Comparison

Readwise vs Speed reading

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

Head to head
About

Readwise

This app helps you retain more of what you read by centralizing and revisiting your highlights from various reading platforms. It uses spaced repetition and active recall techniques to improve memory and offers features like tagging, note-taking, and OCR for physical books.

Highlights
  • Synchronize highlights from multiple platforms
  • Daily review habit via app and email
  • Spaced repetition and active recall
  • Tag, note, and search highlights
  • OCR for paper book highlights
  • Convert highlights to flashcards
Features
Read full description

Readwise helps you get the most out of what you read by making it fun & easy to revisit your highlights from all your favorite reading platforms in one place. Quickly synchronize your highlights from Kindle, Apple Books, Instapaper, Pocket, Medium, Goodreads, and even paper books. Then start building a daily review habit using the app and daily email. By reviewing your highlights every day, you'll retain dramatically more and you'll finally stop forgetting all the details from books you just finished! --- “Readwise is my favorite new service this year. Save highlights from Kindle, Instapaper, and now tweets... one of the best long-term personal learning tools I’ve come across.” — Caleb Hicks “Besides my Kindle, Readwise has been the most influential tech for improving my reading process.” — Blake Reichmann “If you use Kindle or Instapaper or just enjoy keeping and reading highlights, please sign up to Readwise. It will become one of your cherished services.” — Christopher Galtenberg --- ACTUALLY USE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS Highlighting is great, but why bother if you're never going to see any of your highlights again? Readwise makes it easy to quickly liberate all your highlights into one place, ensuring that you'll actually see and use them, including highlights from: • Amazon Kindle • Apple iBooks • Instapaper • Pocket • Medium • Goodreads • Twitter • Physical Books (using OCR) • Manual Input • CSV Upload STOP FORGETTING WHAT YOU READ How often do you finish a book, only to forget the key ideas two weeks later? We don't remember things by just reading them once. Readwise solves this problem using scientifically proven learning techniques called Spaced Repetition and Active Recall. Readwise resurfaces the right highlights at the right times using a daily email and an app. Readwise even makes it possible to convert your best highlights into flashcards for added retention. TAG, NOTE, SEARCH, AND ORGANIZE With your highlights all in one place, Readwise enables you to organize and connect these ideas in new ways. Use search to find a highlight instantly; use tag to organize highlights within your library; use notes to add your own annotations. HIGHLIGHT PAPER BOOKS Readwise also makes it possible to take highlights from your physical books and papers using your phone’s camera. Just snap a pic, highlight with your finger, and have your favorite highlights saved forever. --- If you are not already a Readwise subscriber, you can get started immediately with a 30-day free trial with no credit card upfront. At the end of the trial, you will not be charged unless you choose to subscribe to Readwise Full or Readwise Lite. Price may vary by location. Manage your subscription from your dashboard. --- Support: Check out readwise.io/faq or email us at hello@readwise.io Privacy Policy: https://readwise.io/tos Terms of Service: https://readwise.io/privacy

About

Speed reading

Enhance your reading speed and comprehension with targeted exercises and a specialized reader for PDF and EPUB files. Improve focus, expand your visual angle, and track your progress over 30 days to read books faster and more effectively.

Highlights
  • Speed reading and concentration exercises
  • Reading accelerator for PDF/EPUB
  • 30-day speed reading course
  • Eye muscle and vision angle exercises
  • EPUB and PDF reader
  • Progress statistics
  • Spritz and Bionic reading modes
Features
Read full description

Contrary to an accepted misconception, slow reading does not make you better understand what you are reading. On the contrary, when we read slowly, our attention gets distracted much more quickly because we give our brains the spaces to think about other things by trying to read slowly. Thanks to this application, you will be able to scan pages much faster by improving your eye muscles, you will learn to read more than one word at the same time by expanding your vision, and you will improve your concentration with concentration exercises. You will read your pdf and epub files much faster with the help of the reader with 2 different modes. o Do the exercises set for you every day in the speed reading course. o Improve your eye muscles, visual angle and concentration ability thanks to the exercises. o After doing the daily exercises, read at least 20 minutes daily with the help of the reader. o Do extra exercises until your eye muscles get tired to improve faster. o Track your 30-day progress with statistics. o You will now read and understand your books much faster than before. o It makes it easier for you to spend time reading books. Features : • Speed reading and concentration exercises. • Reading accelerator for pdf and epub files in 2 different modes. • 30-day speed reading course. • Exercises for the eye muscles. • Exercises to expand the angle of vision. • EPUB reader and PDF reader feature. • Statistics to see your progress. • Spritz reading mode is perfect for reading books • Bionic reading. Who is this app for ? • Those who are distracted while reading a book and cannot read a book. • Those who want to read their books faster. • Those preparing for exams. • Those who want to improve their concentration.. • Those who want to read their epub and pdf books in spritz form. To communicate : speedeys.contact@gmail.com Term of Use: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eNVR9o1BhAEry3_dGC_mPE-vaVK9CKMu5i2FPhukvUM/edit?usp=sharing

Screenshots

Readwise4 screens
Speed reading4 screens

Verdict

The call

Readwise and Speed reading both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Readwise's written reviews are positive against 25% of Speed reading's. Readwise also leads on ratings volume (1.5K vs 143) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). Speed reading's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On price, rating, 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. Readwise sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Speed reading sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Readwise against 4.7 for Speed reading. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readwise has 1.5K ratings behind it against 143, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Readwise's written reviews are positive against 25% of Speed reading's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readwise ships an update every 2 weeks, Speed reading every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Readwise versus Speed reading: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadwiseSpeed reading
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better4.7 (143 ratings)
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better143
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB55 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperReadwise, IncAlican Efe

Customer experience

Readwise

All ratings1,513 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews325 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative20.0%

Speed reading

All ratings118 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

Bugs and requests

Readwise

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Sync failures with certain accounts
  • Unreliable highlight capture

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for more reading apps
  • Improve sync and import capabilities
  • Introduce more customization options
  • Enhance search and organization tools
  • Develop a more intuitive mobile interface

Speed reading

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Readwise

Subscriptions8
  • Readwise Lite Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Readwise Lite Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Readwise Full Monthly Plan$8.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Readwise Full Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Readwise Lite Yearly$52.991 Year
  • Readwise Lite Yearly$66.991 Year
  • Readwise Full Yearly$94.991 Year
  • Readwise Full Yearly$119.991 Year
3 purchases

Speed reading

Subscriptions3
  • 1 Month Premium$3.991 Month
  • 3 Month Premium$6.993 Months
  • 1 Year Premium$17.991 Year

Questions

Is Readwise free?
Readwise is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Speed reading free?
Speed reading is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Readwise or Speed reading?
Readwise is rated higher. Readwise averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Speed reading averages 4.7 from 143 ratings.
Do Readwise or Speed reading have ads?
Neither Readwise nor Speed reading shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readwise or Speed reading?
Readwise ships an update every 2 weeks, and Speed reading every 5 weeks. Most recently, Readwise was updated on September 30, 2026 and Speed reading on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons