# Thoughtful: Long-form Learning — No ads. No algorithm. > Consolidates and organizes content from various sources for focused learning and enjoyment. (iPhone/iPad app by Thoughtful, Incorporated.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thoughtful-long-form-learning/id1462977143 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Thoughtful, Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462977141) - Category: Education, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.70/5 from 35 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 26.0 · 153 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2019-11-24 - Data updated: 2026-08-14 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thoughtful-long-form-learning/id1462977143/reviews.md ## What is Thoughtful? You spend 14 hours a week scrolling through feeds. How much of it would you do again? Thoughtful is your personal corner of the internet. One place for videos, podcasts, and reads for all your hobbies & interests—organized into collections you curate yourself. No algorithm. No ads. WHAT THOUGHTFUL DOES Build Focuses—personal collections around the things you care about most. Technology. Fitness. Cooking. Parenting. Whatever matters to you right now. Save content from anywhere—YouTube, Reddit, podcasts, Substack, Kindle, Audible—and it goes straight into the Focus where it belongs. Find the Best Content—search across YouTube, Reddit, podcasts, the entire internet, all at once. Just type what you want to learn about and Thoughtful pulls results from every platform. Spend less time bouncing between apps and more time on what's actually good. Jump Back In—every time you open Thoughtful, you pick up where you left off. No ads. No distractions. No recommendations you didn't ask for. Just the content you already picked, ready when you are. HOW IT WORKS • Organize everything into Focuses—collections built around your interests • Just type what you want to learn—search across YouTube, Reddit, podcasts, etc. • Save content from any app or website using the share extension • Follow your favorite YouTube channels, podcasts, and blogs in one place • Pick up where you left off on long videos, podcasts, articles, and books • Discover content through people you trust, not an algorithm WHY THOUGHTFUL EXISTS Social media feeds are designed to keep you scrolling. Thoughtful is designed to make you feel glad you opened it. Every minute you’re here is a minute you chose to build the life you want to live. No ads. No tracking. No engagement-based algorithm. Just a subscription that keeps your interests aligned with ours: your time well spent. Built by an engineer who helped build the first Facebook iPhone app almost 14 years ago—who eventually left Facebook to build what he wished existed. That’s Thoughtful. Terms of Use: https://thoughtful.community/terms Privacy Policy: https://thoughtful.community/privacypolicy ## Key features - Consolidates podcasts, YouTube, blogs, and books - Save content from any app - Resume playback/reading where you left off - Discover content for any mood - Focused learning and personal growth ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly | $19.99 | per month | | Annual | $119.99 | per year | ## Recent user reviews (7 of 7) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thoughtful-long-form-learning/id1462977143/reviews.md ### 5/5 — The more I use Thoughtful, the less I scroll on Instagram *2026-06-05, version 3.4.3* As verified by iPhone’s screen time feature!!Instead of spending time on reels, I’ve been watching interviews and listening to podcasts and reading some articles as well. I still use Instagram a lot, but the time there is less and overall I just feel calmer and better, and I thjnk it’s just a question of being more conscientious about choosing this alternative now that I have one. Thoughtful’s also displaced some time I spent listening to music, which I’d always turned to for calm (and I still do), but going to my “focus” of comedian interviews on YouTube and podcasts for some light listening actually ends up working better for me when I’m doing laundry or walking the dog. It just kinda scratches that itch without making me feel like I’m wasting time and turning my brain into slop-processing mush, and I still end up learning interesting things even though I didn’t set out with that goal. Maybe that doesn’t really sound different than YouTube or a podcast app, but YouTube is too algorithmy and there’s too many distracting things I want to click on there and they’ve also filled it with shorts, which no thanks. And there are the ads, obviously. And podcast apps are too rigid and chronological, if that makes sense? And they doesn’t really help me find stuff—I kinda have to already know about a podcast, and I end up just having a few podcasts I follow that I’m not always in the mood