getAbstract review
Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Our verdict
getAbstract suits students and busy readers who want condensed written summaries of non-fiction titles rather than long audiobooks. Entry through the student plan is €0, the catalogue holds 27,000 summaries, and a cost score of 9 makes it a light add-on rather than a long listening habit.
Key facts
- Best for
- Free entry through the student plan, with unlimited written summaries.
- Price per month
- €29.90 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Price from
- €0 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 3 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Access model
- Unlimited (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Titles in the catalogue
- 27,000 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Catalogue languages
- English, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, French, Arabic (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Keep titles after cancelling
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Offline use
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Student discount
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- getAbstract AG (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Switzerland (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 1999 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Content types
- Summaries
- Official website
- getabstract.com
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- LinkedInXfacebook.cominstagram.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Entry on the student plan is €0, and that route ranks at 1 out of 24 brands on price from.
- The catalogue covers English, German and Spanish across summaries of 27,000 titles, with access that is unlimited.
- Offline downloads are available, which suits travel and commutes rather than desk-bound reading.
- The median monthly price for comparable reading services is €11.43, so the standard plan at €29.90 sits above the middle of the field.
Cons
- The standard plan at €29.90 a month costs more than AfriKDP at $3 and Readability at $19.99.
- Keep after cancel is no, so summaries are not kept once a subscription ends.
- Support runs on help centre only, with no phone line or live chat listed.
- The 3 day trial is brief against a 30 day median, and ranks at 15 out of 16 brands.
Who it suits
- Students who can use the student discount and start at €0.
- Readers who want 27,000 condensed non-fiction summaries rather than full-length audio.
- Commuters and travellers who need offline access on the move.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone after unabridged audiobooks: Audible at CAD 8.99 a month delivers spoken full titles instead of summaries.
- Readers watching the recurring bill closely: AfriKDP at $3 a month is lighter than the getAbstract standard plan at €29.90.
- Readers planning to keep summaries after cancelling, since keep after cancel is no.
Pricing
The standard plan is listed at €29.90 a month, while the student plan entry price is €0. That split matters when weighing cost: joining through the student route at €0 keeps the first bill small for a term, and the ongoing figure to budget for on the standard plan is €29.90 a month.
What it does well
The catalogue holds 27,000 summarised titles, offline downloads are available for listening away from a connection, and the trial runs 3 days. A student discount lowers the entry price for term-time readers, though keep after cancel is no, so a summary read during a term does not stay in the account afterwards.
Where it sits among rivals
On price from the brand ranks at 1 out of 24 brands, its strongest showing. Catalogue size ranks at 14 out of 20, and trial length at 15 out of 16. The monthly price sits at 20 out of 22, so the case rests on getting in cheaply rather than on paying less each month.
Who runs it
The service is run by getAbstract AG, registered in Switzerland and founded 1999. Support runs on help centre only, which is enough for billing questions and thin for anything a reader has to talk through.
How getAbstract compares
8.9 vs 9.0
8.9 vs 8.8
8.9 vs 8.6
8.9 vs 9.1
8.9 vs 8.7
Frequently asked questions
How much is getAbstract a month?+
The standard plan is €29.90 a month. Students can join on the student plan at €0, the discounted entry route, which works well if the summaries are mainly wanted during term. The monthly figure is the ongoing one, so budget around €29.90 for a subscription that runs past a single billing period.
What does the subscription include?+
Access is unlimited across 27,000 summarised titles, and the listed content type is summaries rather than unabridged audio. Downloads work offline, which suits travel and commutes, and a 3 day trial comes first so a reader can judge the writing before paying.
Is there a free trial?+
A 3 day trial is offered, which is short for the field: comparable reading services run a 30 day median. The trial ranks at 15 out of 16 brands on free trial length, so treat it as a sample rather than a long evaluation.
Can I keep the summaries if I cancel?+
No. Keep after cancel is listed as no, and access is unlimited only while a subscription runs, so a plan that ends closes the library. Anyone cancelling at the end of a term should treat the summaries as borrowed for that period and keep their own notes before the account closes.
Is there a student plan?+
Yes, a student discount is available, and the student plan entry price is €0 rather than the €29.90 standard monthly plan. The catalogue and features stay the same, so the discount is about what the subscription costs and how long a term-length reader needs it.
Which languages does the catalogue cover?+
The catalogue languages are English, German and Spanish, and the summaries draw on 27,000 titles. That spread suits readers who work across several languages on the same subscription instead of holding a separate one for each.
Who runs getAbstract and how do I get help?+
The service is operated by getAbstract AG, registered in Switzerland and founded 1999, so it is a long established company rather than a new listing. Support runs on help centre only, which handles account questions in writing without a phone line or live chat.
How does it compare with audiobook services?+
getAbstract deals in summaries, not unabridged narration, so it answers a different need from Audible at CAD 8.99 a month. Where a reader wants the whole book spoken at length, that price buys the full text, while getAbstract trades breadth for brevity with 27,000 titles condensed.
Sources
- getabstract.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Catalogue languages
“Content in 8 languages”
- getabstract.com/en/about checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters
“Founded in 1999 in Lucerne”
- getabstract.com/en/individuals/student checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Access model, Offline use, Price from, Student discount
“Unlimited downloads & send to Kindle”
- getabstract.com/en/terms-of-use checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Keep titles after cancelling, Legal entity
“Subscriber's access to the Website and Content ceases”
- getabstract.com/individuals/yourself checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Titles in the catalogue, Content types, Free trial length, Price per month
“27,000+ summaries for your personal and professional development”
- support.getabstract.com/en checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“How can we help?”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
getAbstract
Free entry through the student plan, with unlimited written summaries.