Comparison

Flash Reader vs Blinkword 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 text one word or a few words at a time. It supports various document types and offers customization for a personalized reading experience. Features include camera scanning, Siri integration, and widgets for quick access.

Highlights
  • Speed reading modes (Flash, Chunk, Reader)
  • Supports PDF, EPUB, Word, and web articles
  • Camera scanning for physical pages
  • Siri integration for hands-free control
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Customizable themes and fonts
Features
Read full description

Flash Reader is back, and better than ever. It read you one word at a time years before that was a trend. On the App Store since 2010, rebuilt from scratch for version 4, and everything happens on your device. Paste it, share it from any app, open a PDF, EPUB or Word file, or point the camera at a page, and you're reading. Every document keeps your place, and a widget, Control Center or Siri takes you straight back in. THREE WAYS TO READ • Flash: one word, one spot, and the pages fly. One letter in red holds your eye. • Chunk: a few words at a time, for when you would rather stroll. • Reader: the whole text, for a look back. Tap to pause. Play picks the sentence back up, so you never lose the thread. SPEED, WITH RECEIPTS Understanding holds to about 350 words a minute, then it slips. Flash Reader starts you at 250, a colored chip names your zone, and your real speed counts the pauses too. Go faster whenever you like; the chip tells you what it costs. Little words pass quickly, long or rare ones get a beat more, and a full stop gets its pause. Rest breaks when you want them. READ ANYTHING, START ANYWHERE • Copy anything, anywhere. Tap the clipboard chip, or the button in Control Center, and it flashes. • Share text, a web page or a link from any app: articles, mail, messages, notes. • Open PDF, EPUB, Word and text files from the Files app. • Point the camera at a page, or pick a photo or a screenshot. The text is read on your device. • Drop in a link and get the article, with none of the clutter around it. • Say "Flash my clipboard" or "Resume reading" and Siri does the rest. • Every document keeps its place, its mode and its speed. • Search, sort and rename. Deleted documents wait in Recently deleted. BACK IN ONE TAP Continue Reading and Streak widgets for the Home and Lock Screens. Flash clipboard and Resume reading in Control Center. Stats keep words read today, your streak and your real speed, pauses and all. ROOM TO READ Four themes (Paper, Ink, Sepia and High Contrast), a choice of fonts, an adjustable word size, and reading in landscape. On iPad, the library sits beside the reading view and a keyboard drives both. Designed for iPhone Duo: open it and the page unfolds beside the words. The whole app speaks 50 languages. FREE AND PRO Free to start. Text you paste, copy or share reads free, forever, at full quality: every mode, every speed, every theme, links, TXT and Markdown files, and three documents on the shelf at a time. Pro opens PDF, EPUB, Word, RTF and HTML files, scans and photos, and an unlimited shelf. One purchase covers iPhone and iPad, and your library and your place travel between them through your own iCloud. Choose Pro by the year with a 14-day free trial, by the month, or pay once and keep it. Annual and monthly Pro renew automatically until cancelled in your Apple Account settings, at least 24 hours before the period ends. No account. No ads. No analytics and no tracking. COMING BACK? Your books, your speed and your bookmark come along from the old version. If you bought Pro inside Flash Reader before, it is still yours: Restore purchases in Settings brings it back on any device. If you bought the separate Flash Reader Pro app, write to us and we will sort it out. More formats and modes are coming as free updates. Flash Reader 4 needs iOS 26 or later. On an older iPhone or iPad, the App Store keeps offering the last version that runs there. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://flashreaderapp.com/privacy Questions: support@flashreaderapp.com

About

Blinkword Speed Reading

Enhance your reading speed and comprehension with a scientifically-backed technique that displays words one at a time. Import documents, customize your reading experience, and track your progress to build a consistent reading habit.

Highlights
  • RSVP speed reading technique
  • Import PDFs and ePubs
  • Customizable reading speed (100-1000 WPM)
  • Adjustable font size and themes
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Library organization with smart filters
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Read faster. Understand more. Build a habit. Blinkword is a speed reading app built on RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) — a scientifically-backed technique that displays words one at a time in a fixed position, eliminating eye movement and helping you read 2-3x faster with full comprehension. HOW IT WORKS Words flash on screen at your chosen pace. Blinkword highlights the Optimal Recognition Point (ORP) — the anchor letter your eye naturally focuses on — so your brain processes each word instantly. Dynamic timing automatically adjusts for long words, punctuation, and paragraph breaks, giving you a natural reading rhythm even at high speeds. IMPORT ANYTHING • Open PDFs and ePubs with automatic chapter detection • Paste text directly or import files from other apps • Chapters, bookmarks, and table of contents are preserved FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE READING • Speed range from 100 to 1,000 WPM • Adjustable font size (24–72pt) • Toggle anchor letter highlighting and focus guides • Intuitive gesture controls — swipe to adjust speed, tap to pause • 9 stunning themes including Dark, Sepia, Midnight, Ocean, and more TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • Daily reading goals with progress rings • Streaks to keep you motivated • Weekly velocity charts and all-time statistics • Words read, reading time, average WPM, peak speed, and more • Achievement badges for milestones STAY ORGANIZED • Grid and list views for your library • Smart filters: Currently Reading, Completed, Unread, PDFs, ePubs • Custom collections and folders • Search across your entire library • Continue Reading carousel for quick access BUILT FOR iOS • Beautiful dark-first design with animated backgrounds • Haptic feedback throughout • iCloud sync across all your devices • VoiceOver and Dynamic Type accessibility support • Share Extension for importing from any app FREE TO START Import up to 3 documents and read at up to 400 WPM with basic themes and statistics — no account required. BLINKWORD PREMIUM Unlock unlimited documents, speeds up to 1,000 WPM, ePub support, premium themes, advanced statistics, iCloud sync, bookmarks, word search, and an ad-free experience. Start reading smarter today. Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Flash Reader4 screens
Blinkword Speed Reading4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Blinkword Speed Reading at weekly against Flash Reader's every 6 weeks. Blinkword Speed Reading also leads on iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). Flash Reader's advantage is ratings volume (164 vs 2) and rating (4.2 vs 4.0). 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 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Blinkword Speed Reading sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. 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 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flash Reader has 164 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flash Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, Blinkword Speed Reading weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Flash Reader versus Blinkword Speed Reading: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlash ReaderBlinkword Speed Reading
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (164 ratings) — better4.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews49.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings164 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.018.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDidstopiaShawn Gilronan

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

Blinkword Speed Reading

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Flash Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Annual14 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time7
  • Flash Reader Pro$0.99
  • Flash Reader Pro2 variants$1.99
  • Flash Reader Pro$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Flash Reader Pro$3.99
  • Flash Reader Pro$4.99
  • Pro Lifetime$39.99
  • Pro Lifetime$79.99
1 purchases

Blinkword Speed Reading

Subscriptions1
  • Blinkword Premium$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Flash Reader free?
Flash Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blinkword Speed Reading free?
Blinkword Speed Reading is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flash Reader or Blinkword Speed Reading?
Flash Reader is rated higher. Flash Reader averages 4.2 out of 5 from 164 ratings, while Blinkword Speed Reading averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Flash Reader or Blinkword Speed Reading have ads?
Neither Flash Reader nor Blinkword Speed Reading shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flash Reader or Blinkword Speed Reading?
Flash Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, and Blinkword Speed Reading weekly. Most recently, Flash Reader was updated on November 13, 2026 and Blinkword Speed Reading on November 5, 2026.

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