Most of us can't, and summaries make it worse: you nod along for 15 minutes and forget it by Friday. Ponderleaf is a free phone app that teaches a nonfiction book's core ideas one question at a time. You guess first, see why, try it in your own life, and missed ideas pop back up days later so they actually stay.
| Summary apps | Ponderleaf | |
|---|---|---|
| What you do | Read or listen for 15 minutes | Answer 7 questions, about 10 minutes |
| Your brain | Recognises ideas ("yeah, makes sense") | Predicts, gets it wrong or right, then explains it |
| A week later | Mostly gone | The questions return with answers hidden |
| Using it | Up to you | One small "try it today" step per idea |
Guessing before you're told and testing yourself later are two of the best-studied ways to remember what you learn. We're not claiming magic, just a better routine than re-reading.
Free, no app store, no account. Works offline.
Guess, see why, then get one small thing to try today.
Tomorrow for misses, and 3 days and 2 weeks for the ones you got right, so they stick.
4 new books a month, the full back catalog, recall for every book and request a title.
Reserve now — $6/mo, pay at launchEverything in Reader for a year, locked at this price, plus your book requests go first.
Reserve now — $39/yr, pay at launchFor comparison, summary apps charge about $90–$200 a year (Headway about $90, Blinkist about $100, Shortform $197). Reserve now, pay at launch. No card is charged today and we never ask for card details on this site.
No. A summary tells you the ideas. Ponderleaf asks you to work each idea out first, then explains it, then checks later whether you kept it.
You can, and it's a good habit. What you don't get is questions written so the "aha" lands, the spacing that brings them back at the right time, or a plan that keeps you doing it every week.
We start with the most-requested popular nonfiction. Every reservation includes a vote, and the top requests get done first.
For some books it's enough. For great ones it's the reason you'll go read the whole thing. Either way you keep the core ideas.
Yes. Ponderleaf is a free phone app you add straight from your browser, so there's no app store and nothing to pay. iPhone: Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen. Android: Chrome ⋮ → Install app. It works offline, and it can pop up one question a day.
Turn them on in the app and pick a time. Tapping the notification opens straight into that question, with no menus. Questions you missed come back the next day, and ones you got right come back after 3 days, then 2 weeks. Honest note: on iPhone, pop-ups need the app on your home screen (iOS 16.4+). Until our push service is live, they fire while the app is open or in the background, and on Android when the phone wakes the app.
They stay on your phone (local storage). We don't have accounts, and nothing is uploaded unless you fill in the form below.
If it doesn't help you remember more in the first month, you get a full refund.
No card is charged today. We don't collect payment details here. Paid plans are billed only at launch, after you confirm.