# Flash Reader: Speed Reading — The original, since 2010 > Speed reading app that displays text word-by-word or in chunks. (iPhone/iPad app by Didstopia.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flash-reader-speed-reading/id402491178 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Didstopia](https://appshunter.io/developer/379028611) - Category: Productivity, Education - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.20/5 from 163 App Store ratings · 136 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 26.0 · 22 MB - Languages: American English, Bangla, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish and 38 more - Released: 2010-11-13 - Data updated: 2026-11-06 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flash-reader-speed-reading/id402491178/reviews.md ## What is Flash Reader? Flash Reader is back, and better than ever. It read you one word at a time years before that was a trend. On the App Store since 2010, rebuilt from scratch for version 4, and everything happens on your device. Paste it, share it from any app, open a PDF, EPUB or Word file, or point the camera at a page, and you're reading. Every document keeps your place, and a widget, Control Center or Siri takes you straight back in. THREE WAYS TO READ • Flash: one word, one spot, and the pages fly. One letter in red holds your eye. • Chunk: a few words at a time, for when you would rather stroll. • Reader: the whole text, for a look back. Tap to pause. Play picks the sentence back up, so you never lose the thread. SPEED, WITH RECEIPTS Understanding holds to about 350 words a minute, then it slips. Flash Reader starts you at 250, the ruler shows which zone you are in, and your real speed counts the pauses too. Go faster whenever you like; the ruler tells you what it costs. Little words pass quickly, long or rare ones get a beat more, and a full stop gets its pause. Rest breaks when you want them. READ ANYTHING, START ANYWHERE • Copy anything, anywhere. Tap the clipboard chip, or the button in Control Center, and it flashes. • Share text, a web page or a link from any app: articles, mail, messages, notes. • Open PDF, EPUB, Word and text files from the Files app. • Point the camera at a page, or pick a photo or a screenshot. The text is read on your device. • Drop in a link and get the article, with none of the clutter around it. • Say "Flash my clipboard" or "Resume reading" and Siri does the rest. • Every document keeps its place, its mode and its speed. • Search, sort and rename. Deleted documents wait in Recently deleted. BACK IN ONE TAP Continue Reading and Streak widgets for the Home and Lock Screens. Flash clipboard and Resume reading in Control Center. Stats keep words read today, your streak and your real speed, pauses and all. ROOM TO READ Four themes (Paper, Ink, Sepia and High Contrast), a choice of fonts, an adjustable word size, and reading in landscape. On iPad, the library sits beside the reading view and a keyboard drives both. Designed for iPhone Duo: open it and the page unfolds beside the words. The whole app speaks 50 languages. FREE AND PRO Free to start. Text you paste, copy or share reads free, forever, at full quality: every mode, every speed, every theme, links, TXT and Markdown files, and three documents on the shelf at a time. Pro opens PDF, EPUB, Word, RTF and HTML files, scans and photos, and an unlimited shelf. One purchase covers iPhone and iPad, and your library and your place travel between them through your own iCloud. Choose Pro by the year with a 14-day free trial, by the month, or pay once and keep it. Annual and monthly Pro renew automatically until cancelled in your Apple Account settings, at least 24 hours before the period ends. No account. No ads. No analytics and no tracking. COMING BACK? Your books, your speed and your bookmark come along from the old version. If you bought Pro inside Flash Reader before, it is still yours: Restore purchases in Settings brings it back on any device. If you bought the separate Flash Reader Pro app, write to us and we will sort it out. More formats and modes are coming as free updates. Flash Reader 4 needs iOS 26 or later. On an older iPhone or iPad, the App Store keeps offering the last version that runs there. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://flashreaderapp.com/privacy Questions: support@flashreaderapp.com ## Key features - Word-by-word reading mode - Chunk reading mode - Traditional reader mode - Adjustable reading speed - Supports PDFs, EPUBs, Word files - Camera scanning for text - Siri integration ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Pro Annual | $29.99 | per year | | Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Flash Reader Pro | $1.99 | one-time | | Flash Reader Pro | $0.99 | one-time | | Flash Reader Pro | $2.99 | one-time | | Flash Reader Pro | $3.99 | one-time | | Flash Reader Pro | $4.99 | one-time | | Flash Reader Pro | $1.99 | one-time | | Pro Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time | | Pro Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Flash Reader? Reviews of Flash Reader are mixed: