Comparison

Read Rocket vs GutenbergListen

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

Head to head
About

Read Rocket

Enhance reading speed and focus with three science-backed modes: Flash, Scroll, and Speak. Import documents from various formats and sync across Apple devices. Enjoy a private, ad-free experience with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Flash Mode for word-by-word reading
  • Scroll Mode with guided highlight
  • AI Speak Mode with synchronized highlight
  • Import PDFs, EPUBs, web articles, and more
  • Cross-device syncing (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
  • On-device processing for privacy
  • One-time purchase, no subscriptions
Features
Read full description

Read Rocket gives you three powerful, science-backed ways to read faster and stay focused — whether you're powering through textbooks, catching up on articles, or flying through your reading list. THREE WAYS TO READ Flash Mode displays one word at a time at a fixed focal point, eliminating the eye movements that account for most of your reading time. Set your own pace and watch your speed climb. Scroll Mode adds a guided highlight that moves through your document at a steady rhythm, keeping your attention locked and preventing the backtracking that slows you down. Speak Mode pairs high-quality AI text-to-speech with a synchronized visual highlight, engaging both your eyes and ears for stronger comprehension and retention. IMPORT ALMOST ANYTHING Bring in PDFs, EPUBs, Word documents, web articles, plain text, Markdown, HTML, RTF, OpenDocument files, and more — Read Rocket strips away the clutter so you can focus on what matters. Save articles straight from Safari or any app using your device's share menu, and they're instantly ready to read. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY Start reading on your iPhone, pick up right where you left off on your Mac or iPad. Your progress syncs automatically. Export your library to take your files where you need them. BUILT FOR APPLE Read Rocket is a native app designed for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It supports widgets for quick access to your reading list, a share extension for effortless importing, and all the system features you expect from a great Apple app. PRIVACY FIRST Read Rocket processes everything on your device. Your documents never leave your hands. No accounts, no tracking, no ads. AI VOICES THAT SOUND NATURAL Speak Mode includes Kokoro AI voices that run entirely on your device — no internet connection needed, no data sent anywhere. Choose from American and British English accents, or use any of Apple's built-in system voices. SIMPLE, FAIR PRICING Try Read Rocket free for 7 days. Then it's just $8.99 — one time, forever yours, on all your Apple devices. No subscriptions. No recurring charges. No upsells.

About

GutenbergListen

Features
Read full description

GutenbergListen's raison d'être is to provide simple access to the Project Gutenberg website of 70,000 plus books to blind user or to anyone using a screen reader to by providing a succinct browsing experience (declutered, to use the vernacular) to speed navigation. Everyone is, of course, welcome to use it. It is provided without out charge under the agpl-3.0 license. Selected eBooks and audio books are downloaded to the user's phone or tablet and remain until deleted by the user. Downloaded books can be accessed on or offline. eBooks are spoken in a user select-able voice that can be managed by speed, pitch and other basic controls including a sleep timer. Audio books are played at a user select-able speed and the basic controls also include a sleep timer. No personal data is collected, no account creation is required, no location or device information is collected, your location is not tracked and there are no analytics used.

Screenshots

Read Rocket4 screens
GutenbergListen3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GutenbergListen at none against Read Rocket's 1. Read Rocket's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Read Rocket sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GutenbergListen asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Read Rocket ships an update every 3 weeks, GutenbergListen every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Read Rocket versus GutenbergListen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRead RocketGutenbergListen
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size383 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJOSEPH CLAYTON KLEINFrank D Ducrest

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Read Rocket

One-time1
  • Unlock Read Rocket$8.99
None

GutenbergListen

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Read Rocket free?
Read Rocket is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GutenbergListen free?
GutenbergListen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Read Rocket or GutenbergListen have ads?
Neither Read Rocket nor GutenbergListen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Read Rocket or GutenbergListen?
Read Rocket ships an update every 3 weeks, and GutenbergListen every 6 weeks. Most recently, Read Rocket was updated on October 17, 2026 and GutenbergListen on October 6, 2026.

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