getAbstract Book Summary Review: Helpful For Companies?

Ever wanted to learn more about a topic in a single day? Do you have difficulty finding the time? getAbstract makes it easier to read by allowing you to save time. This getAbstract book summary review will explain how ten minutes of summaries can show you more than reading a book in its entirety.


These days, it’s challenging to get a sufficient amount of reading time daily. Entrepreneurs know very well that they need to make the most of their time. getAbstract is an excellent resource for book summaries.

UPDATED: JANUARY 25, 2023

Note: We may include products or services that will be helpful to our readers. This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please review the affiliate disclosure page.

What is getAbstract?

getAbstract is a reading app that summarizes books and articles, mainly nonfiction works. Similar to other reading apps, it aims to focus on providing information that’s precise and short. The summaries get to the key points of a book in particular.

The service started in 1999 (based in Switzerland) and is a US-based business as well. The company hires business journalists to create content for the app. 

Over the past 20 years, the mission of getAbstract has been to provide people with the knowledge to make better, informed decisions in life. The service continues to provide relevant knowledge and has become a useful product for the business community. 

What can you learn in 15 minutes?

How does getAbstract work?

If you’re not familiar with the term “abstract”, it’s basically a summary of a book. The abstracts are broken down into a proven template for readers to maximize knowledge retention.

getAbstract book summary review: getAbstract comes with a proven template to help readers understand the main points from a book summary.

The template is broken down into seven areas, which cover the key points within ten minutes. Here’s an example of a book I listened to not too long ago. Below are screenshots of the areas to look for in a template:

getAbstract book summary review: This book is part of the large selection of readings to choose from the library.

Book rating

  • The overall rating getAbstract gives for a book. If the rating is an 8 or higher, then it’s a recommended book to read. If it’s a 5 or below, you’ll likely not learn much from reading a book in general.
getAbstract book summary review: An overall rating of a book is given to determine whether it’s worth reading or not. Here’s an example of a book I listened to.

Recommendation

  • Generally, they have a basic overview of the topics of a book.
getAbstract book summary review: A recommendation is given based on the topic of a book listed. Here is another example.

Top Takeaways

  • These are the main points to take away from a book. If there are things you need to remember, this section layouts the key points here.
getAbstract book summary review: getAbstract will layout the main takeaways from a book- based on what you need to know.

Full summary

  • This section is a brief summary of a book. Here is where you read or listen to the key points of a book.
getAbstract book summary review: Here is where a full summary of a reading is presented in the getAbstract template.

Significant quotes from reading

  • Highlighted quotes that are taken from the book- these are the most memorable ones to keep in mind.
getAbstract book summary review: The template also shows notable quotes from the books in general. Here is an example from How To Not Manage People.

Author Biography

  • This section shows basic information about the author who wrote the book.

Alongside the templates, getAbstract has great features to make the most out of its reading app. They include the following:

Pick from multiple devices

  • Read from a desktop/laptop, or an e-reader (i.e. Kindle)
  • Download reading material on the mobile app
  • All summaries can be downloaded as PDFS

Audio and text formats

  • Read summaries from any device (easy-to-read bullet points)
  • Audio versions are open on MP3 players or other audio devices

Choose from thousands of book listings

  • getAbstract has more than 22,000 listings to read or listen to
  • Most listings are in nonfiction, with topics ranging from business, productivity, and personal development. These are topics designed to help people improve in any aspect of life

Available in multiple languages

  • Seven languages including English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, German, and Russian

Who is getAbstract designed for?

Over the years, getAbstract has focused its service on businesses and companies of all sizes. With their plans, they want businesses to make the most of their time for learning.

However, they offer plans for individuals and students. One perk about getAbstract is they offer a free plan for students. If they’re eligible (by providing verification as a student), students can get the most out of learning from getAbstract.

Can getAbstract help improve your business?

