Comparison

Bionic Reading® vs Shiori Reader

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

Head to head
About

Bionic Reading®

This app enhances reading speed and comprehension by highlighting the most concise parts of words. It offers customizable reading modes to aid users with reading difficulties and improve focus for all.

Highlights
  • Text revision for faster reading
  • Customizable reading modes
  • Save reading position across platforms
  • Bookmarks for favorite pages
  • Upload files, text, or websites for conversion
  • Export to EPUB, PDF, WORD
  • Light and Dark Mode
Features
Read full description

All 6 Bionic Reading® Apps are available as a free or a Premium version – 6 for 1 Price. The one and only from Switzerland is a “Life Changer” for Lisa, a “Game Changer” for Tommy and “Absolutely Mind Blowing” for Kelly. Bionic Reading® Faster. Better. More focused. Reading. Bionic Reading® for Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, other platforms and web. We offer you the free version “Discover” and the subscriptions “Premium” and “Premium Plus”. BIONIC READING® IN NUMBERS. • 882+ Million: TikTok search results • 1+ Billion: Mentioned in communities • 233 Countries: Where our users come from • 5.9 Million: Website visitors • 3 Platforms: With viral posts • 50+ Viral posts: From our users Bionic Reading® revises texts in such a way that the most concise parts of the words are highlighted. This guides the eye over the text and the brain remembers words already learned more quickly. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. The Bionic Reading® reading mode can be individually adapted to the needs of all readers. This flexibility allows Bionic Reading® to provide maximum customization for all users. YOU GET. • Save precious time.
 • Gain advantages.
 • Learn new things faster.
 • Expand your knowledge.
 • Improve your skills. • 
Noise-free with more focus.
 • Less distraction. FEATURES. • Download as Word file. • You can now smoothly continue your reading experience with “Bionic Reading® Reader” across platforms, as the last reading position is now saved. • Bookmarks now allow you to mark your favorite pages. • Advanced Bionic Reading® Settings with Part of speech. • Bionic Reading® Reader for your reading experience. • Bionic Reading® Library for your favourites. • Synced content. • Fixation, Sccade, Opacity. • Fixation via Letters or Syllables. • Details. • Colors. • Light Mode. Dark Mode. • Upload File, Text or Website, convert and read in the Apps. • File Conversion. • Text Conversion. • Website Conversion. • Send to Amazon® Kindle. • Download as EPUB, PDF, WORD. • Carefully selected Fonts. • Designed for the Latin alphabet. +15% HAVE READING DIFFICULTIES. More than 15% of the population has great difficulty reading and understanding texts (ADHD, dyslexia). We have received feedback from people with ADHD that thanks to Bionic Reading® they immediately understood the content of various texts the first time they read them, which was impossible without Bionic Reading®. COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK. Jessica: “Having ADHD and processing issues means that I read very slow because my brain can’t focus on the words enough to both read them and process what they mean at a decent pace. Using Bionic Reading® has allowed me to feel functional and productive when I’m reading something lengthy – it’s such a GAME CHANGER!” Lisa: “I have not read fiction for 20 years. I read what I have to read. It almost hurts my brain to read regular type. But now I will be reading fiction again! Bionic Reading® works for me and I can read 2–3 times faster! AMAZING! This is a LIFE CHANGER! Thank You!” Patrick: “OK, Bionic Reading® is the real deal. I already read quickly and this doubled it.” Reaction from Daniel: “Holy smokes you’re not kidding!” Carla: “WOW! I could read quickly and fluently using Bionic Reading®. Doing this helped me understand the context of the paragraph much better than when I have to squint and focus on each word, which tires me out and I lose focus. Bionic Reading® is brilliant!” Nestor: “Your tool is gorgeous, It’s helping me a lot. My sight is reduced because one of my transplanted corneas has become opaque and Bionic Reading® is helping me a lot to read easier and comprehend faster.” TYPOGRAPHY. DESIGN. SWITZERLAND. With over 26 years of experience in typography, we know how important it is to get text right. It’s the small details that matter enormously to make you read better. INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR BIONIC READING®. • German Innovation Award 2023: Gold (highest distinction) • German Design Award 2023: Gold (highest distinction)

About

Shiori Reader

This EPUB reader is designed for Japanese language learners. It offers one-tap dictionary lookups, vocabulary saving, and Anki integration to help users expand their Japanese vocabulary and improve reading comprehension.

