Lumen vs Readwise Reader: pick by where your notes live.
Readwise Reader is a polished, paid reading app with spaced repetition of highlights and many sources (RSS, newsletters, EPUB). Lumen has a free plan, sends each highlight once to a note you choose (Obsidian, Notion, markdown, webhook), lets you pick the AI model, and plugs into agents through MCP.
Side by side
| Feature | Lumen | Readwise Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan; every Pro feature free for 7 days | Included in Full Readwise, about $9.99 a month billed yearly (check their site) |
| Highlight web pages | Yes, toolbar on selection; copy keeps working | Yes |
| Choose the target note per project | Yes, every collection points at one note | Exports one document per source |
| Duplicate safe re-clipping | Yes, a delivery ledger per destination | Sync based |
| Obsidian | Writes into your vault through Local REST API, in your own syntax | Official export plugin |
| Notion, webhooks, plain markdown | Yes | Notion yes; others via integrations |
| AI model | Lumen hosted, Ollama, any OpenAI compatible API, or Claude via your CLI | Built in Ghostreader |
| Agent access (MCP) | Yes, built in | Check their docs |
| RSS, newsletters, EPUB | Not yet | Yes |
| PDF highlighting | In progress | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | No |
Facts about Readwise Reader checked 2026-11-01. Prices and features change; check their site before deciding.
Choose Readwise Reader if
- You want one app for RSS, newsletters, EPUBs and PDFs today.
- You value daily spaced repetition of old highlights as a core habit.
- You are happy to pay for a mature, all in one product.
Choose Lumen if
- You write from your reading and want highlights in the exact note you are drafting.
- You use Obsidian and care about clean markdown in your own syntax.
- You want to choose the model, run it locally, or let Claude work with your library.
Switching takes five minutes
- Export your highlights from Readwise as markdown.
- Create a collection in Lumen for each project and point it at a note.
- Install the Lumen extension and keep reading; new highlights flow to the right note.
Questions
Is Lumen a free Readwise alternative?
For web reading and highlighting, yes: the free plan covers saving, highlighting, notes and Obsidian sync, and every Pro feature is free for your first 7 days. Readwise still covers more formats such as EPUB and RSS.
Can Lumen send highlights to Obsidian like Readwise does?
Yes. Lumen appends new highlights to a note you choose through the Obsidian Local REST API plugin, and never writes the same highlight twice.
Does Lumen have spaced repetition?
A light version: daily reads resurface older highlights next to what you are reading now.