One Good Thing vs Blinkist
the short answer
Blinkist is a library of nonfiction summaries, about 15 minutes each, to read or listen to. One Good Thing is a single idea a day, not drawn from any book, done in under two minutes.
why people compare them
The usual reason people compare these two: there are more good books than evenings.
Blinkist turns nonfiction books and podcasts into summaries of about 15 minutes, to read or listen to, from a library of thousands. One Good Thing gives you one idea a day, written for the app instead of squeezed out of a book. It takes under two minutes, then it lets you go.
If summaries keep slipping out of your head, here is our take on why.
side by side
| Compared on | one good thing | blinkist |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One good idea a day, from 12 fields | Summaries of nonfiction books and podcasts |
| Time a day | Under two minutes | About 15 minutes a summary |
| What you do | Read, carry it or let it go, close the app | Read or listen, pick what to read next |
| Where ideas come from | Written for the app, never a condensed book | Condensed versions of existing books and podcasts |
| What it builds | Your house of thought, one room for every field you carry from | A library to browse, with personalized recommendations |
| Going deeper | Ask questions answered from your own collection, not the open internet | Offline mode, Send-to-Kindle and an AI tool on its Pro plan |
| Cost | The daily idea and your whole collection are free for good. Membership is optional | Free to download with a limited free tier, more on a subscription |
- What it is
- ogtOne good idea a day, from 12 fields
- blinkistSummaries of nonfiction books and podcasts
- Time a day
- ogtUnder two minutes
- blinkistAbout 15 minutes a summary
- What you do
- ogtRead, carry it or let it go, close the app
- blinkistRead or listen, pick what to read next
- Where ideas come from
- ogtWritten for the app, never a condensed book
- blinkistCondensed versions of existing books and podcasts
- What it builds
- ogtYour house of thought, one room for every field you carry from
- blinkistA library to browse, with personalized recommendations
- Going deeper
- ogtAsk questions answered from your own collection, not the open internet
- blinkistOffline mode, Send-to-Kindle and an AI tool on its Pro plan
- Cost
- ogtThe daily idea and your whole collection are free for good. Membership is optional
- blinkistFree to download with a limited free tier, more on a subscription
What we say about Blinkist was checked against Blinkist's App Store page on . Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
which one is for you
Blinkist, if
- You want the gist of a lot of books, fast
- You like to listen as well as read
- A big catalog to browse sounds like a treat
- You have about 15 minutes to give it
One Good Thing, if
- You want one idea, not a shelf
- You have a spare two minutes, not 15
- You would rather finish something small than start something big
- You want what you keep to build into something
the honest part
One thing to keep, not a shelf
Blinkist helps you cover ground. One Good Thing asks you to keep a single thing, which is easier to keep up. Carry an idea and it joins your house of thought, one room per field, where a later idea may find it.
Plenty of people have both installed.
questions