FocalRead vs ReadMaxx
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
ReadMaxx
This app helps you read faster and more effectively by displaying one word at a time at a controlled pace. It supports various input formats like PDFs, EPUBs, and web links, and includes optional haptic cues to improve focus and comprehension.
- Word-by-word reading display
- Adjustable reading speed
- Supports PDF, EPUB, web links, and pasted text
- Optional haptic cues for structure
- Reduces eye movement
- Maintains attention and comprehension
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ReadMaxx helps you get through more of what you want to read — whether you want to read it faster or understand the essentials in seconds. Import a PDF, EPUB, Web Link, or text you’ve pasted in. Then choose how you want to engage with it: read using ReadMaxx’s RSVP speed reader, or generate a concise summary and key points to quickly understand what matters. - Read faster - ReadMaxx’s RSVP reader presents one word at a time at a controlled pace, reducing eye movement and helping you maintain attention while reading. Optional haptic cues reinforce the structure of what you’re reading, from subtle taps at the start of each word to stronger signals at sentence boundaries — helping anchor attention without pulling focus away from the text. - Understand faster - When you don’t need to read every word, ReadMaxx can summarise your content for you. Generate a concise overview and key points from documents, books, articles, and other long-form text — giving you a faster way to understand what something is about and decide where to spend your attention. Read it. Summarise it. Get through more with ReadMaxx. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
FocalRead and ReadMaxx both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of ReadMaxx's written reviews are positive against 64% of FocalRead's. FocalRead's advantage is ratings volume (93 vs 7) and iOS requirement (16.1 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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. FocalRead sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and ReadMaxx sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for FocalRead against 4.6 for ReadMaxx. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FocalRead has 93 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of FocalRead's written reviews are positive against 100% of ReadMaxx's.
FocalRead ships an update every 6 days, ReadMaxx every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FocalRead | ReadMaxx |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (93 ratings) | 4.6 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 93 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 103 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ANDRES FELIPE SARRAZOLA VELEZ | MAXX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED |
Customer experience
FocalRead
ReadMaxx
In-app purchases
FocalRead
- Pro Version (Weekly)$6.997 Days
- Unlimited Weekly$6.997 Days
- Unlimited Monthly$9.991 Month
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- 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
ReadMaxx
- Unlimited Weekly$2.997 Days
- Unlimited Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Unlimited Monthly$4.991 Month