Highlights
  • One-tap dictionary lookup
  • Yomitan dictionary import
  • Seamless EPUB reading
  • Vocabulary list saving
  • Anki integration
  • Context-aware learning
  • Smart Japanese text support
Features
Read full description

Read Japanese books with ease - look up words with a tap and expand your vocabulary. Shiori Reader is the ultimate EPUB reader designed specifically for Japanese language learners. With a sleek interface and powerful learning tools, Shiori transforms your reading experience by making Japanese texts accessible and enjoyable. Key Features: • One-tap dictionary lookup - Simply tap any Japanese word to instantly see its meaning, reading, and pitch accent • Dictionary import - Import Yomitan-formatted dictionaries to help expand your Japanese vocabulary • Seamless EPUB reading - Enjoy a fluid reading experience with customizable themes and font settings • Vocabulary building - Save important words to your vocabulary list for later review • Anki integration - Export words directly to AnkiMobile for efficient spaced repetition study • Context-aware learning - See words in their original sentence context to enhance understanding • Smart Japanese support - Advanced support for kanji, furigana, pitch accent, and complex Japanese text • Customizable reading experience - Choose between scroll and page modes, adjust font size and theme colors Perfect for Japanese learners at any level, Shiori Reader bridges the gap between reading authentic Japanese content and building vocabulary. Import your own EPUB files and start improving your Japanese reading skills today.

Screenshots

Bionic Reading®4 screens
Shiori Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shiori Reader at 100% against Bionic Reading®'s 26%. Shiori Reader also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). Bionic Reading®'s advantage is ratings volume (151 vs 14) and chart position (#194 vs unranked). On price, ads and device support 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. Bionic Reading® sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.95 per month. Shiori Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shiori Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bionic Reading® has 151 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Bionic Reading®'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Shiori Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bionic Reading® ships an update every 3 weeks, Shiori Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Bionic Reading® versus Shiori Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBionic Reading®Shiori Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (151 ratings)4.7 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings151 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#194 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB310 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBionic Reading AGClint Russell Graviet Jr

Customer experience

Bionic Reading®

All ratings151 ratings
Positive30.5%
Neutral6.6%
Negative62.9%
Written reviews160 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative68.1%

Shiori Reader

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Bionic Reading®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes
  • Subscription issues (unable to upgrade, cancel, or get refunds)
  • Conversion errors and failed file uploads

Requested features

3 requests
  • Integrate with more platforms (Kindle, web browser)
  • Offer one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Improve customer support and communication

Shiori Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Bionic Reading®

Subscriptions4
  • Bionic Reading® Premium$2.951 Month
  • Bionic Reading® Premium Plus$12.991 Month
  • Bionic Reading® Premium$30.491 Year
Show 1 more
  • Bionic Reading® Premium Plus$128.991 Year
None

Shiori Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bionic Reading® free?
Bionic Reading® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shiori Reader free?
Shiori Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bionic Reading® or Shiori Reader?
Shiori Reader is rated higher. Bionic Reading® averages 2.4 out of 5 from 151 ratings, while Shiori Reader averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.
Do Bionic Reading® or Shiori Reader have ads?
Neither Bionic Reading® nor Shiori Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bionic Reading® or Shiori Reader?
Bionic Reading® ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shiori Reader weekly. Most recently, Bionic Reading® was updated on September 23, 2026 and Shiori Reader on August 12, 2026.

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