the Productivity app is rated 4.2/5 from 163 App Store ratings. What users like most: ahead of its time, simple to use. Top complaints: doesn't allow to open modern websites, restarts the book being read. Summarized from real user reviews. **Pros** - 🚀 Ahead of its time - 👍 Simple to use - 🚀 Helps read books efficiently - 👍 Useful, easy to use - 👍 Brilliant app, great time saver - 👍 Great for readers who find words move on the page **Cons** - 🐛 Doesn't allow to open modern websites - 🐛 Restarts the book being read - 🐛 Crashes when using camera - 🐛 Bugs and stops working - 🐛 Loses reading progress - 🐛 Inaccurate resume times - 🐛 Doesn't work for Kindle content - 🐛 Limits on library size and websites - 🐛 Never fully loaded - 🐛 Crashes after updates - 🐛 Ads for a paid app - 🐛 Removes free features **Commonly reported bugs** - Login screen freezes - Incompatible with older devices - Crashes when switching modes - Loses reading progress - Inaccurate resume times **Most requested features** - Fancy text like newer video captions - Bookmarks and navigation - Support for Google Drive - Quick rewind option - Table of contents - Search option - Ability to go backward/forward - Choose page to go to - Dark mode - Advanced analytics dashboard ## Is Flash Reader safe? Flash Reader: Speed Reading appears mostly safe based on user ratings. The AppsHunter Safety Score for Flash Reader is 82 out of 100. This assessment is based on 163 user ratings, with an App Store average of 4.2 out of 5. Of 163 App Store ratings, 78.5% point to a safe experience, 8.0% suggest some concerns, and 13.5% point to a risky experience. ## Is Flash Reader legit? Flash Reader: Speed Reading appears to be a legitimate app. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Flash Reader is 95 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Recent user reviews (10 of 136) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flash-reader-speed-reading/id402491178/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Ahead of its time and very simple to use. *2025-01-27, version 3.3.5* Who would have thought years later that this type of concept would be integrated into short form videos on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram for the captions. This app is the only ways re cents that I have completed reading books. I just wish it had fancy text like the captions on the newer videos. ### 1/5 — Rubbish *2023-06-19, version 3.3.5* Doesn’t allow to open modern websites ### 2/5 — Major flaws *2022-06-24* It was good until it restarted the book I was reading, which is a pretty big issue since you can’t skip around. These two things make it pretty much unusable. ### 1/5 — Don't get tricked *2021-01-29* Free app that works with Pocket? Nice! Nope, gotta pay to sync with pocket Alright, it's an investment Nope, since I log onto Pocket using my Google account, I cannot connect it to Flash. Ugh Back to research *FOLLOW UP* I clicked help and I got asked to enable notifications.... Magically, the "skip" button is not working but the "ok" worked alright 🤦🏻‍♂️👎🏼 ### 1/5 — CRASHES Please issue a refund *2021-01-24* I just upgraded the app to be able to use the camera and now it crashes every time I try to use it. Bad. ### 4/5 — epub *2020-07-27* I just learned that you can import ebooks in epub format into Flash Reader. This is a game changer. My only wish is that a table of contents could also be imported to make it easier to navigate the book. ### 1/5 — Trash *2020-07-15* This app is pure trash. Nothing works. Absolutely nothing. ### 1/5 — Flash Reader app 1st impression—rubbish😱 *2020-05-12* I just downloaded the app and got annoyed within the first few minutes. It immediately got stuck on the Tips and pull down with 2 fingers page. Skip does not work. Suspicious that this app is not being supported so more user purchase the Flash Reader Pro. I will uninstall and try again but 1st impressions always resonate! ### 5/5 — For a slow reader *2020-01-24* I don’t do much reading, nor do I read at a good pace. This app has helped me get through books at a pace that is very satisfying. It also helps read books electronically in a way that is revolutionary. Reading books on a phone or tablet should not just look like electronic books. The technology should be used to revolutionize how we read. This app does that. ### 3/5 — Dr *2020-01-11, version 3.3.5* I tried many apps like this and definitely this one is my favourite: Useful, easy to use and most of all open ALL docs from emails, PDF... Thank you! Edit: I still love it, but it misses major options, like go backward or forward (10-50 or 100 words) would have been SO helpful, chose the page to go to or asearch option. It also bugs : many times, it completely stops working when a dot appears alone, not attached to a word. And it’s a HASSLE to move on, which can be sometimes so frustrating because I loose my reading flow that I consider just reading the book in the classic format. I hope that will be fixed VERY SOON. ## Frequently asked questions about Flash Reader ### How does Flash Reader help me read faster? Flash Reader uses