The Best Speed Reading Apps for PDFs, Free and Paid
Facts checked October 9, 2026 by the Read Fast team. How we compared
Your reading list is mostly PDFs: papers, reports, course packs and manuals. Most speed reading apps handle pasted text well, but PDFs are where they differ most, on price, on platform and on what happens when the file is scanned or laid out in two columns. We make one of these apps, and for free PDF reading it is not our pick.
The apps compared are Speeedy, SwiftRead, Read Fast, Outread and Spreeder.
The short answer
For most people the best speed reading app for PDFs is Speeedy, because it opens PDFs free in the browser with no account or quota; choose SwiftRead if you want to speed-read PDFs in place in Chrome, Read Fast Premium for a low one-time price, and Outread if you read on an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- For free PDF speed reading: the best option is Speeedy, because it opens PDFs in the browser at no cost, with no account and no daily quota.
- For speed-reading PDFs inside Chrome: the best option is SwiftRead, because its extension reads PDFs where you open them, along with web pages, EPUBs and Kindle Cloud Reader.
- For a low one-time price with no install: the best option is Read Fast, because Premium is $49 lifetime, adds PDF, EPUB and TXT upload, unlimited reading and up to 1,000 WPM, and runs in any browser.
- For PDFs on iPhone, iPad and Mac: the best option is Outread, because it is a native Apple app that imports PDFs with Outread+ and is rated 4.7 from about 1,400 App Store ratings.
- For PDFs plus a training program: the best option is Spreeder, because it imports PDFs and many other file types and pairs its reader with drills and courses.
At a glance
| Feature | Speeedy | SwiftRead | Read Fast | Outread | Spreeder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (open source) | Free with a daily quota; PRO monthly, annual or lifetime (price varies by region) | Free (5,000 words/day, up to 400 WPM); Premium $19/yr or $49 lifetime | Free download; Outread+ from $4.99/mo, $29.99/yr or $119.99 lifetime (App Store) | Free basic tier; VIP lifetime reported at $67 |
| Free plan | Yes, fully free | Yes, daily quota | Yes, no signup | Yes, limited (imports and higher speeds need Outread+) | Yes, limited (reported 200 words at a time) |
| Platforms | Web | Chrome extension, Web, iOS, Android | Web | iOS, Mac | Web, iOS, Android |
| Account needed | No | Not stated | No | Not stated | Yes |
| RSVP (one word at a time) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PDF import | Yes | Yes | Premium | Outread+ | Yes |
| EPUB import | Yes | Yes | Premium | Outread+ (DRM-free) | Yes |
| Web article import | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Training / exercises | No | Not stated | No | Not stated | Yes |
| Top speed | 1,600 (GitHub) | Not stated | 400 free / 1,000 Premium | Not stated | Not stated |
Read the full feature and pricing notes for each app below. “Not stated” means the vendor doesn't say and we couldn't confirm it.
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The options, ranked
1. Speeedy
Web · Free (open source)
Speeedy is a free, open-source, local-first RSVP web app. It opens PDF, EPUB, DOCX, text files and URLs in your browser, with a focus-letter alignment, OpenDyslexic and bionic modes, and speeds from 100 to 1,600 WPM according to its GitHub page. On free PDF support it beats every other app here, including ours.
- Best for
- Anyone who wants to speed-read PDFs free, in a browser tab, with nothing to sign up for.
- Trade-off
- No reading speed test, comprehension checks or training, and as a young open-source project there is little independent track record yet.
2. SwiftRead
Chrome extension, Web, iOS, Android · Free with a daily quota; PRO monthly, annual or lifetime (price varies by region)
SwiftRead, formerly Spreed, reads PDFs and EPUBs in its browser extensions and in its web, iOS and Android apps, and also handles web pages, Kindle Cloud Reader and Libby. The developer says the free tier includes PDF reading with daily limits. PRO is sold monthly, annually or as a lifetime licence, at prices that vary by region.
- Best for
- Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari users who open PDFs in the browser and want to speed-read them in place.
- Trade-off
- Free PDF reading is limited by a daily quota, recent Chrome Web Store reviews average about 3.1 against 4.46 all-time, and PRO has no free trial (a 14-day refund instead).
“The Swiftread Chrome extension was updated to put basic features behind a subscription.”
“the free version works quite well”
3. Read FastOur app
Web · Free (5,000 words/day, up to 400 WPM); Premium $19/yr or $49 lifetime
Read Fast is our app. Premium ($1.99 a week with a 3-day trial, $19 a year or $49 lifetime) adds PDF, EPUB and TXT upload, unlimited reading, speeds up to 1,000 WPM and focus music. The reader has 1, 2 or 3 word chunks, a focus-letter highlight, keyboard shortcuts and dark mode. If you only need the odd PDF free, Speeedy is the better choice, and we say so.
- Best for
- People who read PDFs regularly and would rather pay once than subscribe, on any device, with no install.
- Trade-off
- PDF upload is Premium only; the free tier covers pasted text and web articles. No browser extension, so it cannot read a PDF in place, and no native app.
4. Outread
iOS, Mac · Free download; Outread+ from $4.99/mo, $29.99/yr or $119.99 lifetime (App Store)
Outread imports DRM-free EPUB, PDF, DOC, RTF and TXT files and syncs with Instapaper. It has a one-word Flash mode and a guided-highlight mode, and at 4.7 stars from about 1,400 App Store ratings it is the best-reviewed dedicated speed reading app on Apple devices.
- Best for
- iPhone, iPad and Mac readers who want PDFs in a polished native app alongside read-later articles.
- Trade-off
- Apple only. PDF import needs Outread+ (from $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $119.99 lifetime on the US App Store), and some long-time subscribers dislike version 2.4.
