News & Media · head to head
Artifact vs Readwise Reader
Readwise Reader
News & Media
The read-it-later app for power readers
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Artifact has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Artifact wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing; Readwise Reader there is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
- They diverge on capability: Artifact covers AI recommendations, Readwise Reader covers Read-it-later.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Artifact and Readwise Reader actually diverge.
| Attribute | Artifact | Readwise Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | free | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Ios, Android | Ios, Android, Web |
| Founded | 2022 | 2017 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Artifact
- AI recommendations
- Article summaries
- Clickbait detection
- Social sharing
- Topic following
- Social sharing
Only in Readwise Reader
- Read-it-later
- RSS aggregation
- Newsletter inbox
- PDF support
- Highlighting
- Notion
- Obsidian
- Roam Research
Both cover
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Artifact
- News consumptionnot Readwise Reader
- Content discoverynot Readwise Reader
- Staying informednot Readwise Reader
Readwise Reader
- Saving and reading articles, PDFs and newsletters in one placenot Artifact
- Reviewing highlights from books and articles over timenot Artifact
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Artifact
- Wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing
- Yahoo acquired the personalisation technology and folded it into Yahoo News, so the app itself is not coming back
- The founders stayed only in an advisory capacity through the transition
Readwise Reader
- There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
- Reader is bundled into the full plan rather than sold separately, so it cannot be had at the cheaper Lite price
- The Lite plan at $5.59 a month billed annually is daily email review only, without the web app or tagging
- Paying monthly rather than annually raises the full plan from $9.99 to $12.99
Pricing, plan by plan
Artifact
Free- FreeFree
- AI-powered recommendations
- Article summaries
- Social features
Readwise Reader
On request- Reader Lite$8.99/month
- Unlimited articles
- Highlighting
- RSS feeds
- Full$12.99/month
- Everything in Lite
- Readwise integration
- Spaced repetition
Which should you pick?
Choose Artifact if
- You need ai recommendations.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ios, Android.
- You also want article summaries.
Choose Readwise Reader if
- You need read-it-later.
- You work on Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want rss aggregation.
Questions people ask
- Is Artifact or Readwise Reader better?
- Neither clearly leads. Artifact starts at Free and Readwise Reader at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Artifact or Readwise Reader?
- Artifact has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Artifact and On request for Readwise Reader.
- Does Artifact or Readwise Reader run on more platforms?
- Artifact runs on Ios, Android. Readwise Reader runs on Ios, Android, Web.
- Can I use Artifact for free?
- Yes. Artifact has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Readwise Reader starts at On request.
- What is Artifact best used for?
- Artifact is most often used for news consumption, content discovery, staying informed. Of those, news consumption and content discovery are not what Readwise Reader is typically brought in for.
- What can Artifact do that Readwise Reader cannot?
- Artifact covers AI recommendations, Article summaries, Clickbait detection, Social sharing. Readwise Reader covers Read-it-later, RSS aggregation, Newsletter inbox, PDF support. Both handle Ios support, Android support.