How to Cancel Readwise (and the Reader sub you may also have)
Cancelling Readwise on the web takes about 3 minutes. The hard part is figuring out whether you're paying for one subscription or two, and getting your highlights out before sync stops.
Read this first: one subscription or two?
Readwise sells two products, and pre-2024 they bill independently:
- Readwise (highlights aggregator, spaced repetition). Billed via readwise.io. App Store ID 1476885528.
- Readwise Reader (read-later app). Now bundled into Full, but pre-2024 standalone Reader users were billed via Apple or Google. App Store ID 1567599761.
Cancelling one does not cancel the other if they are on separate billing rails. If you're unsure, open iOS Settings > your name > Subscriptions and look. Then come back.
Step 0: Export your highlights before you cancel
When your subscription lapses, sync stops and the export integrations turn off. Anything already pushed to your notes app stays there. Anything still inside Readwise needs to come out first.
Seven destinations, all reachable from readwise.io/export:
CSV · Markdown · Notion · Obsidian · Roam · Logseq · Evernote.
If you only do one thing, grab the CSV. It captures every highlight, note, and tag in a single file. The PKM integrations are useful if you already use Notion or Obsidian, but the CSV is the universal safety net. Readwise's official export docs walk through each option.
The cancel itself: three clicks
Web (Readwise main subscription)
readwise.io/preferences/account/ → sign in → subscription section → Cancel subscription → confirm. Done. Access continues until your billing period ends.
Prefer not to poke around? Email [email protected]. Readwise officially supports email cancellation.
Only if Reader is a separate App Store sub
iOS: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Readwise Reader → Cancel Subscription.
Android: Play Store → profile → Payments & subscriptions → Readwise Reader → Cancel.
Cancelling on readwise.io does nothing for an Apple- or Google-billed Reader sub. That one lives with the store.
The thing Readwise's cancel flow does not warn you about
If you signed up before February 18, 2024, cancelling forfeits your locked-in price.
Readwise grandfathered long-time subscribers into the old pricing tier. As long as your subscription stays active, you keep that rate. Cancel for even a month, and you come back at 2026 prices: about $5.59/mo Lite annual (no Reader) or $9.99/mo Full annual (includes Reader). For users who joined in 2020 or 2021, the gap stacks up.
There is no formal pause option. If you might come back, do the export, then decide. The legacy rate is the one thing you cannot get back.
When the charge actually stops
You keep access until the end of your current billing period. After that, the account locks (there is no free tier after the 30-day trial). No more renewal charges.
On refunds: Readwise's TOS says payments are "final and non-refundable, unless otherwise determined by Readwise." That last clause is the opening. If an annual renewal hit you off-guard, email [email protected]. The team has a community reputation for being human about edge cases. Not a guarantee, just a real path.
Questions Readwise users actually ask
I cancelled Readwise but I am still being charged. Why?
You probably have two subscriptions. Readwise and Readwise Reader are separate App Store products (IDs 1476885528 and 1567599761). Pre-2024 Reader signups are often billed through Apple or Google, not readwise.io. Check iOS Settings > Subscriptions for "Readwise Reader" and cancel there too. A third-party guide confirms the separate IDs.
What happens to my highlights after I cancel?
New syncs stop. Anything already in Notion, Obsidian, Roam, Logseq, Evernote, or a saved CSV stays put. The TOS does not commit to a retention window for cancelled accounts, so export from readwise.io/export first.
I am on legacy pricing. Should I cancel?
If there is any chance you'll come back, no. Cancelling forfeits the pre-Feb-2024 rate permanently. Resubscribing means paying current 2026 prices. No pause option, so it is binary.
Can I get a refund on the unused part of my annual plan?
Officially no, but the TOS reserves Readwise's right to refund at their discretion. The community pattern is that an honest email to [email protected] after an unexpected annual renewal often gets a reasonable response. Ask politely.
If you're rethinking the whole reading stack
Now that Readwise is off the list, what else is quietly renewing?
The average person finds two to four forgotten subscriptions the first time they look. Subcut shows every recurring charge on your card in about 60 seconds. Including the second Readwise sub you may have just spotted.
Download Subcut FreeiOS · Free to use · No subscription required (ironic, we know).