Comparison

Checkbox Reader vs SlowRead

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

Head to head
About

Checkbox Reader

This app helps you build a consistent reading habit by breaking down large books into small, manageable reading sessions. Track your progress with streaks and calendars, and organize your personal library with custom covers and reviews. Enjoy a private reading experience with no ads or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Break books into 5-15 minute reading sessions
  • Track reading progress with streaks and calendars
  • Search and discover books via Google Books
  • Add custom book covers and personal reviews
  • Organize and manage your book collection
  • Share reading progress on your terms
  • One-time purchase, no subscriptions or ads
Features
Read full description

=== CHECKBOX READER === Where Big Books Meet Small Wins! Tired of staring at stacks of unopened books and feeling overwhelmed? Getting sluggish as you fight through endless pages? Checkbox Reader transforms overwhelming books into bite-sized victories that fit your busy life. +++ THE MAGIC OF SMALL WINS +++ Checkbox Reader is simple: turn every book into a series of manageable checkboxes. Each checkbox represents just 5-15 minutes of reading. A checkbox can be 5 pages, or 20 pages - totally up to your preference and availability. Instead of thinking "I need to read 500 pages of Guns, Germs, and Steel," it's "I just need to complete this one checkbox." Every checkbox you tick is a win that keeps you motivated and moving forward. It's about building a sustainable habit of reading a little every day. +++ SIMPLE YET FEATURE RICH +++ Checkbox Reader keeps it simple, but we've built in powerful features for ourselves, and for our fellow readers. MOTIVATIONAL FEATURES: Streaks that keep you motivated, activity calendars that show your reading journey, and statistics that track your progress. BUILD YOUR LIBRARY: Search and discover books through Google Books integration, add custom book covers, write personal reviews and ratings, and organize your growing collection. This is your private reading sanctuary. SHARING, BUT ONLY ON YOUR TERMS: Share the books you've read and reviewed - but only when you want to. This is not a social app; it's your personal reading motivator and tracker. You control what gets shared and when. And, speaking of you controlling your data... +++ PRIVACY FIRST +++ Your reading data belongs to you. No ads, no tracking, no monthly fees, no subscription. Just a one-time purchase and Checkbox Reader is yours forever. When you move to a new device, transfer your entire library with a simple QR code scan. +++ GET SUPPORT +++ We built Checkbox Reader to help us read more. We'd love to hear how Checkbox Reader helps you along your reading journey. If you encounter any issue, or have feature ideas, contact us at checkbox.reader@ovisly.com. Happy Reading!

About

SlowRead

This app helps you build a visually appealing digital bookshelf and encourages focused reading sessions by blocking distracting apps. Track your reading progress, organize your library, and create a personalized reading ritual.

Highlights
  • Customizable 2.5D digital bookshelf
  • Distraction-blocking focus sessions
  • Reading streak tracking
  • TBR and library organization
  • Effortless book addition (scan, search, photo)
  • Import from Goodreads (CSV)
  • Private, local-first library
Features
Read full description

SlowRead is the book tracker with a bookshelf you will want to show off. Every book you read stands on your own shelf, with its real spine and cover. Keep your TBR, your reading journal and your reading log in one place, and share your bookshelf on BookTok and Instagram. YOUR BOOKSHELF • Every book stands on the shelf as a spine or as a cover. • Photograph your own copy to show its real spine, cover and sprayed edges, or use a photo another reader already shared. • Arrange your books by hand, lay them flat in piles and keep a series together. • Decorate with plants, candles, lights and more, and pick a theme for the wall and the wood. • Share a picture of your bookcase to your Stories on TikTok or Instagram. • Get a public profile at slowreadapp.com/@you with the bookcases you choose to show. BOOK CLUBS • Create a club or join one and read the same book together. • Talk in a channel for each part of the book, so nobody spoils what comes next. • Hide the parts of a message that are spoilers. • Vote on the club's next book. YOUR READING YEAR • Monthly and yearly wrap ups: cards to swipe through and share. • Your reader type, worked out from the books you finish. • A yearly reading challenge, and your year next to the last one. • Stats for pages, time and books, your reading speed and your top genres. • A reading streak, with past days you can fill in by hand. TRACKING WITHOUT EFFORT • Search millions of books or scan the barcode to add one in seconds. • Import your library from Goodreads, The StoryGraph, Bookmory, Fable or Libib. • Paperback, ebook and audiobook, even for the same book. • Track library loans with the due date and a reminder the day before. • Series grouped together, with your progress through each one. • Notes, quotes scanned from the page with your camera, and characters with a portrait and their relationships. • Half star ratings, rereads and did not finish. WIDGETS • Your bookshelf, what you are reading, your streak, your challenge and a daily quote on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. READING SESSIONS • Start a timed session from any book and log the page where you stop. • If you want, block the apps that distract you while you read, with Screen Time. All features described above require a subscription. A free trial is included, so you can try everything before paying. TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Checkbox Reader4 screens
SlowRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Checkbox Reader at none against SlowRead's shown. Checkbox Reader also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). SlowRead's advantage is ratings volume (735 vs 1) and chart position (#21 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Checkbox Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SlowRead sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $8.39 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Checkbox Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SlowRead has 735 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Checkbox Reader versus SlowRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheckbox ReaderSlowRead
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.7 (735 ratings)
Positive reviews—25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1735 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#21 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOvislyAdrian Martinez Moreno

Customer experience

Checkbox Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SlowRead

All ratings735 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral7.4%
Negative67.6%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Checkbox Reader

One-time1
  • Purchase Full App$7.99
4 purchases

SlowRead

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Weekly$8.397 Days
  • Premium Annual Offer$32.991 Year
  • Premium Annual3 Days trial$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime access to Slowread$149.99

Questions

Is Checkbox Reader free?
Checkbox Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SlowRead free?
SlowRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Checkbox Reader or SlowRead?
Checkbox Reader is rated higher. Checkbox Reader averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SlowRead averages 4.7 from 735 ratings.
Do Checkbox Reader or SlowRead have ads?
SlowRead shows ads; Checkbox Reader does not.

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