A lesser-known app gives you access to literally thousands of magazines from across the globe at the touch of a button – and right now it’s completely free for a two-month trial
No matter what your interests are, it seems there’s a glossy magazine for everyone. However, the cost can quickly add up if you’re buying several each month.
Moreover, if you’re tempted to buy a variety at an airport or train station shop for a long journey, you’ll find carrying the bag around quickly becomes a chore. But a lesser-known app gives you access to literally thousands of magazines from across the globe at the touch of a button.
While its usual cost is about the price of two magazines a month, right now it’s completely free for a two-month trial. I stumbled upon Readly when I got my Kindle Fire tablet and saw it in the Amazon app store.
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But I’ve since also downloaded it onto my iPhone – it’s also available on Android. If you’re someone who enjoys reading, it’s an incredibly simple way to brighten your day – you can never be bored with the wide range of reading material at your fingertips, which can either be downloaded to read offline or enjoyed online if you’re concerned about space on your device.
Readly’s library includes women’s magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Closer, Grazia, Best, Bella, Chat and Women’s Health, alongside celebrity gossip staples OK!, reports the Mirror.
Elsewhere, for film enthusiasts, Empire and Total Film are available, while sports fans are catered for with popular national titles like Four Four Two, Golf Monthly and more – perfect reading for fans of football, golf, cycling, rugby, horse racing and beyond.
Younger readers are also catered for, with the Beano being part of the selection and Readly offering family sharing across multiple devices, ensuring everyone can find something enjoyable to read without needing multiple subscriptions. Alongside current editions, fully searchable archived editions are also accessible.
As someone who enjoys collecting new recipes and ideas for home and garden, I relish reading various foodie and home décor magazines each month. However, with prices often ranging between £6 and £8 per issue, I had to detour from the newspaper and magazines aisle every time I went shopping.
Stumbling upon Readly last summer was genuinely game changing. I frequently browse through BBC Good Food, Olive, Delicious and Good Housekeeping for recipe inspiration, but there were several discoveries I made with the app that cemented its must-have status for me.
As an enthusiast of American style cooking, I was delighted to discover I could access dozens of US cooking magazines (and much more), sourcing recipes for everything from an authentic pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving to beignets – although the former definitely turned out better than the latter.
I soon discovered that Readly not only offers access to past magazine issues, but it’s also fully searchable. When a beignet recipe didn’t hit the mark, I was able to find alternatives in other magazines using a keyword search.
Surprisingly, I found that I could take screenshots of pages from magazines, creating a digital recipe book on my iPad for future use. While it seems the world is moving towards subscription models, I started my free trial intending to cancel it at the end of the summer after I’d had my fill of holiday reading.
However, I’ve kept my subscription all year and, considering the monthly cost is roughly equivalent to buying two magazines, I always feel like I’m getting good value for money. What convinced me to maintain my membership was the realisation that I could access all my favourite Christmas planning magazines, packed with ideas, decorations and recipes but usually carrying hefty price tags due to their extensive page counts, within the cost of my subscription.
After a two-month trial, Readly costs £12.99 per month. It can be easily cancelled via their website before the first payment is due, meaning there’s weeks of free reading available. It is worth noting that not everyone has been thrilled, with one Trustpilot user writing: “I cannot cancel the subscription to this. I just get a blank page. Do not sign up for this rubbish service.”
Readly isn’t the only app offering unlimited access to newspapers and magazines. Kindle Unlimited operates in a similar way, providing a free 30-day trial.
I’ve also given it a go since it’s compatible with my Kindle, but I ended up cancelling it at the end of the trial. The interfaces are quite similar, yet I found that Readly performed better on my device.
Kindle Unlimited may not have some of my top magazines that are readily available on Readly, but it does offer a selection of books, newspapers and magazines as part of the subscription.
