Study tools 🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine Since 2019 4.6 · 117K ratings

Headway

Nonfiction book summaries in text and audio, about 15 minutes each, with learning plans.

Visit makeheadway.com All companies
app downloads, according to Headway
60M+
book summaries in text and audio
2,500+
US App Store, 117K ratings
4.6
users across Headway Inc apps
160M+

About Headway

Headway is a book summary app that Anton Pavlovsky launched in Kyiv in 2019. It turns nonfiction bestsellers into text and audio summaries of about 15 minutes, with quizzes, spaced repetition and learning plans. The library holds 2,500+ summaries, and the free plan opens one summary a day. On makeheadway.com Premium renews at $39.98 every 4 weeks, $79.98 every 12 weeks or $119.98 every 24 weeks, with a lower first payment; the US App Store sells a yearly plan at $89.99 after a 7-day free trial. App store ratings run from 4.3 to 4.6, while most negative Trustpilot reviews are about renewals and charges after cancellation.

Headway sells a subscription to short summaries of nonfiction books. Each summary takes about 15 minutes to read or 15–20 minutes to listen to. Writers and editors on the Headway team read the books and write the summaries, and the team adds three to five titles a week. After each summary the app shows a recap, and spaced repetition brings highlights back later. Shorts, a separate feed, mixes quizzes, facts, visuals and shortcuts.

Anton Pavlovsky worked as a financial analyst for seven years and joined the Ukrainian startup factory Genesis in 2014. In 2019 Genesis gave him three people and two months to build the first version of Headway. The iPhone app came out on 31 March 2019. In February 2022 Pavlovsky returned from London to Kyiv, and the company moved employees and their families to a temporary office in Warsaw. Most of the team later returned to Kyiv.

In April 2025 the company renamed itself Headway Inc. It runs five apps: Headway, the Impulse brain-training app, the Nibble knowledge app, the AddMile coaching platform and the Skillsta social skills trainer. Each app is sold by its own Cyprus-registered company; GTHW App Limited in Limassol sells Headway. In July 2025 Headway Inc raised its first external round from Bullhound Capital, and Endeavor Catalyst joined in January 2026. Pavlovsky named 2029 as a possible window for an IPO.

History

  1. 2019 A team of three inside the Genesis startup factory launches Headway. The iPhone app comes out on 31 March.
  2. 2020 Headway becomes the most downloaded book summary app, a status the company says it has kept since.
  3. 2021 Headway merges with Impulse, a brain-training app. Pavlovsky tells Forbes Ukraine that monthly revenue is over $1 million.
  4. 2022 After the full-scale Russian invasion in February, the company moves employees to a temporary office in Warsaw. Nibble reaches the App Store on 21 November.
  5. 2023 Apple gives Headway an Editors’ Choice badge in the US App Store. The AddMile coaching platform launches in December.
  6. 2024 In January Headway ranks first in the Education category of the US App Store. Skillsta reaches the App Store on 4 July.
  7. 2025 In April the company renames itself Headway Inc, and TIME ranks it 4th among the World’s Top EdTech Companies.
  8. 2025 In July Headway Inc raises its first external round, a Series A from Bullhound Capital. Per Roman of Bullhound Capital joins the board.
  9. 2026 Endeavor Catalyst joins the second close of the Series A in January. Headway Inc reports over 160 million users.

Headway funding and investors

undisclosed Series A in two closes, 2025–2026
  1. July 2025
    Series A Amount not disclosed

    Lead: Bullhound Capital, Fund VI Bullhound Capital

    Source: Tech.eu
  2. January 2026
    Series A extension Amount not disclosed

    Endeavor Catalyst

    Source: Tech.eu

Headway Inc does not publish the size of its Series A. Before 2025 Genesis financed the company; its partner Vitaliy Laptenok told Forbes Ukraine in 2021 that the launch cost under $5 million. Tech.eu reports that Endeavor Catalyst usually invests up to $2 million and put in more than that.

Leadership

  • Anton Pavlovsky Founder and CEO, Headway Inc
  • Per Roman Board member, founder and managing partner of Bullhound Capital

Pavlovsky studied IT, worked as a financial analyst for seven years and joined Genesis in 2014, where he ran the Convo dating service. Per Roman joined the board after the July 2025 round, according to Pavlovsky in an interview with dev.ua.

