Scrolls vs Kindle, Apple Books and Blinkist
Scrolls is for reading whole books in the spare minutes you would otherwise spend on a feed: it shows one short chunk of the book per screen and you swipe up for the next. Kindle and Apple Books are full e-book stores and readers, with pages or an optional scrolling mode. Blinkist gives you the key ideas of mostly non-fiction books in about 15 minutes, rather than the book itself.
Side by side
| Scrolls | Kindle | Apple Books | Blinkist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you read | Full books, word for word | Full e-books | Full e-books and audiobooks | Key ideas from books, podcasts and experts, in about 15 minutes (Blinkist) |
| How the text is shown | One short chunk per screen; swipe up for the next | Pages, or optional continuous scrolling (Amazon help) | Pages, or optional vertical scrolling (Apple support) | Short summaries to read or listen to |
| Built for | Spare minutes on your phone | Buying and reading e-books on phones, tablets and Kindle e-readers | Buying and reading books and audiobooks on Apple devices | Learning the main ideas of non-fiction quickly |
| Catalogue today | 5 books and growing | Large store | Large store | Thousands of titles |
What is the difference between Scrolls and Kindle?
Kindle is Amazon’s e-book store and reader. You read full books as pages, or turn on continuous scrolling so the text runs on like a web page. Scrolls splits a book into short chunks and shows one per screen, so each swipe moves you one chunk on, with XP, streaks and book clubs built in.
Can you scroll instead of turning pages on Kindle and Apple Books?
Yes. Kindle has an optional continuous scrolling mode and Apple Books has an optional vertical scrolling mode. Both scroll one long column of text. Scrolls is different: the book is already split into short chunks, one per screen, sized to read in a few seconds.
Is Scrolls like Blinkist?
No. Blinkist gives you the key ideas from books, podcasts and experts in about 15 minutes, mostly non-fiction. Scrolls gives you the whole book, word for word, split into short chunks. Nothing is summarised.
Which reading app is best for reading more on your phone?
If you already pick up your phone in spare minutes and want that time to go to books, Scrolls is built for exactly that: one chunk per swipe, and progress after a few seconds. If you want the biggest store of new releases, Kindle and Apple Books are better choices today. If you want the gist of non-fiction quickly, use Blinkist.
What Scrolls adds
- One chunk per swipe. Each screen holds a few seconds of reading, so even a short wait moves the book on.
- XP, streaks and badges. 10 XP a chunk, 200 XP and a badge for finishing a book, and a daily streak.
- Book clubs. Read the same book with friends, see everyone’s progress, and discuss without spoilers: discussion unlocks by position.
- Tap any word for a definition, read offline once a book is open, and get a short poem of the week.
When another app is the better choice
- You want this week’s bestsellers. Kindle and Apple Books have far bigger stores. Scrolls is building its catalogue one book at a time.
- You read on an e-ink device. Kindle e-readers use e-ink screens; Scrolls is a phone app.
- You want the gist, not the book. Blinkist is built for that. Scrolls only shows full books.
Plenty of people use more than one: a Kindle for long evenings and Scrolls for the minutes in between.
Try the swipe yourself
Scrolls is coming soon to iPhone. Try the reader in your browser, or join the newsletter for launch news.