# SumAI vs Summarify: iPhone YouTube Summarizers

> SumAI and Summarify compared: two iPhone apps for summarizing YouTube videos. Sources, summary styles, chat, study tools, export and US prices.

- Source: https://getsumai.app/compare/sumai-vs-summarify/
- Last updated: 2026-11-12
- About: SumAI: YouTube & PDF Summary, an AI summarizer app for iPhone and iPad

Summarify and SumAI are both native iPhone and iPad apps that summarize YouTube videos from their captions and let you chat with the video. Summarify concentrates on YouTube, with more than 15 summary styles and search inside a video. SumAI also summarizes web articles and PDFs, and adds mind maps, quizzes, flashcards and read-aloud.

_Disclosure: SumAI is our app. Facts about Summarify come from its own public pages and store listings, last checked on 2026-11-12._

## SumAI and Summarify side by side

| | SumAI | Summarify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where it runs | iPhone and iPad with iOS/iPadOS 16.0 or later | iPhone and iPad with iOS/iPadOS 17.6 or later, and Mac. A companion Chrome extension exists |
| Sources | YouTube videos, Shorts and live streams; web articles; PDFs | YouTube videos |
| Summary styles | Five: TL;DR, Standard, Detailed, Study Guide, Chapters | More than 15, plus chapter summaries and summaries of a custom selection |
| Chat with the video | Ask AI, with tappable timestamps | Yes |
| Search inside a video | Not listed | Yes |
| Timestamps | Chapters and key moments; tap a time to jump into the video | Timestamps linked to the video |
| Transcript | View and copy, with timestamps | View and download |
| Mind map, quiz, flashcards | All three, generated with every summary | Not listed in its App Store description |
| Read aloud | Listen, at 0.75x to 2x | Not listed in its App Store description |
| Export | PDF or Markdown | PDF, Markdown or plain text |
| Sync | Optional Sign in with Apple keeps your library across devices | iCloud sync |
| Price (US App Store) | Premium $2.99 a week or $29.99 a year | Unlimited $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year |

## Choose SumAI if

- You want to summarize **PDFs and web articles** as well as YouTube.
- You want **mind maps, quizzes and flashcards** for studying.
- You want summaries in **60+ languages**, or **read aloud**.
- Your iPhone or iPad runs **iOS 16 or 17** below 17.6.

## Choose Summarify if

- You summarize **only YouTube** and want an app focused on it.
- You want **many more summary styles** to choose from.
- You want to **search inside a video**.
- You prefer a **monthly** plan, or plain-text export.
- You want the same account in a **Chrome extension** on your computer.

## Two apps with the same starting point

Of all the tools we compare ourselves with, Summarify is the closest in shape. Both apps are native to iPhone and iPad. Both take a YouTube video, read its captions and write a summary. Both let you ask questions about the video and jump to the moment an answer comes from. Both export to PDF and Markdown.

The difference is in which direction each one has grown.

## Summarify goes deeper on YouTube

Summarify is a YouTube specialist, and its feature list shows it:

- **More than 15 summary styles**, against SumAI's five.
- **Search inside a video.**
- **Summaries of a custom selection**, so you can summarize just a part.
- **Transcript download**, and export as plain text as well as PDF and Markdown.
- **In-app search** for videos, as well as the share sheet.
- **A companion Chrome extension** that uses the same account, and a Mac version.

If YouTube is the only thing you summarize, that depth is a real reason to choose it.

## SumAI goes wider and adds study tools

SumAI covers more kinds of source and does more with each one after the summary:

- **PDFs and web articles**, in the same library as your videos.
- **A mind map** of every summary.
- **A quiz and flashcards** generated from every summary.
- **Summaries in more than 60 languages**, chosen independently of the video's language.
- **Listen**, to have a summary read aloud.
- **Support for iOS 16**, where Summarify requires iOS 17.6.

Summarify's App Store description does not list mind maps, quizzes, flashcards or read-aloud. That is not proof it lacks them, only that its own listing does not mention them.

## Price

The yearly plans are the same price in the US App Store: $29.99. Summarify also offers a monthly plan at $4.99. SumAI offers a weekly plan at $2.99. Both apps are free to download, and Summarify's listing says it includes a limited number of free summaries.

## What they share

Both need captions on the video. Both produce AI summaries that deserve a check against the source when a detail matters, and both make that check easy with timestamps.

## How to decide

Ask what else you need to summarize. If the answer is "nothing, only YouTube", try Summarify first. If you also read papers and articles, or you are studying and want the mind map, quiz and flashcards, SumAI is the better match.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between SumAI and Summarify?

Both are iPhone and iPad apps that summarize YouTube videos from their captions and offer chat. Summarify focuses on YouTube, with more than 15 summary styles and search inside a video. SumAI also summarizes web articles and PDFs, and generates mind maps, quizzes and flashcards.

### Do SumAI and Summarify cost the same?

Their yearly prices match in the US App Store as of November 2026: $29.99 a year. The shorter plans differ: SumAI Premium is $2.99 a week, and Summarify Unlimited is $4.99 a month. Both are free to download. Prices can change, so check each listing.

### Can Summarify summarize PDFs?

Summarify's App Store listing and website describe it as a summarizer for YouTube videos. SumAI summarizes PDFs with selectable text and web articles in addition to YouTube videos.

### Do both apps need captions?

Yes. Both work from a video's transcript, so the video needs captions or auto-generated subtitles.

## Sources

- [Summarify on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6449274415), Apple App Store
- [Summarify website](https://summarify.app/), Summarify
- [Summarify on the Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/summarify/ilcemmibfdipimaginbpfhghdnllnkba), Chrome Web Store