Readly UK Reviews 2,150

Since Cafeyn acquired Readly they have decided to make detrimental changes to the app. Now the app is barely functional. It loads content very slowly, despite me being on a fast connection. If this continues I will have to unsubscribe. The unsubscribe button has also been removed. You can do better.

Since the merger by Cafeyn the content is terrible and negotiating the site is atrocious . Also they think they have a god given right to stop you unsubscribing.

The new app is really bad - the previous version was intuative and did exactly what it needed to do. Now you can't even find your way round a magazine. I've Ben subscribed continuously since 2021 (and on and off before then) and have recomened Readly to many but that's completely changed now. I've tried to cancel but it seems you can't even do that now in the new app so I will be contacting my bank to cancel any future payments.

Cannot recomend this to anyone stay clear.

Absolutely dreadful. Forcing the new app on users is bad enough, but removing your ability to cancel your subscription is both cynical and dishonest. Thankfully I used Paypal recurring payments so I didn’t need to interact with this appalling company to cancel. I would urge all users who are unable to cancel to speak to their payment providers.
I really hope this company fails as a result of this, and I say that as a former long term subscriber.

Blocked from cancelling subscription. Promise if reimbursement but support dont reply.

Was a happy member for eight years. They got taken over and immediately discontinued Amazon fire support. Not happy, now cancelled

Absolutely terrible customer service. Since the new app I haven’t been able to fill in crosswords or sudoku. I contacted them over a week ago and no one seems capable to deal with my problem. So I decided to cancel but when I logged on and tried to cancel it said that I didn’t have a subscription. So I don’t know how that works? The old app was twenty times better and it worked fine. Very stressed with them.

The new app is a disaster I really was a satissfied customer but the new app is missing my favorite magazine. Awfull I think I will cancel my subscription

New app is terrible
Why can't I access the supplements in the guardian newspapers now in only get the news and sports and missing half the newspaper with no style / what's on/ weekend etc
I still cancel this is a disaster go back to the old app

What’s happened to Readly… changes are a backward step & sure to deter readers from continuing with the subscription. I was all nicely set up & now it’s an impossible struggle to get on the app!! I’m a long standing subscriber but looks like I’ll need to think again

Worked well until they launched the new app in April 2026. Now it won't work on my Chromebook and my tablet version is glitchy and nowhere near as good as the old version.
I'm cancelling my subscription - I can't use what I have paid for!

I've been a customer for a few years and always thought it was great. But after a recent "upgrade" the app is now quite appalling. Quality is rubbish, just avoid!

I think this is a scam. Lots of recent ads on Facebook for a 2 month free trial. I signed up, showed my trial runs until 24/06/26 after which I'll be charged.

I go to read a magazine and screen comes up asking to choose a subscription, I assume its part of the process, choose a subscription and they charge my card for £12.99. Wait, what happened to the free trial?

So tech support tell me to do the usual stuff, logout, delete the app, try again. Same screen, wants me to subscribe. So they've just taken £12.99 and I still can't have a subscription. I know if I hit the subscription button I'll get charged again.

Despite the Readly ads offering 2 months free trial still showing on Facebook, tech support tell me Readly no longer do a free trial. But because they've charged my card and still can't access Resdly the matter has to be escalated. I send the screenshots of the free trial ads but they're not interested.

Tech support sends me a support article, I click the link and it's a French support site in French.....helpful.

Forced to report it as fraud to my bank.
Be very careful. Been advised that it's a new company running Readly. Don't get ripped off.

UPDATE: In respect of the response from Readly, interesting that they can find the time to respond to this review without offering a solution, yet after five days of emailing their support team I've not had a single response that has resolved anything or refunded payment, I have no account to log into and they've debited my account for £12.99. I'm going to say it again; this is a scam!

disappointed that I can no longer get readly on my tablet, they didn't give me any noticed it was not going to be compatible, so I have had to cancel my subscription after 8 years, looking for an alternative or I may just have to go back to paper magazines

What an absolute disappointment the new service is. We have gone from the Library of Alexandria to a fortnightly mobile book service! I have been a subscriber for about 9 years but I am now looking for an alternative to Readly. The app is a massive step down from what we are all used to. It looks like it was designed by somebody with rudimentary IT skills. Navigation is appalling - I have to work extra hard to find anything, be that new publications or previously saved publications and bookmarks. Functionality is minimal - as one person said, it's little better than a PDF reader. Customer services is infuriating - though I imagine they are run off their feet due to the sheer frustration of customers. This is not just of concern to Readly customers; surely media publishers themselves must be worried about how their titles are published now that Readly has taken this turn! Previously I would recommend this app to anybody with an interest in reading. Now, all I can do is condemn it. It is an absolute shadow of it's former self and I will cancel my subscription the moment I've assessed the alternatives.

The recent merger/takeover by Cafeyn and introduction of the new app has been abysmal.

Previous reviewers have outlined a litany of things that are wrong with the Readly app so I will not repeat them. Instead I will provide two examples.
The home page lists my favourite titles. With 30 favourites it would be nice to arrange them in alphabetical order (like the previous Readly app). Unfortunately that is not available.
It has errors as well. One of my favourites is Men's Health - UK. Recently a 'new' issue appeared in my favourites list. However, although the magazine was listed as Men's Health UK, it was in fact Maison Romantique magazine...(I have screen shots as proof).

It should be a case study in how not to introduce a new app makeover. There was no advance warning of the changeover. It happened overnight and was a forced change to the new "improved" app. I cannot recommend this app in current form and am considering cancelling my subscription as there are plenty of other options (Zinio / Magster / Press Reader / Apple News etc).

I don’t like the new site think I am going to cancel to much like hard work now

Used to be absolutely brilliant until the new app came along. Now I am not able to access Readly on my kindle through the app and have to go through the browser which does not always upload and is now a very glitchy and unpleasant reading experience. When I do get it to eventually upload, the pages are too small and it is very clunky to enlarge them. Readly used to be such a daily treat and now it is just hassle. What a shame to ruin something that was fine in the first place.

I used to love Readly and have subscribed for many years . This new app is vile I can’t get on with it and it’s jittery not smooth . I am seriously thinking of terminating my subscription

Readly was perfect / the app was perfect.

Now it’s broken and impossible to use. The lay out is confusing and unstructured plus it keeps forgetting my saved magazines and not saving downloads 🙄🤷

How did this new app get tested and approved it’s the worst app transition I have ever seen or been forced to try.

Please go back to the old layout and fix these issues as I will have no choice but to leave otherwise and cancel my subscription permanently.