a technique called Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) to display words one at a time, which can significantly increase reading speed. You can also choose to read in chunks or a traditional reader mode to suit your preference. ### What file types can I open in Flash Reader? The free version supports text pasted, copied, or shared, as well as TXT and Markdown files. The Pro version unlocks support for PDF, EPUB, Word, RTF, and HTML files, along with scanned photos. ### Does Flash Reader have ads? No, Flash Reader is ad-free. The developer explicitly states 'No ads. No analytics and no tracking.' in the app description. ### What are the Pro subscription options for Flash Reader? Flash Reader offers a Pro subscription that can be purchased monthly for $4.99 or annually for $29.99. The annual plan includes a 14-day free trial. ### Can I use Flash Reader on multiple devices? Yes, a single Pro purchase covers both iPhone and iPad. Your library and reading progress can sync between devices via iCloud. ### How often is Flash Reader updated? Flash Reader was last updated on November 5, 2026, with version 4.0.1. The app has a history of updates since its initial release in 2010. ### What is the age rating for Flash Reader? Flash Reader is rated '4+' by the App Store, making it suitable for young children and older users alike. ### What do users like most about Flash Reader? User reviews highlight that the app is 'ahead of its time,' 'simple to use,' and a 'great time saver' for efficient reading. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 4.0.1 — 2026-11-05 The first update since the comeback, shaped by what you told us in week one. • Paused on iPhone? Scroll the text with your finger and tap any word to read on from there. • Contents in the ⋯ menu jumps to any chapter. • On iPad and iPhone Duo, the text beside the word keeps your place in view. • The + and Search buttons, and the X on every sheet, answer the first tap, every time. • Big books import faster and Notion pages come through more reliably. • Library swipes are easier to read in light and dark, the app icon is a touch sharper, and many languages read more naturally. ### 4.0.0 — 2026-11-04 Flash Reader is back, and better than ever. It first came to the App Store in 2010. Sixteen years later we rebuilt it from scratch, and everyone who has it gets 4.0 free, with their library and their place right where they left them. Bought Pro back in the day? It is still yours. • Paste it, share it, open a PDF, EPUB or Word file, or point the camera at a page, and you're reading. • Three ways to read: Flash, Chunk and Reader. Tap to pause, and Play picks the sentence back up. • Speed with receipts: the ruler shows the zone you are in, and Stats keep your real speed and your streak. • Back in one tap: Continue Reading and Streak widgets, Flash clipboard and Resume reading in Control Center, and Siri. • iPad, with the library beside the words. Designed for iPhone Duo. • 50 languages, and everything happens on your device. More formats and modes are coming as free updates. ### 3.3.5 — 2019-04-17 Lots of improvements under the hood, including bug fixes. ### 3.3.4 — 2018-03-09 Bug fixes and stability updates. ### 3.3.3 — 2017-05-24 - Fixes critical issues with both document and article importing - Also fixes various smaller bugs ## Apps similar to Flash Reader | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Speed Reading UpRead](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speed-reading-upread/id1454094961) | 4.2 (116) | Free | Productivity | | [Speedy Reader - RSVP](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speedy-reader-rsvp/id6753229240) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Productivity | | [Speed Reader: Read Faster](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speed-reader-read-faster/id6447472154) | 3.8 (6) | Free | Productivity | | [Flash Reader FR](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flash-reader-fr/id6758230911) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Productivity | | [Text to Speech ePub PDF: Stage](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-epub-pdf-stage/id1560564801) | 3.4 (9) | Free | Productivity | | [FocalRead: Speed Reading](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focalread-speed-reading/id6757935291) | 4.6 (98) | Free | Productivity | ## More apps by Didstopia - [Alkometri](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alkometri/id469353148) - [Finger Rodeo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finger-rodeo/id931844186) - [Flash Reader Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flash-reader-pro/id956851255) - [Mutebot](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mutebot/id1018611817) - [Mutebot Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mutebot-pro/id1049768902) All apps by Didstopia: https://appshunter.io/developer/379028611 ## Related topics [rsvp reader concentration grid](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rsvp-reader-concentration-grid) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-06.*