How Headway works

average summary
15 min
new titles a week
3–5
audio playback speed
0.5x–2x
  • Text and audio for every summary
  • Personal learning plan from an onboarding quiz
  • Shorts feed with quizzes, facts and visuals
  • Highlights and Library
  • Recaps after each summary
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
  • Streaks of 3 key points a day
  • Offline downloads
  • Collections
  • Voice selection
  • Home screen widgets
  • Free Daily Read without a card

Summary topics

Self-growth4

  • Personal growth
  • Beating procrastination
  • Success
  • Happiness

Work and money3

  • Work and career
  • Business
  • Leadership

People4

  • Better communication
  • Relationships
  • Intimacy and dating
  • Parenting

Mind2

  • Mind and psychology
  • Well-being

Topics as the Headway library groups them. Summaries are available in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Japanese, Czech, Romanian and Hungarian.

Products

  • Headway app 2,500+ nonfiction book summaries to read or listen to, with highlights, recaps, quizzes, streaks and offline downloads. On iPhone, Android, Mac and the web. Open makeheadway.com
  • Headway for Business Premium access for teams with an admin panel, analytics, a soft skills test and personal growth plans. The Team plan covers 5–50 seats, Enterprise starts at 51. See business plans
  • Impulse Brain-training games for memory, attention, concentration, maths and problem solving, with personal workout plans. 4.7 from 850,160 ratings on the US App Store. Impulse on the App Store
  • Nibble Interactive lessons of about 10 minutes and quizzes on art, maths, logic, history, statistics, personal finance, philosophy, biology and literature. Nibble on the App Store
  • Skillsta and AddMile Skillsta trains communication, leadership and body language in short lessons built on real-life scenarios. AddMile offers online coaching sessions, mentor chats and short courses. AddMile on the App Store

How much is Headway?

  • 4-week plan $39.98/4 weeks $39.98, charged every 4 weeks, first 4 weeks $19.99 Base price
  • Recommended by Headway 12-week plan $26.66/4 weeks $79.98, charged every 12 weeks, first 12 weeks $39.99 Save 33% vs 4-week plan
  • 24-week plan $20.00/4 weeks $119.98, charged every 24 weeks, first 24 weeks $59.99 Save 50% vs 4-week plan

Is Headway free?

Free Daily Read: one pre-selected summary a day in text and audio, no card needed. The 7-day free trial comes with the yearly plan, once per store account.

Web prices on makeheadway.com/headway-app-price in US dollars on 6 October 2026. Headway shows a lower first payment: $19.99 for the first 4 weeks, $39.99 for the first 12 weeks, $59.99 for the first 24 weeks. The table shows the renewal price, and “per 4 weeks” is our calculation. On the US App Store the yearly plan costs $89.99 after a 7-day free trial, £68.99 in the UK. Headway says prices vary by region, store and promotion.

How to cancel Headway

Headway subscription terms
  • App Store ↗
    1. Open Settings on the iPhone and tap your name
    2. Tap Subscriptions and select Headway
    3. Tap Cancel
  • Google Play ↗
    1. Open Google Play and tap the profile icon
    2. Choose Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions
    3. Select Headway and tap Cancel
  • makeheadway.com ↗
    1. Log in to your Headway account page on the website
    2. Click Cancel Subscription
    3. Or write to support@get-headway.com before the period ends
  • Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.
  • Cancel before the end of the 7-day trial, or the trial turns into a paid plan.
  • A cancellation very close to the renewal moment may still let one last charge through.
  • Access stays until the end of the paid period. Headway does not prorate fees.
  • Commitment plans: cancelling early stops renewal, but the remaining payments for the committed period may still be due.
  • Two charges usually mean two subscriptions, for example Headway plus a separate add-on, and each needs its own cancellation.

Refund rules

App Store
Headway cannot grant refunds. Apple handles refund requests.
Google Play
Refund requests go to Google.
Website purchases
Purchases are final. Headway refunds where the law requires it, or at its own discretion.
EU residents
14 days to withdraw from a digital content purchase, but the right ends once Headway delivers the content with your consent. After that only defective content is refunded.
US customers
Disputes go to binding individual arbitration under the AAA consumer rules, with a class action waiver.

From the Headway subscription terms (updated 2 September 2026), terms and conditions and FAQ, checked on 6 October 2026.

Headway for Business

business.makeheadway.com
  • 01Premium access to the Headway app for every employee
  • 02Admin panel to manage users and learning plans
  • 03Company analytics and a soft skills test
  • 04Custom learning plans, book collections, video content, role plays and SSO on Enterprise

Team plan for 5–50 seats starts with a 7-day trial for $7. Enterprise for 51+ seats is priced on request..

Headway app ratings

3.9Trustpilot · Great 6,648 reviews · company profile claimed in August 2023

App details, App Store US

Current version
402.1 on iOS, released 5 October 2026
Android update
1 October 2026
First release on iOS
31 March 2019
Size
233 MB on iOS, iOS 17.0 or later
Age rating
12+ on the App Store, Everyone on Google Play
App Store categories
Education, Productivity
Downloads
10M+ on Google Play
Awards
Editors’ Choice on the US App Store
Seller
GTHW App Limited, Cyprus
Price
Free to download, in-app purchases $0.99–$399.99 per item on Google Play

Is Headway worth it?

What users like

What users criticise

What users write in reviews, not our rating. App stores give Headway 4.3 to 4.6. On Trustpilot 60% of 6,648 reviews give 5 stars and 22% give 1 star. Positive reviews praise short summaries and audio. Most 1-star reviews describe renewals, add-on subscriptions and charges after cancellation. Headway invites many of its Trustpilot reviewers.

Headway reviews

  • Best app to save time and buying…
    “Best app to save time and buying individual books. The library is strong and good features to highlight, share key points.”
    Sid · 27 September 2026 · App Store
  • A very helpful way to start or revive…
    “A very helpful way to start or revive your reading habit”
    Sarah · 26 September 2026 · App Store
  • Disappointing subscription practices
    “What I find particularly disappointing is that I received no reminder whatsoever before being charged $49.98 for the renewal.”
    Elena Leonardi · 1 October 2026 · App Store
  • Hidden subscription even after cancelling
    “I cancelled the subscription only to have an additional “bestseller” subscription of £19.99 then jumping to £39.99 this month”
    Claire · 4 October 2026 · App Store

Latest news

  1. Headway Inc closes a Series A extension with Endeavor Catalyst
  2. Pavlovsky names 2029 as a possible IPO window
  3. Headway Inc raises a Series A from Bullhound Capital
  4. Headway rebrands as Headway Inc
  5. Kyiv Independent profiles the Kyiv team behind Headway
  6. Headway tops the Education category of the US App Store

Contacts and company data

Legal entity
GTHW App Limited, Omonoias Avenue 13, Office 1B, Limassol 3052, Cyprus
Company number
HE 395742, Cyprus
Status
Active, according to OpenCorporates
Recent filings
Transfer of shares on 26 March 2026; change of officers and registered address on 19 December 2025
Group holding
Headway Inc Holdings Ltd, 24 Peiraios Str., Strovolos, 2023 Nicosia, Cyprus
Sister app sellers
GMRD Apps Limited (Impulse), Kremital Limited (Nibble), Lafrenol Limited (AddMile), Ranely Limited (Skillsta)
Google Play account
Books Made Easy Corp, with GTHW App Limited as the developer
Governing law
Laws of Wyoming and courts of Florida, USA, in the terms; EU users may sue at home

Alternatives to Headway

How we built this profile

  1. Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
  2. Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 6 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
  3. Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
  4. Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.

Other study tools companies

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Comparisons

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Headway FAQ

Store ratings are high: 4.6 from 117,151 ratings on the US App Store, 4.3 in the UK and 4.5 on Google Play. Trustpilot gives 3.9 from 6,648 reviews, with 22% at 1 star. Reviewers praise 15-minute summaries and audio. Complaints are mostly about renewals and charges after cancellation.

On makeheadway.com on 6 October 2026: $39.98 every 4 weeks, $79.98 every 12 weeks or $119.98 every 24 weeks after a lower first payment of $19.99, $39.99 or $59.99. On the US App Store the yearly plan costs $89.99 after a 7-day free trial, £68.99 in the UK. Prices vary by region and promotion.

Partly. Free Daily Read opens one pre-selected summary a day in text and audio without a card. Premium opens the full library, learning plans, spaced repetition, Shorts and offline downloads.

Yes. GTHW App Limited, a Cyprus company with number HE 395742, sells the app. The team works mainly from Kyiv. Headway Inc raised money from Bullhound Capital in 2025 and Endeavor Catalyst in 2026.

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