmatched in content. Thank you for the feedback on expanding our selection. We are always looking to grow our library, especially in leadership, business, and military history, and your input helps guide that.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Love this app

Love this app! I mostly listen to these shortforms and it's great. Even the ones they let IA generate is great. There is one book I'm waiting on in particular, but while I wait I have over a 100 books on my to read list! The price is a bit much if you look at it from a monthly spending, but if you actually use it quite often you realise it's worth every penny. I haven't run into any problems at all😊

October 28, 2025
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Reply from Shortform

We’re thrilled to hear you’re enjoying the app and have so many books on your to-read list. Thank you for highlighting the value you get from using it regularly. We really appreciate your support and are glad everything has been running smoothly for you.

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