# Outread vs CiteLighter

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CiteLighter at none against Outread's 10. CiteLighter also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Outread's advantage is ratings volume (1.4K vs 33) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Outread sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. CiteLighter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Outread holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Outread has 1.4K ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 80% and 80% positive.

Outread ships an update every 3 weeks, CiteLighter every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Outread | CiteLighter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outread-speed-reading/id778846279/reviews)** | [4.5 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/citelighter/id1538371858/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | 33 |
| Positive reviews | **80.3% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 38 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Arkadiusz Holko](https://appshunter.io/developer/683846458) | [Evan Gould](https://appshunter.io/developer/980465552) |

## What reviewers say

### Outread

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outread-speed-reading/id778846279)

Enhance your reading speed and comprehension with this app. It offers guided reading modes, memory exercises, and supports various document types. Improve focus and retention for all readers.

**Highlights:** Speed reading modes (Guide & Flash), Peripheral vision and memory exercises, Webpage and document import, Adjustable reading speed and chunk length, Progress tracking and reading stats, AI translation, Offline reading

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Outread+ Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Outread+ Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Outread+ Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Outread+ Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Outread+ Monthly Family | $8.49 | per month |
| Outread+ Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Outread+ Annual Family | $49.99 | per year |
| Outread+ Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Outread+ Lifetime | $119.99 | one-time |
| Outread+ Lifetime Family | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple idea, big impact
- 👍 Developer is a chad
- 🚀 Fantastic application
- 🚀 Whole heartedly recommend
- 🚀 Increased reading speed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Not free, requires subscription
- 💰 Costs money
- 💰 Pay for importing PDFs
- 🐛 Paste web link takes really long time
- 🐛 Highlighting transition needs to be smoother

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to link to Pocket
- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Highlighting, underlining and saving quotes feature
- Ability to sync books and progress across devices
- Bionic reading feature
- Ability to scroll while reading in highlight mode
- Customizable highlighted text color and background


### CiteLighter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/citelighter/id1538371858)

Easily highlight text from images of books or articles. Capture text from photos or screenshots and emphasize key passages by blurring the surrounding content.

**Highlights:** Highlight text from images, Capture text from photos, Capture text from screenshots, Blur surrounding text, Copy/paste text

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Outread free?

Outread is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CiteLighter free?

CiteLighter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Outread or CiteLighter?

Outread is rated higher. Outread averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while CiteLighter averages 4.5 from 33 ratings.

### Do Outread or CiteLighter have ads?

Neither Outread nor CiteLighter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Outread or CiteLighter?

Outread ships an update every 3 weeks, and CiteLighter every 2 days. Most recently, Outread was updated on October 29, 2026 and CiteLighter on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*