Readwise alternative
Import everything from Readwise in minutes, then turn passive highlights into active recall and actually remember what you saved.
Readwise / Instapaper / Cubox / Diigo
Acorny vs Readwise
Readwise is a mature, feature-rich platform that has expanded into a full read-it-later app. Acorny takes the opposite bet: stay small, stay cheap, and do one thing well — help you remember the highlights you already saved. Here is how the two compare on the things most readers care about.
| Acorny | Readwise | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free in beta · Pro $1.99/mo | From ~$12.99/mo |
| Active recall (AI quizzes you) | Yes | Only resurfaces old highlights |
| Spaced repetition review | Yes | Yes |
| Web highlighter extension | Yes | Yes |
| One-click import from Readwise | Yes | N/A |
| Focused on highlight review | Yes | Attention shifted to Reader |
| Daily digest | Yes | Yes |
Supported sources
Acorny is designed for people who already have years of saved highlights scattered across reading tools. The migration path starts with the library you already built, not with a blank account. Choose the source that matches your current workflow, import the material, and keep moving toward review instead of rebuilding folders, tags, and exports by hand.
Readwise
Bring your existing Readwise library into Acorny via API or CSV export.
API or CSV export
Instapaper
Connect your Instapaper account and sync highlights into Acorny.
Connect and sync
Cubox
Export your Cubox JSON and continue reviewing in Acorny.
JSON export
Diigo
Import your Diigo highlights into one review-ready library.
API or CSV export
Import via API or CSV export, then keep reviewing your saved highlights in Acorny instead of rebuilding your library from scratch.
The goal is not to create another storage silo. The goal is to preserve the value of the notes you already collected and make them useful again. If you have a Readwise export, Acorny treats it as a starting point for review: books, articles, and saved passages can become a daily learning queue instead of a long archive that you rarely reopen.
You can import first and decide later. Your original Readwise data is not deleted, changed, or moved out from under you. This makes the migration low-risk: test the review workflow with real material, compare the habit, and keep your existing setup until you are ready to rely on Acorny.
Why switch
Most people who look for a Readwise alternative are not unhappy with collecting highlights — they are unhappy with what happens next. The highlights pile up, the subscription renews, and the ideas still fade. Here are the three frustrations we hear most often, and how Acorny answers each one.
Acorny turns them into AI question cards that actually test you — active recall, not passive re-reading.
Seeing a highlight again is not the same as remembering it. Acorny generates a question from each saved passage and asks you to retrieve the idea before showing the answer, which is what actually moves knowledge into long-term memory.
Acorny stays lighter and cheaper, focused on one job: helping you remember what you highlight.
As Readwise expanded into a full read-it-later product, the core highlight-review experience became one feature among many. Acorny keeps that experience at the center and prices it as a small tool, not a bundle.
Import from Readwise in one click and keep reviewing on day one. Your original data stays untouched.
Bring your library across via API or CSV export, including source titles and notes. Nothing is removed from Readwise, so you can run both while you decide which review habit you prefer.
Review workflow
Acorny is built around a compact review loop. You do not need to turn every highlight into a polished flashcard before learning from it. The system can surface a small set of saved passages, ask you to recall the idea, and help you build a daily habit that is easier to keep than a long manual study session.
Highlights resurface at scientifically spaced intervals. You review less, remember more.
Instead of depending on motivation to reopen old notes, Acorny schedules review moments when forgetting is likely. The result is a calmer queue: fewer items at once, more consistency over time, and less pressure to reread everything in your archive.
Practice retrieving knowledge instead of re-reading passively. Your brain does the work.
A highlight becomes more valuable when you try to reconstruct the point before seeing it again. Acorny nudges that behavior without making the workflow heavy, so review remains focused on memory rather than formatting.
A curated set of highlights delivered for review each day. Small, consistent habit.
The daily digest keeps review bounded. It gives you a clear next action, then lets you stop. That makes Acorny better suited for a light recurring workflow than a catch-up session that tries to process an entire reading history at once.
Acorny is free during public beta, with a planned Pro plan at $1.99/mo — a fraction of a typical Readwise subscription. If price is part of why you are looking for a Readwise alternative, the gap is large.
Readwise prices are approximate and may change — check readwise.io for current pricing.
Honest take
A highlight tool is a habit, and switching one is a real decision. Acorny is not trying to replace everything Readwise does — it is better at some things and deliberately skips others. Here is an honest read on who should switch and who should stay.
FAQ
No. Importing into Acorny copies your highlights into your own library. Your original Readwise data stays untouched.
Absolutely not. Import your library, try Acorny, and decide later. No pressure, no lock-in.
Readwise (API or CSV export), Instapaper (connect and sync), Cubox (JSON export), and Diigo (API or CSV export).
Yes. Acorny offers a free tier so you can start reviewing your highlights without commitment.
Yes. Acorny imports your Readwise highlights via API or CSV export, including source titles and notes.
Yes. Importing copies your highlights into Acorny; nothing is removed from Readwise, so you can run both while you decide.
Start with import if you already have highlights. Start fresh if you are new.