Comparison

tableread vs Highlights

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

tableread

This app allows users to read and listen to scripts for film, stage, and television on their mobile devices. It offers text-to-speech with over 90 voices, soundtrack integration, and powerful rehearsal tools, all processed locally for complete privacy.

Highlights
  • Local text-to-speech processing
  • Import PDF and Final Draft FDX scripts
  • 90+ character voices
  • Add background soundtracks
  • Create and export script notes
  • Rehearsal features
Features
Read full description

tableread® Production App. 100% Private. 100% Local. Text-to-speech happens entirely on your device. No cloud processing. No uploads. No exceptions. Your scripts stay on your iPhone, iPad, iCloud, or Google Drive — and nowhere else. The tableread® Production App is a low cost subscription based, easy-to-use film, stage play and television productivity app, that allows you to read and listen to scripts, including screenplays and teleplays on mobile devices - anytime, anywhere. Simply import a professionally formatted script in PDF or Final Draft FDX format and listen. tableread® Pro monthly subscription for $2.99(USD). tableread® Pro offers a reduced functionality free version. Listen to scripts as read by over 90 unique character voices in multiple languages across all ages. Add an inspiring underscore or music cues from a library of genre specific scores, or import your own. Create and export script notes, make quick edits and utilize powerful rehearsal features. From script to stage & screen the tableread® Production App is a must have for the entire production process. Features: • Imports professionally formatted scripts directly from PDF. • Analyses screenplay and stage play(US and UK) formats. • Imports Final Draft files in FDX format. • Imports from email, hyperlink or iCloud & Google Drive • Formats scripts for viewing in mobile devices. • Read and listen to scripts. • Skip to next or previous scene/ page or line. • Access online help via the Help Menu or contact the developers directly. • Open tableread® Ready Script Projects. (Script Projects exported from the tableread® Production App). Share your thoughts with the tableread® Production App by leaving a review here in the Apple App Store or by contacting us via Facebook (/tablereadPro) or Twitter (@tablereadPro). or the CONTACT button in the tableread® Production App. tableread® Production App Pro (tableread® Pro) subscription plan advantages: • Assign unique character voices (90+ voices). • Customize all voices via rate and shape. • Save Custom Voices to use with other scripts. • Select voices by gender and age. • Create script notes. • Make simple script edits. • Read and listen to script notes. • Export and share script notes and edits. • Incorporate genre specific scores (20+ tracks). • Import your own score to add as an underscore or music cue to play with your script. • Scores can dynamically dim under dialogue and peak over action. • Rehearsal features including character selections, scene/s selection and looping, pause for me to deliver then read, mute rehearsal dialogue and play rehearsal scenes only. • Playback rate toggle, to read at a standard or faster pace. Subscriptions include a standard 7 day free trial period. Subscriptions will be charged unless cancelled at least 24-hours before the end of the free trial period. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Subscriptions are automatically renewed unless cancelled at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. You will not be able to cancel a subscription during the active period. Manage your subscriptions in your Account Settings after purchase. * Free products and services are subject to the tableread® Production App terms of use that accompany them. Terms of use: http://www.tablereadpro.com/terms Privacy policy: http://www.tablereadpro.com/privacy-policy

About

Highlights

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

Highlights
  • Read and browse PDF documents
  • Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text
  • Add comments and sticky notes
  • Extract annotations into organized notes
  • Convert table data and recognize text
  • Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex)
  • Lookup citation metadata and DOI links
Features
Read full description

