Flash Reader vs Speed Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Speed Reader
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.
- 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
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Read faster without turning reading into a game. Speed Reader is a speed reading app that shows text one word at a time using RSVP and Spritz-style speed reading. Your eyes stay still. You start around 300 words per minute and can work up to 750 WPM or more when the pace feels right. How it works: Paste text, share an article from another app, grab what’s on your clipboard, or paste a website link and the app will try to extract the article for you. Hit play. Words appear in a fixed spot so you spend less time scanning a page and more time actually reading. Use it for: • Articles and news you would otherwise skim on your phone • Study texts and long assignments • Emails, notes, and anything you can share or paste • Full web pages, when you only have the link • Your own writing, when you want to hear the rhythm at speed Special words: Speed reading should match how you read, not the other way around. Add any word or character as a special word — a period, a name, a heading — and decide what happens when it appears: • Extra delay, so the end of a sentence actually lands • Split the text there • Stop the reading Add as many special words as you want and tune each one. That is how you keep 750 WPM from turning into a blur. Features: • Adjustable words per minute • Spritz speed reading with an optional focus point • Speed reading lines for visual support • 1 to 10 words on screen at once • Pause whenever you need to stop • Write or paste your own text • Share text from other apps and start reading immediately • Read from the clipboard • Paste a link and extract the page to speed read • Special words with delay, split, or stop • Light and dark themes This is not a course and not a book library. It is a fast reader for text you already have — in the app, from share, from the clipboard, or from a URL. The more you use Speed Reader, the easier higher WPM feels. Try it when you want a speed reading app that reads your pages, not just a demo paragraph. https://vanniktech.de/SpeedReading/privacy_policy.html https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Flash Reader at 4.2 against Speed Reader's 3.8. Flash Reader also leads on ratings volume (162 vs 6) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 16.0). Speed Reader's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 49%). 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
Both are free to download. Flash Reader sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Speed Reader sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
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's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Flash Reader ships an update monthly, Speed Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Flash Reader | Speed Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (162 ratings) — better | 3.8 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 49.3% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 162 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 83 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Didstopia | Niklas Baudy |
Customer experience
Flash Reader
Speed Reader
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
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- Search option
- Ability to go backward/forward
- Choose page to go to
- Dark mode
- Advanced analytics dashboard
Speed Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Flash Reader
- Flash Reader Pro$0.99
- Flash Reader Pro2 variants$1.99
- Flash Reader Pro$2.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Flash Reader Pro$3.99
- Flash Reader Pro$4.99
Speed Reader
- Unlimited Spritz option$1.99
- Unlimited colors$1.99
- Unlimited Speed Read files$1.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Unlimited history$1.99
- Unlimited Speed Read links$1.99
- Remove ads$2.99
- Premium - Unlock everything$11.99
Questions
Is Flash Reader free?
Is Speed Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Flash Reader or Speed Reader?
Do Flash Reader or Speed Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Flash Reader or Speed Reader?
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