Regardless of your hobbies, many of us will quickly turn to streaming sites like Netflix, Disney+ or iPlayer when we're bored. But some families are now looking to a different subscription-based app, which is free for the first two months, for something a little different.
I stumbled upon the app when I received my Kindle Fire tablet and saw it in the Amazon app store. Since then, I've also downloaded it on my iPhone - it's available on Android as well. If you're an avid reader, it's simply revolutionary - with the vast array of reading material at your disposal, boredom is never an option. You can either download content to read offline or enjoy it online if you're concerned about device storage.
Readly's collection includes women's magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Closer, Grazia, Best, Bella, Chat and Women's Health, as well as celebrity gossip mainstays OK! and Heat. Additionally, Empire and Total Film are available for movie enthusiasts, while sports fans are catered for with popular national titles like Four Four Two, Golf Monthly and more - ideal reading for followers of football, golf, cycling, rugby, horse racing and beyond.
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Younger readers are also catered for, with the Beano included in the selection. Readly allows family sharing across multiple devices, ensuring everyone can find something enjoyable to read without the need for multiple subscriptions. It's also a great alternative for kids if you want to give them something to indulge in away from Netflix. Alongside current editions, fully searchable archived editions are also accessible.
As someone who enjoys collecting new recipes and home and garden ideas, I relish reading various foodie and home decor magazines each month. However, with these often costing between £6 and £8 each, I had to exercise restraint every time I went shopping. Discovering Readly last summer was genuinely transformative.
I regularly peruse BBC Good Food, Olive, Delicious and Good Housekeeping for recipe inspiration. However, there were several discoveries I made with the app that cemented its status as a must-have for me. Firstly, as an enthusiast of American-style cooking, I was delighted to discover I could read dozens of US cooking magazines (and plenty more besides), sourcing recipes for everything from authentic Thanksgiving pumpkin pie to beignets - although the former definitely turned out better than the latter.
I quickly realised that Readly not only provides access to older magazine issues, but it's also fully searchable. This feature came in handy when a beignet recipe I tried was a letdown, and I could search for alternatives in other magazines. To my delight, I discovered I could screenshot pages of the magazines, creating a collection of recipes on my iPad for future reference.
While the world seems to be moving towards subscription models, I began my free trial thinking I would cancel at the end of the summer after I'd had my fill of holiday reading. However, I've continued to subscribe throughout the year, and with the monthly cost equating to roughly the price of two magazines, I always feel like it's good value for money.
What convinced me to maintain my membership was the realisation that I could read all my favourite Christmas planning magazines, filled with ideas, decor, and recipes, but carrying premium price tags due to their hefty page counts, within the cost of my subscription.
After a free two-month trial, which you can sign up for here, Readly is priced at £12.99 per month. It can be easily cancelled via their website before the first payment is due, meaning there's a summer's worth of reading available completely free. Readly isn't the sole app providing unlimited access to newspapers and magazines.
Kindle Unlimited operates similarly, offering a free trial for 30 days. I've given it a go as it's compatible with my Kindle, but I ended up cancelling after the trial period. The interfaces of both apps are comparable, though, ironically, Readly performs better on my device. Kindle Unlimited lacks some of my preferred magazines available on Readly, but it does include some books in the subscription along with newspapers and magazines.
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