Thorium Reader vs Nimbus Speed Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thorium Reader
Organize all your ebooks, comics, and manga in a single app. Customize your reading experience with adjustable text, fonts, and themes. Listen to audiobooks and zoom into visual content with ease.
- Unified bookshelf for all content
- Adjustable text size and spacing
- Multiple font options
- Text-to-speech audio playback
- Zoom for comics and manga
- Offline dictionary and translation
- Import EPUB, PDF, CBZ files
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Looking for an app where you can bring all your ebooks, comics and manga in one place? That’s what we built Thorium Reader for. Read it your way Everyone’s different, that’s why we want you to be fully in control: • Adjust text size, switch between color schemes with themes and control spacing. • 10+ fonts available, including specialized ones. • You prefer audio? Listen to any ebook, whenever you want. We’ll remember your preference. • Zoom into comics, manga and magazines. • Add bookmarks with notes. • Use the built-in iOS dictionary and translation features, even offline. • Tweak your reading experience with reading options. Bring your own books A single bookshelf and reading application where you can bring all your content: • Download free books, borrow from your library or buy from your favorite retailer. • Support for ebooks, documents, comics and manga. • Import EPUB, PDF and CBZ files. • Support for Readium LCP, used by thousands of libraries and retailers. Thorium Reader is built by EDRLab, a non-profit dedicated to open standards, reading and accessibility.
Nimbus Speed Reader
This app functions as a comprehensive e-reader, allowing you to import EPUBs, PDFs, and web articles into a single library. It features a speed reading mode that can triple your reading speed, with adjustable pace and chunk size for a personalized experience.
- Import EPUB, PDF, web articles
- Adjustable speed reading (WPM, chunk size)
- Distraction-free focus mode
- Automatic progress tracking
- Multiple visual palettes (light/dark mode)
- Integrated e-reader library
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Nimbus Speed Reader is a full e-reader with built-in speed reading. Import your EPUBs, PDFs, and web articles into one library, then switch into speed mode and read up to 3x faster — at a words-per-minute pace and chunk size you control. Full E-Reader Library: - Import and read EPUBs, PDFs, web articles, and documents, all organized in one place. Adjustable Speed Reading: - Set your own words per minute pace and chunk size, and fine-tune it on the fly right from the reader controls. Distraction-Free Focus Mode: - Strip away everything but the words when you want to lock in and read with zero friction. Automatic Progress Tracking: - Always know exactly where you left off, down to the word, and see your reading stats over time. Multiple Visual Palettes: - Choose from a range of beautiful themes, each built for both light and dark mode, so reading feels comfortable at any time of day. Why it's great: - Nimbus Reader gives you a real library and a real reader, not just a gimmick. Read normally when you want to savor it, or switch into speed mode when you want to move fast, all without leaving the app. Nimbus Reader Pro is an optional auto-renewable subscription available as Pro Weekly (1 week), Pro Monthly (1 month) and Pro Annual (1 year). Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://readnimbus.com/support/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nimbus Speed Reader at 100% against Thorium Reader's 40%. Nimbus Speed Reader also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Thorium Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (13 vs 3). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Nimbus Speed Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Thorium Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
Nimbus Speed Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Thorium Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nimbus Speed Reader's.
Thorium Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, Nimbus Speed Reader every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thorium Reader | Nimbus Speed Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (13 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Readium | Raul Perez |
Customer experience
Thorium Reader
Nimbus Speed Reader
In-app purchases
Thorium Reader
No in-app purchases
Nimbus Speed Reader
- Pro Weekly14 Days trial$1.997 Days
- Pro Monthly14 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Pro Annual14 Days trial$29.991 Year