"... an app that students, academics, and anyone who does substantial amounts of PDF-based research should try" - Macstories.net "It’s the novel approach to PDF annotation that makes this app a cut above the rest"- TapSmart.com *** "App of the Day" - App Store, US *** USE HIGHLIGHTS FOR FREE Highlights is a fast and lightweight PDF reader (under 10MB) packed with features to help you do your best research. Free users have access to standard PDF reader features including document browsing, reading and annotating. There are NO ADS, time limits or tracking. READ PDF DOCUMENTS • Open PDF documents from anywhere • Browse files using the familiar document browser • Open PDFs in Single Page or Two Page scroll mode • Double tap to Smart Zoom in on a paragraph or figure • Scrub smoothly to the desired page • Search the entire document in an instant • Navigate using any connected keyboard or mouse STORE YOUR FILES WHERE YOU WANT • Full support for "Open In Place" lets you make edits to the file where it is • Access your files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box using the document browser • Or keep them privately on device only HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE FASTER • Select text with your finger, Apple Pencil or mouse pointer • Highlight, underline, strikethrough text and make image selections • Add comments to annotations or as individual sticky notes • Annotate with fewer taps using context aware popovers • Default annotation colors prevents you from having to repeatedly setting the color for the same type of annotation every time TURN ANNOTATIONS INTO NOTES • As you markup text and images the contents are extracted and sorted into notes • Customize the formatting and contents of your notes • Sort the annotations chronologically or create your own color coding EXTRACT TABLE DATA AND RECOGNIZE TEXT • Convert images containing text or tables to actual text and tables using machine learning - letting you get to the underlying data with a single tap SMART COPY Copy annotations to the desired format with one tap: • Text markup as text • Image selections as images • Tables as CSV • Citations as BibTex LOOKUP CITATIONS • Highlights will fetch DOI-links and metadata • Markup any reference and tap the link icon to look it up • If you have read the work already or have it in your reference manager library, Highlights will link you to it EXPORT ANYWHERE • Save or share your notes as portable files: Markdown, TextBundle, HTML, WebArchive or PDF • Share them to your favorite notes app: Apple Notes, Bear, Craft, Evernote, DEVONThink, Keep It, MindNode, Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research or Ulysses • Or send them to a colleague via mail. It's your notes, you decide where they go MUCH MORE • Dark mode • Multi-window support on iPadOS • Keyboard shortcuts and navigation • Support for system Copy and Undo gestures • Alternative app icons • Custom accent colors • Apple Pencil double-tap gestures • Power annotation tools For a full list of features see: highlightsapp.net/features HIGHLIGHTS PRO The Highlights Pro subscription unlocks advanced features on your iPhone, iPad and Mac: • Export options for other apps and easily editable formats • Extract information using table and text recognition • Customize accent colors and alternative app icons • Power annotation tools • Citation lookups • Smart Copy Highlights Pro includes a 14-day free trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off within 24-hour prior to the end of of the current period. Payments will be charged to your iTunes account and your account will be charged within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. For more information about Highlights Pro: highlightsapp.net/pro Privacy Policy: highlightsapp.net/privacy Terms of Use: highlightsapp.net/terms

Screenshots

tableread4 screens
Highlights4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Highlights at 4.5 against tableread's 3.0. Highlights also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 54) and review sentiment (53% vs 38%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. tableread sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month and Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Highlights holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Highlights has 1.6K ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of tableread's written reviews are positive against 53% of Highlights's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

tableread ships an update weekly, Highlights fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
tableread versus Highlights: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertablereadHighlights
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (54 ratings)4.5 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.5% of reviews53.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings541.6K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCONWAY ENTERPRISE WORLDWIDE PTY LTDJonas Myren Ribe

Customer experience

tableread

All ratings54 ratings
Positive46.3%
Neutral9.3%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral8.9%
Negative53.6%

Highlights

All ratings1,623 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews467 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral15.2%
Negative31.5%

Bugs and requests

tableread

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Highlights

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
  • Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
  • Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Export functionality not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
  • Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
  • Allow editing of notes directly in the app
  • Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation

In-app purchases

1 purchases

tableread

Subscriptions1
  • tableread Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
3 purchases

Highlights

Subscriptions3
  • Highlights Pro: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Highlights Pro14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade1 Year trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is tableread free?
tableread is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Highlights free?
Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, tableread or Highlights?
Highlights is rated higher. tableread averages 3.0 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while Highlights averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.
Do tableread or Highlights have ads?
Neither tableread nor Highlights shows ads.
Which is updated more often, tableread or Highlights?
tableread ships an update weekly, and Highlights fortnightly. Most recently, tableread was updated on October 29, 2026 and Highlights on November 3, 2026.

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