Comparison

SwiftReader vs Zen

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

Head to head
About

SwiftReader

Features
Read full description

Most people read at 200–250 words per minute. SwiftRead: Speed Trainer is built to change that. Using proven techniques, SwiftRead trains your eyes and brain to process text faster β€” so you can get through more of what matters without losing a word. TRAIN YOUR SPEED β€’ RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) flashes words one at a time at your target pace, breaking the subvocalization habit that holds most readers back. β€’ The guided scrolling pacer moves text at a steady speed, helping you stay focused and stop re-reading lines. β€’ Adjust speed at any time and build up gradually at your own pace. READ ANYTHING β€’ Paste any text directly into the app and start training immediately. β€’ Import ebooks and read them with RSVP or the pacer β€” your choice. No account needed. Core features are free forever. Upgrade to Pro for AI quizzes and analytics. Speed reading is a trainable skill. SwiftRead gives you the tools to build it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Zen

Features
Read full description

With gratitude to Zen teacher Lin Gu-fang for his guidance and teaching. To share the Dharma, all five books are free to read and to hear read aloud, forever, with free translation into English, Japanese, German, French, and Spanish, so that more people around the world may come to know Zen and the good it brings. One quiet shelf, five classics. The Heart Sutra β€” Xuanzang's Chinese, all 260 characters of it, in the seven sections of Fazang's Tang-dynasty outline. This one is free in full, including every editorial explanation and five-language translation. The Diamond Sutra β€” KumārajΔ«va's classical Chinese, 32 chapters, 129 passages. The Dhammapada β€” a verse anthology in its third-century Chinese translation, 39 chapters, 758 stanzas by the chapter headings' own count. The Platform Sutra β€” the recorded teaching of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan, compiled by his disciple Fahai: the one work written in China that Chinese Buddhism honors with the title "sutra." Verses of the Zen Patriarchs β€” Faith in Mind and Song of Enlightenment, two of the most recited Zen poems; 88 passages. All five set in a serif face on a quiet, paper-toned page. EDITORIAL EXPLANATIONS β€” INCLUDED, NOT GENERATED LIVE Every passage in all five books includes a fixed Traditional Chinese editorial text: a faithful rendering, a fluent modern version, and explanations of key Buddhist terms. Where more than one reading is reasonable, the principal reading is retained and the ambiguity is stated. Nothing is added merely to force a doctrinal conclusion. In English, the explanation panel shows the edited translation of the passage together with notes on its key terms, translated from the Chinese editorial text with AI assistance and then reviewed β€” and labeled as such. Everything is included in the app and works offline on any device. FIVE-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION β€” FREE AND UNLIMITED Read any passage in English, Japanese, German, French, or Spanish. All five books have fixed, edited translations β€” no network and no special device needed. EVERY EDITION, FULLY DOCUMENTED The Diamond Sutra's main text follows the Ming–Qing received edition, with all 58 variants against Jiang Weinong's collated edition marked passage by passage β€” editorial fact. The Dhammapada and the Platform Sutra are built from public-domain texts, proofread character by character. The Heart Sutra takes only the public-domain stream of characters β€” the punctuation and division are our own β€” and is checked against the full quotation in chapter 19 of Journey to the West: 260 characters each, differing in exactly one. Every source and every editorial judgment is laid out under About This Edition in each book. READ ALOUD Read one passage, or play a whole chapter or a whole book straight through; stop midway and it picks up where you left off. Uses the iOS system voices β€” pick yours under Reading Voice in the app's settings. Older devices welcome. DESIGNED WITH RESTRAINT Β· No ads, no account, no data collection Β· For iPhone and iPad Β· No live AI generation anywhere in the app; the origin of the translated term notes is stated on screen BOOK BY BOOK The Heart Sutra is free in full β€” nothing to buy. Each of the others is subscribed to or bought outright on its own β€” mix freely; canceling one never affects another. Or unlock all paid books at once. Unlocking a book gives access to all of its fixed editorial explanations; reading, listening, and five-language translation remain free. Each book’s complete explanations can be tried free for seven days from its first opening. Subscriptions are billed to your Apple Account, renew 24 hours before each period ends, and can be canceled anytime in Settings β€Ί Apple Account β€Ί Subscriptions. Terms of Use (standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://sayhow.app/diamond May each reading be a moment of turning inward.

Screenshots

SwiftReader4 screens
Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SwiftReader at none against Zen's 10. Zen's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.2). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Zen sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.29 per month. SwiftReader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SwiftReader ships an update monthly, Zen every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
SwiftReader versus Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwiftReaderZen
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 11 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.216.4 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size29 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJean-Pierre RouhanaCHUNG CHENG CHIU

In-app purchases

None

SwiftReader

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Zen

Subscriptions6
  • Zen Patriarchs Monthly$0.291 Month
  • Dhammapada Monthly$0.291 Month
  • Platform Sutra Monthly$0.291 Month
Show 3 more
  • Zen Patriarchs Yearly$1.991 Year
  • Dhammapada Yearly$1.991 Year
  • Platform Sutra Yearly$1.991 Year
One-time4
  • Zen Patriarchs Lifetime$2.99
  • Dhammapada Lifetime$2.99
  • Platform Sutra Lifetime$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlock All Books$5.99

Questions

Is SwiftReader free?
SwiftReader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zen free?
Zen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SwiftReader or Zen have ads?
Neither SwiftReader nor Zen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SwiftReader or Zen?
SwiftReader ships an update monthly, and Zen every 11 days. Most recently, SwiftReader was updated on October 31, 2026 and Zen on November 8, 2026.

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