As mentioned earlier, getAbstract provides a lot of corporate solutions for businesses. When providing value to their customers, they focus on three key points:

  1. Turning knowledge into action
  2. Become more efficient with daily practices
  3. Stay updated on current skills and knowledge

With getAbstract, businesses are able to empower and engage learners to remain on top of their skillset. The ability to access relevant and valuable content is one of getAbstract’s core values. Check out their enterprise plans below to learn how you can invest in your team.

Pricing

getAbstract provides a couple of plans for their customers. To start out with, you can get a free three-day trial to see if it’s a good fit. After that, you’ll need to sign up for a subscription to get access to their full library of collections.

If you run a business and are looking to provide reading materials for your team, there are a few plans available.

For a team of 5 ($1295: $259 per user)
Billed Annually
For a team of 10 ($2290$229 per user)
Billed Annually
Enterprise (Pricing will vary- flexible for all companies. Contact customer service to request a demo)
-Centralized billing
-User management tools
-Basic usage statistics
-Centralized billing
-User management tools
-Basic usage statistics
-Same features for teams
-Advanced usage statistics
-More integrations for enterprise plans, such as a customized and branded company portal
Prices Accurate as of January 2023

If you’re looking to get something for yourself, there are some individual plans available.

 Pro Monthly ($29.90 per month)Pro Yearly ($299 billed yearly) < For a yearly plan- can save $59.80 a year.
-Unlimited downloads and send them to kindle
-Audio summaries and playlists
-Personal reading lists
-Unlimited downloads and send them to kindle
-Audio summaries and playlists
-Personal reading lists
Prices are Accurate as of January 2023

As mentioned earlier, getAbstract has plans available for eligible students. Their student starter plan is free (up to 5000 summaries). Their other plan is the student pro option ($99 per year, with access to the full library of summaries).

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Multiple formats available to read or listen to (audio, e-reader, PDF)
  • Large selection of books in the library (22,000 + summaries)
  • Very user-friendly to use on their website or app
  • 10 minute summaries are easy to review

Cons

  • Not all summaries are available in the audio version
  • Plans can be pricey (i.e. the yearly plan for individuals)
  • No book ownership
  • Target more to big business than other groups

Is getAbstract Worth It?

getAbstract is one of the oldest book and audio services in the world. With more than 25,000 summaries, it has one of the largest selections of book summaries. What stands out is the templates they use to help readers understand the key points of a book.

One of the downsides of using the app is it’s pricey, depending on the plan you choose. You may not think paying $299 a year for book summaries is the best choice. Honestly, I think it’s too much for me to pay for a yearly membership. Also, I don’t think I would use the app as often as I think I would. 

However, if it’s worth gaining access to a large library, then maybe it’s not a bad choice. If you want to learn new things each day, getAbstract may be a great choice for you.

The same thing goes for businesses. If you believe it’s worth investing in your employees, learning new skills (or working on old ones) can help with books on professional development. It’s one of the reasons getAbstract caters mostly to businesses. 

A relevant article from notimekillers.com

Read next on “Is Blinkist Worth It? Reading And Audio App Review” to check out another alternative to getting book summaries. This one is another similar option to getAbstract.

Final Words

getAbstract is a great source for reading or listening to a variety of books. Although it’s aimed at businesses, anyone wanting to read and learn more can make the most of the large selection of books available. 

If you want to give getAbstract a look, you can access their library for three days free. After your three-day trial is up, you can decide whether you want to continue with an individual or an enterprise plan. 

Whether you want to use it for yourself or to invest in your team, getAbstract can be a great choice for helping you get more reading time in. Sign up today and begin to make the most of your time wisely.

Your Turn: Is getAbstract a good choice for your reading needs?

I would like to get your thoughts and viewpoints. Do you like the large selection of books getAbstract provides? Do you like template formats to help you understand the key points? 

Do you think it’s worth an investment in gaining more knowledge and skills? If you run a business, is it a great solution to helping your team make the most out of work?

Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. I look forward to reading them, and I’ll respond back promptly.

If you got value from this article, please bookmark this website to visit later for new posts every week.

Spread the word to others. Sharing is caring!

