# Learn with Forward Chess vs Outread

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Outread at 1.4K against Learn with Forward Chess's 340. Learn with Forward Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Learn with Forward Chess sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Outread sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Learn with Forward Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 340 and 1.4K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Learn with Forward Chess's written reviews are positive against 80% of Outread's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, Outread every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Learn with Forward Chess | Outread |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (340 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outread-speed-reading/id778846279/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 340 | **1.4K** |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews | **80.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 188 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Forward Chess, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/543005912) | [Arkadiusz Holko](https://appshunter.io/developer/683846458) |

## What reviewers say

### Learn with Forward Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909)

This app is an interactive reader for chess books, allowing users to play through chess lines directly within the book. It offers a vast in-app store with over 100 chess eBooks and a growing collection of opening theory periodicals via subscription.

**Highlights:** Interactive chess book reader, Play through chess lines, In-app chess eBook store, Subscription for opening theory, Tactics training

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| True Lies in Chess | Free | one-time |
| The Power of Pawns | $12.99 | one-time |
| My System | $13.99 | one-time |
| The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book | $14.99 | one-time |
| 100 Endgames You Must Know | $17.99 | one-time |
| Chess Tactics from Scratch | $19.99 | one-time |
| Pump Up Your Rating | $23.99 | one-time |
| Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide | $23.99 | one-time |
| The Woodpecker Method | $23.99 | one-time |
| Don't Study Openings w/o this Book | $25.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for chess-book lovers
- 🚀 Easy to follow or analyze moves with the implemented chessboard
- 👍 Simple and effective interface
- 👍 Great to use on mobile device
- 👍 Larger board and text than Chessable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Books are a little expensive for digital purchases
- 🐛 App crashes or freezes occasionally
- 🐛 Loses user's place when reopening the app
- 🐛 Buggy when navigating between libraries and books
- 🐛 Analysis engine sometimes doesn't recognize castling possibilities

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues when changing devices
- Books not properly filing into libraries
- App crashing when trying to add books to libraries
- Losing current position when switching between full screen and normal view
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating through a book

**Requested features**

- Allow users to upload their own book PDFs
- Implement spaced repetition learning program within books
- Improve search and filtering options in the book store
- Add more language support beyond English books
- Provide better syncing of purchases across devices


### Outread

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outread-speed-reading/id778846279)

Enhance your reading speed and comprehension with this app. It offers guided reading modes, memory exercises, and supports various document types. Improve focus and retention for all readers.

**Highlights:** Speed reading modes (Guide & Flash), Peripheral vision and memory exercises, Webpage and document import, Adjustable reading speed and chunk length, Progress tracking and reading stats, AI translation, Offline reading

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Outread+ Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Outread+ Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Outread+ Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Outread+ Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Outread+ Monthly Family | $8.49 | per month |
| Outread+ Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Outread+ Annual Family | $49.99 | per year |
| Outread+ Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Outread+ Lifetime | $119.99 | one-time |
| Outread+ Lifetime Family | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple idea, big impact
- 👍 Developer is a chad
- 🚀 Fantastic application
- 🚀 Whole heartedly recommend
- 🚀 Increased reading speed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Not free, requires subscription
- 💰 Costs money
- 💰 Pay for importing PDFs
- 🐛 Paste web link takes really long time
- 🐛 Highlighting transition needs to be smoother

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to link to Pocket
- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Highlighting, underlining and saving quotes feature
- Ability to sync books and progress across devices
- Bionic reading feature
- Ability to scroll while reading in highlight mode
- Customizable highlighted text color and background


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Learn with Forward Chess free?

Learn with Forward Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Outread free?

Outread is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Learn with Forward Chess or Outread?

Learn with Forward Chess is rated higher. Learn with Forward Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 340 ratings, while Outread averages 4.7 from 1.4K ratings.

### Do Learn with Forward Chess or Outread have ads?

Neither Learn with Forward Chess nor Outread shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Learn with Forward Chess or Outread?

Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, and Outread every 3 weeks. Most recently, Learn with Forward Chess was updated on November 1, 2026 and Outread on November 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*