t(a)ck vs Tide Reading List
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
t(a)ck
This app offers a distraction-free reading experience by displaying text word-by-word using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP). It allows users to share web articles and read them at adjustable speeds, enhancing focus and comprehension on mobile devices.
- Word-by-word RSVP reading
- Adjustable reading speed (200-700 WPM)
- Smart pacing for punctuation
- Distraction-free interface
- Resume reading from last position
- On-device content extraction
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t(a)ck is an iPhone-first RSVP reading app designed for long-form content. Reading on your phone shouldn’t require endless scrolling and constant refocusing. t(a)ck displays text word-by-word using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP), helping you read comfortably at faster speeds with less eye movement. How it works • Share any web article from Safari • Open t(a)ck • Start reading instantly Content extraction happens entirely on-device. No accounts. No backend. No tracking. Core Features • Word-by-word RSVP reading • ORP (Optimal Recognition Point) anchor rendering • Adjustable speed from 200–700 WPM • Smart pacing for punctuation and paragraph breaks • 3-2-1 start countdown • Resume from your last position • Clean, distraction-free interface Built for Focus t(a)ck is designed for people who read posts, essays, and long-form articles on their phones and want a smoother, more focused reading experience. No ads. No analytics. No data collection.
Tide Reading List
This app helps you manage your reading list by giving you a 30-day limit for each article. It encourages you to read content before it expires, preventing accumulation. Features include offline reading, text-to-speech, and customizable reminders.
- 30-day article expiration
- Reading View for clean text
- Text-to-speech functionality
- Offline reading support
- Customizable reminders
- Widgets for quick access
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Tide is a reading list that doesn't let things pile up. Save an article and you get 30 days to read it. Then it flows out. No exceptions, no snooze button. Most reading lists turn into a guilt pile. Tide doesn't. Every article shows how much of its tide is left, so you can see what's about to go and actually read it. And if it flows out, it probably wasn't that important. If it was, it'll wash up again. Saving In Safari or any app, tap Share and choose Tide. It's saved right away, and you can fix the title before closing if you want. You can also paste a link in the app or save from Shortcuts. Reading Tap an article to read it. Turn on Reading View in Settings and articles open as clean text, without clutter. If a site doesn't work that way, it just opens the normal page. On iPad or with your iPhone turned sideways, your list and the article sit side by side. Listening Tide can read articles to you. Touch and hold an article and choose Listen, or ask Siri to "Read my next article in Tide." It keeps going with your phone locked, and it remembers where you stopped. Offline Tide keeps a clean copy of every article, so you can still read on a plane or the subway. Reminders Get a heads-up before something flows out. You pick how many days ahead, or turn reminders off. Widgets • Flowing Out shows what's leaving soonest. • Surprise Me picks a random article for you, with a shuffle button. Done reading When you finish an article, mark it done and it's gone. That's the point. Private Tide doesn't collect anything. No accounts, no tracking. Your list stays on your device, and reading aloud happens on your device too. 30 days. Read it or let it go.
Screenshots
Verdict
t(a)ck and Tide Reading List are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for t(a)ck against 5.0 for Tide Reading List. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
t(a)ck ships an update every 10 days, Tide Reading List every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | t(a)ck | Tide Reading List |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AMEYA ZAIRA SHELBY | William Mattheis |
Customer experience
t(a)ck
Tide Reading List
In-app purchases
t(a)ck
No in-app purchases
Tide Reading List
No in-app purchases