To get more of this type of content, you won't want to miss out my daily email letters. These are worth some golden nuggets and best tips to help you in your business. Sign up today!

Count me in on the daily letters via email!

For the latest videos that come out every week, subscribe to the YouTube channel. Also, be sure to check out our new space on 
Twitter X!

YouTube

Twitter (X)

Medium Profile
Eric is the owner and chief editor of notimekillers.com. 

He takes great pride in helping people manage their time and grow their businesses. 

Eric is a firm believer in financial and time freedom, as he believes in financial independence and taking ownership of your time. 

“Time is your most important asset. It can be your best friend or worst enemy. How you use your time can shape the future you desire to have.” 

In his leisure time, Eric loves to write and read whenever possible. He enjoys going for long walks outdoors while doing in-home workout videos every week. 

You can also connect with Eric via LinkedIn.

Self Photo 2019: Here's a picture at a building in downtown Chicago.

6 thoughts on “getAbstract Book Summary Review: Helpful For Companies?”

  1. Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to write this in-depth review. I was looking into getAbstract as I have several books I’m interested in reading but have no time to read them. 

    I just wasn’t sure if it was worth the money so I’m glad I found your review. Is there an app like this that you would recommend that is more geared towards an individual person instead of a larger group/company? This one is a bit pricey for just me.

    Reply
    • Hi Marlinda,

      getAbstract provides great solutions for individuals and companies desiring more time into reading books. Your situation is similar to what a lot of people have at the moment.

      Although getAbstract leans more toward businesses (corporate solutions), they do offer plans for individuals. But as you brought up, the price can be too much for just one person.

      So if you’re looking for one that might be more suitable for you, here is my recommendation for readers. I think this alternative may be better suited for you, and it doesn’t cost as much. So I hope the previous review will give you a better insight.

      I hope I helped answer your question. It’s good to know that there are other options besides getAbstract.

      Although I greatly appreciate what you had to say about this review. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts.

      Reply
  2. Hi. I love this post. What a concept. I can get the summary of a book in 10 minutes. Who doesn’t have 10 minutes?  The only problem is that it’s an app. I have so many apps on my phone, I run out of space. I don’t have room for one more. Still, with all of the information we’re being bombarded with, it would be nice to have time to read a whole book. But since we don’t, having this app is a great idea. Wikipedia is kind of like that. It summarizes movies.  Anyway, I like this post. 

    Reply
    • Hi Shalisha,

      Yes, I like the idea of getting summaries in just 10 minutes. Even in that short time frame, you can a little time in for reading and learning new concepts.

      I will clarify that it goes beyond being a mobile app. In addition to reading or listening to summaries on your phone, you can dowload the web browser version as well. So if you wanted to listen from you laptop/desktop, you have that option.

      When you have desktop/tablet/mobile versions available, you have the convenience of which device you want to use. Especially with the summary formats, you don’t have to read an entire book. 

      You make a great point how it works like Wikipedia. I like reading brief movie summaries, and that’s where a source such as Wikipedia comes in.

      Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts- they’re very much appreciated.

      Reply
  3. Hi, I found this special review, I forgot that there is such a thing.

    I wish I knew earlier about getAbstract, I would have saved a lot of time by now. Yes, I’m sure it saves time.

    I have to think hard about which plan to choose, I opt for monthly, first to research. I’m glad I found this review helpful.

    Reply
    • Hi Vasile,

      Believe it or not, I was not aware that getAbstract existed until about a year ago. This company has been around for 23 years, and they continue to provide great services.

      Using something such as getAbstract can surely save you time. I’ve tried it out myself, and it’s nice to have those options available. Whether that’s for reading or listening, it’s nice for the large collection they have in their library.

      There’s no pressure to pick a plan. In the end, that’s completely up to you.

      When you’ve done your research and ready to make a decision, check out the options they have on hand. I think an individual subcription may best suit you, but that’s up to you.

      Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Best of luck on whatever decision you end up making. I appreciate what you have to say about getAbstract.

      Reply

Leave a Comment