Comparison

Speed Reader vs FocalRead

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

Head to head
About

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.

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

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/

About

FocalRead

Boost your reading speed with this app that uses RSVP to display words one at a time. Import various document types and web articles to finish content in a fraction of the time. Organize your library, track progress, and customize your reading experience.

Highlights
  • Speed reading with RSVP
  • Import PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, DOCX, AZW3
  • Read web articles
  • Organize content in a library
  • Track reading progress
  • Customizable reading speed and font
Features
Read full description

Stop wasting time reading slowly. FocalRead is a speed reading app and a full eBook + document reader. Import your files or articles from the web and save them to your Library, and read them with RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) to finish books, documents and web content in a fraction of the time. Supports PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, DOCX, and AZW3 files (non-DRM only). THE PROBLEM WITH TRADITIONAL READING When you read normally, your eyes constantly move across lines, jump between words, and sometimes go back to re-read. That eye movement wastes time and causes fatigue. The average person reads around 200 WPM, but you can go much faster with the right technique. HOW FOCALREAD WORKS FocalRead displays one word at a time in a fixed position. Your eyes stay focused on a single point while words flow to you. No scanning. No constant eye movement. Just focused reading. Normal reading: ~200 WPM With FocalRead: 300 to 600+ WPM Advanced readers: up to 900 WPM That’s up to 3x faster than traditional reading. REAL TIME SAVINGS A typical 90,000-word book takes 7.5 hours at normal speed. At 600 WPM, you can finish in about 2.5 hours. That’s 5 hours saved on a single book. IMPORT AND READ YOUR FILES Use FocalRead as your daily reader. Import and keep everything inside the app: PDF documents EPUB eBooks* MOBI books* TXT files DOCX documents AZW3 files* *only if they are not DRM-protected You can also paste text from anywhere or read articles from the web. A READER BUILT FOR ORGANIZATION Save all books and documents to your Library Rename and organize your content Track progress and pick up where you left off Chapter navigation for EPUB books Reading history and sessions CUSTOMIZE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE Adjust speed from 100 to 1000+ WPM Choose standard, lowercase, or UPPERCASE text Select your preferred font style Smooth progress tracking while you read PERFECT FOR Students reading textbooks and study materials Professionals reviewing reports and documents Book lovers who want to read more Anyone who wants more learning in less time Start reading faster today with FocalRead. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Speed Reader4 screens
FocalRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FocalRead at 4.6 against Speed Reader's 3.8. FocalRead also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (98 vs 6). Speed Reader's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 67%). 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. Speed Reader sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and FocalRead sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FocalRead holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FocalRead has 98 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Speed Reader's written reviews are positive against 67% of FocalRead's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Speed Reader ships an update every 2 months, FocalRead every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Speed Reader versus FocalRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpeed ReaderFocalRead
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (6 ratings)4.6 (98 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings698 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB103 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNiklas BaudyANDRES FELIPE SARRAZOLA VELEZ

Customer experience

Speed Reader

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

FocalRead

All ratings98 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative26.7%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Speed Reader

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
9 purchases

FocalRead

Subscriptions9
  • Pro Version (Weekly)$6.997 Days
  • Unlimited Weekly$6.997 Days
  • Unlimited Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Unlimited Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Unlimited Annual3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Unlimited Annual Plan3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Unlimited Annual3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Pro Version (Annual)3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Unlimited Annual Plan3 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Speed Reader free?
Speed Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FocalRead free?
FocalRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Speed Reader or FocalRead?
FocalRead is rated higher. Speed Reader averages 3.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while FocalRead averages 4.6 from 98 ratings.
Do Speed Reader or FocalRead have ads?
Neither Speed Reader nor FocalRead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Speed Reader or FocalRead?
Speed Reader ships an update every 2 months, and FocalRead every 8 days. Most recently, Speed Reader was updated on November 3, 2026 and FocalRead on October 31, 2026.

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