Comparison

Flash Reader vs Speed Reader for Speed Reading

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

Head to head
About

Flash Reader

This app helps you read faster by displaying words rapidly, bypassing subvocalization. It supports various document formats and offers customization options to improve reading speed and comprehension.

Highlights
  • Rapid word display (RSVP)
  • Supports numerous document formats (PDF, EPUB, DOCX, etc.)
  • Import from Pocket, Instapaper, Dropbox, and camera
  • Built-in web browser with article saving
  • Customizable reading speed and display
  • Bookmark and resume functionality
Features
Read full description

Ever had to read through a an email, book or an article on the web, but felt like it took ages to read through it all? Normally your brain will attempt to pronounce words you read, which is called subvocalization or internal speech. Flash Reader removes this limitation by showing you words so fast that your brain doesn't have time to subvocalize, but still allows you to retain everything you've read, by something called RSVP. Whether it's light reading, or complicated business emails, training your eyes to read faster couldn't be easier, while your reading skill and comprehension will keep getting better and better with each article you finish. 3rd Party Support: • Pocket, Instapaper & Dropbox support* • Open & import eBooks files and docs such as DOC, RTF, TXT, PDF, EPUB, DOCX, AZW (Amazon Kindle .AZW files only), MOBI and ODT (OpenDocument) files* Note: Documents need to be DRM-free (no copy protection) and have no OCR (scanned) elements. Key Features: • Massive document format support* • Import from Dropbox, iTunes and any other app capable of opening files • Built-in web-browser, with full support for Google search and saving articles* • Bookmarking, easily resume where you left off • Import documents by using your Camera* • iOS 8 Extension for easy importing of both files and websites* • Different reading modes to suit your needs • Customization, including words per minute (WPM), words per flash, themes, fonts and font sizes • Boost your productivity and learn to speed read at lightning fast speeds • Universal, works on iPhone, iPod & iPad (iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus included!) For Instant Help, open up the Support-section of the app. Visit FlashReaderApp.com for more information. ••• What people are saying about Flash Reader ••• "I was very skeptical at first, then I tried it. Now I'm impressed!!! Using this tool to read a page, blog or instructions made made it seem like it took no time at all. I actually think using this app on a regular basis my even improve my reading skills. I'm so impressed, I'm recommending it on twitter!!!", 5/5 stars -Ninny2U "I like it so much I use it every day.", 5/5 stars -Joseph "Great for readers who find words move on the page! I can read so quickly with it. For studying materials - like journal articles - I start slower, read once, then up the speed again and again. Much greater retention than trying to read just in text!", 5/5 stars -Jacqjacq14 "It's now so easy to read faster with this app !", 4/5 stars -Manuel Klaassen "This app is a wonderful way to breeze through a long read!", 4/5 stars -Matthew Bartlett Coming up soon: - A cloud based solution for backing up and syncing articles and bookmarks - Evernote, Readability and Feedly support - Built-in bookstore (free ebooks) - Better article navigation (search by page or by word) - Spritz-like reading Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming! Based on the feedback we receive, we'll add and modify the features as much as we can. *Please note: Flash Reader DOES NOT have advertisements of any kind. Services such as Instapaper, Pocket, website article saving and certain file-specific document conversions have limits and might require the Flash Reader Pro upgrade, which is a permanent one-time payment that unlocks all features of the app. Some services (including PDF and ePub importing, as well as Microsoft Office files like DOCX) require an active internet connection when importing. Also note that Flash Reader does not have voice support, so no text-to-speech or anything like that.

About

Speed Reader for Speed Reading

Enhance your reading comprehension and speed with a tool that displays one word at a time. Gradually increase your reading pace from 300 to over 750 words per minute through consistent practice. Customize your experience with various themes and visual aids.

Highlights
  • One-word-at-a-time display
  • Adjustable words per minute
  • Spritz speed reading technique
  • Visual line support
  • Custom text input
  • Text sharing from other apps
  • Dark and light themes
Features
Read full description

How to read faster and improve speed reading? Speed Reading only shows one word at a time. You start with 300 words per minute. Using this Speed Reader App, you can easily speed read 750 words per minute. The more you are using Speed Reader, the faster you will be speed reading and increase your reading speed. The Speed Reader App offers: - Words per minute configuration - Spritz Speed Reading - Speed Reading Lines for visual support to increase reading speed - Write your own text and speed read it - Share text from different apps to speed read - Speed Reading with White & Dark Theme - Speed read text from clipboard - Speed Reading Pause functionality - Speed read between 1 and 5 words at a time Try out this Speed Reader and enjoy Speed Reading! https://vanniktech.de/SpeedReading/privacy_policy.html https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Flash Reader1 screens
Speed Reader for Speed Reading4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Flash Reader at 4.2 against Speed Reader for Speed Reading's 3.8. Flash Reader also leads on ratings volume (162 vs 6) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 16.0). Speed Reader for Speed Reading's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 49%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Flash Reader sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Speed Reader for Speed Reading sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flash Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flash Reader has 162 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Flash Reader's written reviews are positive against 75% of Speed Reader for Speed Reading's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flash Reader ships an update monthly, Speed Reader for Speed Reading every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and August 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Flash Reader versus Speed Reader for Speed Reading: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlash ReaderSpeed Reader for Speed Reading
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (162 ratings) — better3.8 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews49.3% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings162 — better6
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.3 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB39 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperDidstopiaNiklas Baudy

Customer experience

Flash Reader

All ratings162 ratings
Positive79.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews136 reviews
Positive49.3%
Neutral5.9%
Negative44.9%

Speed Reader for Speed Reading

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Flash Reader

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Crashes when switching modes
  • Loses reading progress
  • Inaccurate resume times

Requested features

10 requests
  • Fancy text like newer video captions
  • Bookmarks and navigation
  • Support for Google Drive
  • Quick rewind option
  • Table of contents
Show 5 more
  • Search option
  • Ability to go backward/forward
  • Choose page to go to
  • Dark mode
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

Speed Reader for Speed Reading

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Flash Reader

One-time5
  • Flash Reader Pro$0.99
  • Flash Reader Pro2 variants$1.99
  • Flash Reader Pro$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Flash Reader Pro$3.99
  • Flash Reader Pro$4.99
7 purchases

Speed Reader for Speed Reading

One-time7
  • Unlimited Spritz option$1.99
  • Unlimited colors$1.99
  • Unlimited Speed Read files$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Unlimited history$1.99
  • Unlimited Speed Read links$1.99
  • Remove ads$2.99
  • Premium - Unlock everything$11.99

Questions

Is Flash Reader free?
Flash Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Speed Reader for Speed Reading free?
Speed Reader for Speed Reading is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flash Reader or Speed Reader for Speed Reading?
Flash Reader is rated higher. Flash Reader averages 4.2 out of 5 from 162 ratings, while Speed Reader for Speed Reading averages 3.8 from 6 ratings.
Do Flash Reader or Speed Reader for Speed Reading have ads?
Neither Flash Reader nor Speed Reader for Speed Reading shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flash Reader or Speed Reader for Speed Reading?
Flash Reader ships an update monthly, and Speed Reader for Speed Reading every 9 days. Most recently, Flash Reader was updated on September 29, 2026 and Speed Reader for Speed Reading on August 19, 2026.

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