Comparison

Uptime vs Scribd

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Uptime

Learn and grow in just 5 minutes with expert-designed summaries of books, podcasts, and courses. Access content as text, audio, or visual stories to retain information and take action in your daily life.

Highlights
  • 5-minute content summaries (Hacks)
  • Summaries of books, podcasts, documentaries, courses
  • Content available as text, audio, or visual stories
  • Science-based learning methodology
  • Actionable insights and tips
  • Save and categorize favorite content (Sparks, Boards)
Features
Read full description

Designed by experts and scientifically proven to help you learn, Uptime is an exciting way for you to spend 5 minutes immersing yourself in content that will help turn you into the smartest person in the room. Whether it’s meditation, politics, or career advice you’re after, our Hacks can have you feeling confident and well-informed across any area of your life. WHY UPTIME? • It’s effortlessly engaging. Our 5-minute summaries (which we call Hacks) are easy to understand, quick to get through, and cover every topic imaginable. • We save you time. Uptime finds the world’s top non-fiction books, podcast episodes, documentaries, and online courses, and summarizes them so you can take away all the key information in a fraction of the time. • You choose what works for you. Our content is available as text to read, audio to listen to, or as visual stories you can tap through. Whether you’re sitting down to concentrate or out on the go, Uptime is designed to suit your needs. • We’re built for learning. Designed by experts, Uptime has a science-based methodology that’s proven to foster long-term information retention. • We help you take action. We don’t just leave you to consume facts. Our Insights in Action provide you with tips and tricks that you can implement in your everyday life. • Uptime helps you reach your goals. Watch your streak go up and see how many hours you’ve saved — a book might take hours, but a Hack only needs 5 minutes. • You can bank the best bits for later. Save your favorite quotes, insights, and actions as Sparks to refer back to, and even categorize them into Boards to share with your friends. • Our content is one of a kind. Many of our Hacks are written by the creators themselves, not only guaranteeing authenticity but offering unique insight you can’t get anywhere else. • We guarantee quality. We curate only the top creators – with New York Times best sellers, the latest Netflix documentaries, top-rated Apple and Spotify podcasts, and courses from the world’s most prestigious universities. WHAT IS EVERYONE SAYING ABOUT UPTIME? "Uptime: the app that helps you appear well-read (without actually reading). No time for those big books everyone talks about? With a new app you can grasp Hawking, Piketty and Gladwell in five minutes." – The Times “Uptime has a crucial role to play in making education and knowledge more accessible and affordable..” – Lily Cole, author "Read less, absorb more: Unless you have unlimited free time, you’ll never be able to consume everything that strikes your interest. Uptime provides a workaround…" – Fast Company's best new apps of 2021 TRY UPTIME PREMIUM It's free for 7 days with no ads, unlimited content, and access to perks such as audio voice and speed selection, monthly streak repair, and deeper learning. If you purchase Uptime Premium, payment will be charged to your Apple account. Subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of your current period, unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the subscription period. You will still have access to all your subscription features and content for the remaining time of your then-current period.

About

Scribd

Access a vast library of over 200 million documents covering diverse topics, from government records and research papers to DIY guides and user manuals. Understand anything with shared knowledge from a global community. Read offline and sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Access 200M+ documents
  • Official government documents
  • Research papers and dissertations
  • User manuals and DIY guides
  • Offline PDF downloads
  • Sync across multiple devices
  • Includes Everand and SlideShare
Features
Read full description

Home to the world’s documents. Specialized knowledge, and answers you won’t find anywhere else. Get to the source with over 200 million documents [and counting] on every topic and niche, including: Official government documents Research papers Academic dissertations Medical reports DIY hobbies User manuals Case studies And more You’ve seen it all, now understand it all. Make sense of anything with information on just about everything, shared by a global community of thinkers. All content on Scribd can be synced across multiple devices. Features for the document reader: Download pdf documents to read offline. Save your documents. Our monthly subscription starts at $11.99 and automatically renews unless the subscription is canceled at least 24 hours prior to the next billing date. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. A Scribd monthly subscription also includes access to Everand (ebooks and audiobooks) and SlideShare (presentations) at no extra cost. Download the free Scribd app and start exploring today! Our privacy policy can be found at https://www.scribd.com/privacy Our terms of use can be found at https://www.scribd.com/terms

Screenshots

Uptime4 screens
Scribd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Uptime at 67% against Scribd's 14%. Uptime also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.8) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Scribd's advantage is chart position (#131 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Uptime sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Scribd sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Uptime holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Uptime has 2.7K ratings behind it against 273, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Uptime's written reviews are positive against 14% of Scribd's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Uptime ships an update every 6 days, Scribd fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Uptime versus Scribd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUptimeScribd
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.7K ratings) — better2.8 (273 ratings)
Positive reviews67.2% of reviews — better14.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better273
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#131 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB156 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUPTIME APP LIMITEDScribd

Customer experience

Uptime

All ratings2,724 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews195 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative27.2%

Scribd

All ratings273 ratings
Positive41.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative54.6%
Written reviews234 reviews
Positive14.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative80.3%

User reviews

Uptime

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great way to preview books
  • 🚀 Convenient and engaging format
  • 🚀 Helpful for busy people
  • 👍 Enjoyable learning experience
  • 👍 Useful for those who don't like reading

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Requires paid subscription
  • 🔒 Limited content for free users
  • 🐛 Repetitive or diluted summaries
  • 🐛 Robotic voice can be unpleasant
  • 🐛 Unreliable cancellation process

Scribd

From 273 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Excellent content library
  • 💯 Great value for money
  • 🤓 Helpful for research and learning
  • 🙌 Seamless reading experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 💰 Unexpected charges after cancellation
  • 🤯 Confusing navigation between Scribd and Everand

Bugs and requests

Uptime

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription issues and unexpected charges
  • App crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Recommendation algorithm needs improvement

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline access to downloaded content
  • Better organization and management of saved content
  • More diverse content beyond just progressive/liberal views
  • Family sharing or discounted plans for multiple users

Scribd

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues due to constant redirects
  • Inability to download or access certain content
  • Syncing problems between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline reading mode
  • Ability to highlight and annotate content
  • Improved search and discovery features
  • Support for older device models

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Uptime

Subscriptions7
  • Uptime Premium$3.991 Month
  • Uptime Premium$19.991 Month
  • Uptime Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • Uptime Premium1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • Uptime Premium7 Days trial2 variants$55.991 Year
  • Uptime Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Uptime Premium1 Year trial2 variants$69.991 Year
10 purchases

Scribd

Subscriptions10
  • Scribd Membership$3.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership$6.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership$9.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership1 Month trial2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Scribd Membership2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Everand Membership2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Everand Membership2 variants$16.991 Month

Questions

Is Uptime free?
Uptime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scribd free?
Scribd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Uptime or Scribd?
Uptime is rated higher. Uptime averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Scribd averages 2.8 from 273 ratings.
Do Uptime or Scribd have ads?
Neither Uptime nor Scribd shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Uptime or Scribd?
Uptime ships an update every 6 days, and Scribd fortnightly. Most recently, Uptime was updated on September 22, 2026 and Scribd on September 24, 2026.

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