lit vs Tempo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
lit
Discover your next favorite book through engaging excerpts without revealing the title or author upfront. Explore curated selections, save intriguing finds, and share discoveries with friends. Find your next read by falling for the first few lines.
- Blind book dates with opening excerpts
- Discover unexpected titles
- Build a to-read list
- Share book discoveries
- Follow Amazon links to purchase
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Find your next read by falling for the first few lines. lit gives you a blind date with a book. Start with an opening excerpt while the title and author stay hidden. Get a feel for the writing, follow your curiosity, and reveal the book when you’re ready. READ BEFORE THE REVEAL Experience the author’s voice before a familiar name or cover shapes your first impression. DISCOVER SOMETHING UNEXPECTED Explore curated selections spanning bestsellers, classics, and lesser-known titles. Find an author you’ve never tried or a story you might otherwise have passed over. BUILD YOUR TO-READ LIST Save the books that catch your attention, so you’ll remember them when it’s time to choose your next read. SHARE YOUR DISCOVERIES Found something intriguing? Share it with a friend who loves a good book. KEEP READING Follow the Amazon link when you find a book you want to buy. Whether you’re in a reading slump or simply curious about what’s out there, your next favorite book could begin with a single page.
Tempo
This app presents text one word at a time, helping you maintain focus and progress through reading material. It offers adjustable pacing, rewind capabilities, and a distraction-free reading environment. Save your content locally and track your reading habits.
- RSVP reading mode
- Adjustable reading pace (WPM)
- Pause, rewind, and review text
- Import text and supported files
- Local reading library
- Reading progress tracking
- Customizable themes and typography
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Tempo is a calm focus reader for people who want to keep moving through books, notes, articles, and study material without losing their place. The reader uses RSVP reading: it shows text one word at a time, with simple controls for pace, pause, rewind, and review. Instead of filling the screen with distractions, Tempo keeps the current word centered and gives you just enough context to continue confidently. Use Tempo to: * Paste text or import supported files * Read one word at a time in a focused RSVP view * Adjust your words-per-minute pace * Pause, rewind, and jump back into context * Save reading material in your local library * Track reading sessions, progress, stats, and streaks * Choose themes and typography that feel comfortable * Unlock unlimited local reading with a one-time purchase Tempo is built for focused reading, not fake productivity. It does not promise magic speed gains or replace careful reading. It gives you a calmer way to move through text, stay engaged, and finish more of what you start. Your reading material stays local by default in this release. Tempo is designed for content you own, created, or otherwise have the right to read.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: lit at none against Tempo's 2. lit also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Tempo's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Tempo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. lit asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for lit against 5.0 for Tempo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
lit ships an update every 2 months, Tempo every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | lit | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Iaroslav Zvonarov | Josh Hoffman |
Customer experience
lit
Tempo
In-app purchases
lit
No in-app purchases
Tempo
- Unlimited Reading2 variants$7.99