for. Thoughtful’s search feature is SUPER cool, definitely my favorite feature. I told it I was interested in art, and it gave me subcategories of the topic, and then clicking a subcategory gives you sub-subcategories that it searches the internet for content for. So it turned this general interest into specific ideas of what I might find interesting. Super cool and not something I’ve seen anywhere else. ### 5/5 — Finally *2026-05-14, version 3.4* I’ve been using this app for a bit now and it’s such a breath of fresh air. Much better than an RSS reader for today’s types of content, and I get to pick. Mostly I don’t feel guilty for being on my phone for hours on the toilet anymore 🙊 ### 1/5 — What the heck *2026-04-13, version 3.3* It appears there is a new format. I can’t tell you how much I hate it. ### 5/5 — Endless, phenomenal content *2024-10-24* It’s wild that the “normal” way of finding a podcast is through an algorithm. Recommendations from friends are almost always better. Thoughtful makes that easy. I’ve been using thoughtful for 2 months — I’ve found my favorite book ever and listen to amazing podcasts every day. Can’t imagine doing things the “normal” way, anymore. ### 5/5 — Pretty Good *2023-08-24, version 2.5.4* I got this app because I really hated the shorts feature on YouTube and would get distracted by it every time I wanted to just watch a video or learn a skill from a tutorial on there. I really appreciate how this app doesn’t have a feature like that. The only suggestion that I would make for now is that if the podcasts had an automatic play next feature (I don’t know for sure if the app didn’t have it or if I just missed it). So far the app is good. ### 5/5 — Best place to aggregate life-enhancing content. *2022-08-05, version 2.1* Also getting content reccomendations from other people is pretty cool. ### 2/5 — :( *2021-05-24* How do I get an invitation? ## Frequently asked questions about Thoughtful ### What content sources can I use with Thoughtful? Thoughtful supports a wide range of content, including podcasts, YouTube channels, blogs, Substacks, Kindle books, and Audible audiobooks. You can follow and enjoy nearly any source of content directly within the app. ### Can I save content from other apps to Thoughtful? Yes, you can save content to Thoughtful from any app, such as Safari, YouTube, or Twitter. This allows you to easily gather articles, videos, and other media for later consumption. ### Does Thoughtful help me track my progress? Thoughtful automatically saves your place on every piece of content, whether it's a long video, article, or podcast. This feature allows you to easily pick up where you left off and track your progress on longer-form content. ### How long does it take to set up Thoughtful? You can set up Thoughtful in less than 5 minutes. The app is designed for quick and easy integration into your daily routine. ### What devices is Thoughtful available on? Thoughtful is available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, allowing you to access your content across multiple Apple devices. ### What is the age rating for Thoughtful? Thoughtful has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ### How often is Thoughtful updated? The latest version of Thoughtful is 3.2, and it was last updated on January 26, 2026. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements. ### Does Thoughtful have ads? No, Thoughtful does not contain advertisements. The app is designed to provide an uninterrupted and focused content consumption experience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.5.4 — 2026-08-13 • Bug fixes—thanks for reporting! ### 3.5.3 — 2026-08-10 • UI polish • Bug fixes—thanks for reporting! ### 3.5.2 — 2026-07-22 • Made it easier to set up sharing from any app into Thoughtful for new users. • Bug fixes—thanks for reporting! ### 3.5.1 — 2026-07-16 • Introducing Thoughtful Breakdown—deep analysis of long-form content to help you know whether content is worth your time, understand it faster, and navigate to the parts you're most interested in. • Bug fixes—thanks for reporting! ### 3.5 — 2026-07-11 Introducing Thoughtful Breakdown: deep analysis of long-form content that: • Makes it easy to figure out whether a video, podcast, or article is worth your time. • Creates fully self-contained outlines of the actual content, with each level remaining self-contained while adding more detail. • Allows you to quickly navigate to what you're most interested in—a single tap can take you to the relevant part of the video/podcast. ## Apps similar to Thoughtful | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Flourish - Soft Skills App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flourish-soft-skills-app/id1532377864) | 4.5 (11) | Free | Education | | [Lumity – Learn. 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