“the flashing mode was what did it”
“it's been awful after version 2.4”
5. Spreeder
Web, iOS, Android · Free basic tier; VIP lifetime reported at $67
Spreeder, from eReflect, imports PDFs and e-books (its site lists 46 file types) and adds warm-up drills, a course library and progress tracking, on the web, iOS and Android. Its VIP lifetime upgrade is reported at $67.
- Best for
- Students and professionals who want to read their PDFs and train their reading in the same app.
- Trade-off
- An account is required, the free reader is reportedly limited to 200 words at a time, and Google Play reviewers report being signed out and the app hanging after an EPUB import.
“makes you sign in again every single time I open the app”
“does seem to hang sometimes after I import and start reading an epub”
How to choose a PDF speed reader
A few questions settle it for most people:
| Question | If yes | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Do you need it free? | You want PDFs with no subscription | Speeedy, or SwiftRead within its daily quota |
| Do you open PDFs in your browser and want to read them in place? | You want an extension | SwiftRead |
| Do you read PDFs every week and prefer paying once? | You want a lifetime plan | Read Fast Premium ($49), Outread+ ($119.99), Spreeder VIP (reported $67) |
| Are you on an iPhone, iPad or Mac? | You want a native app | Outread |
| Do you also want training? | You want drills and courses | Spreeder |
If you have never tried RSVP, test it on pasted text first in our free RSVP reader, and read the RSVP guide to see why some people love it and others do not. For heavy study reading, our guide to reading textbooks faster covers when to slow down instead.
Two PDF problems no app can fully fix
Scanned PDFs. Many PDFs, especially older papers and photocopied course readers, are just pictures of pages. There is no text layer, so there is nothing for a speed reader to extract, and that is true of every RSVP app, ours included. The quick test: try to select a word with your cursor. If you cannot, run the file through an OCR (text recognition) tool first and open the output.
Two-column and academic layouts. PDFs store text by position on the page, not in reading order. When an app extracts the text, two-column layouts, footnotes, running headers, page numbers and figure captions often come out interleaved or out of order. This is a general limitation of PDF text extraction rather than a fault of one app, and we have not run a side-by-side test of how each app handles it. What helps: check the first page before reading at speed, skip front matter, and for a critical paper, paste the body text in section by section.
Speed and comprehension on dense documents
PDFs tend to be the hardest things people read, which is exactly where speed reading claims break down. The 2016 review by Rayner and colleagues found that comprehension, not eye movement, limits reading speed. Average adult silent reading is about 238 WPM for nonfiction, per a 2019 meta-analysis by Brysbaert. Take a baseline with the reading speed test, then set a technical PDF a little below your easy-text speed. The reading time calculator shows what that means for a 40-page report.
Apps we left out and why
- FastReadi. A new iPhone RSVP app that imports PDFs, EPUB, MOBI and URLs, with a free tier and Pro from $3.33 a month billed annually. It is promising but had only one App Store rating when we checked.
- Reedy. A free Android RSVP reader, but it has no PDF support, which is its most common complaint.
- AccelaReader. A free paste-and-read page; our sources do not show PDF import.
- Bionic Reading. Its apps advertise PDF conversion, but bolding word beginnings is formatting, not pacing, and the apps rate 2.4 on iOS and 1.9 on Google Play.
- Speechify. It reads PDFs aloud, which is a good substitute if you prefer listening, but it is text-to-speech, not a speed reader, and Premium is $139 a year.
How we compared, and our bias
We make Read Fast, so treat our placement of it with appropriate suspicion. To keep this page useful anyway, every app is scored on the same attributes, using facts taken from each vendor's own website, pricing page or app store listing on the date shown above, and we say plainly where a competitor is the better choice. User quotes are verbatim from public reviews and forums, linked to their source. Prices are in US dollars and change often, so check the vendor's site before you buy.
Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@readfastapp.xyz and we'll re-check it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best speed reading app for PDFs?
Speeedy is the best free option: it opens PDFs in the browser with no account. SwiftRead is the best for reading PDFs in place in Chrome, Read Fast Premium for a low one-time price, and Outread for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
How do I speed read a PDF?
Open the PDF in an RSVP reader, which extracts the text and flashes it one word or a short chunk at a time at a speed you set. Start near your normal reading speed, check the first page came out in the right order, then raise the speed in steps of 25 to 50 WPM.
Is there a free app to speed read PDFs?
Yes. Speeedy is free and open source and opens PDFs in your browser. SwiftRead's free tier also reads PDFs, within a daily quota. Read Fast's free tier does not upload PDFs, but you can paste text copied from one.
Why won't my PDF work in a speed reading app?
Most often it is a scanned PDF: an image of each page with no text layer, so there is no text for any app to extract. If you cannot select words in the PDF with your cursor, run it through an OCR tool first, then open the result.
Do speed reading apps work with academic papers?
They can, but two-column layouts, footnotes, headers and figure captions often come out in the wrong order when text is extracted from a PDF. That is a limitation of PDF text extraction in general, not of one app, so check the first page and consider pasting the body text in section by section.
Can I speed read PDFs on iPhone?
Yes. Outread imports PDFs on iPhone with Outread+, and SwiftRead has an iOS app that reads PDFs. Browser readers such as Speeedy and Read Fast also work in Safari on iPhone with nothing to install.
How much does a PDF speed reading app cost?
Speeedy is free. Read Fast Premium is $19 a year or $49 lifetime. Outread+ starts at $4.99 a month on the US App Store. Spreeder VIP is reported at $67 lifetime. SwiftRead PRO is monthly, annual or lifetime, with prices that vary by region.
Is it safe to upload PDFs to a speed reading app?
It depends on where the file is processed. Speeedy describes itself as local-first, opening files in your browser. For any app, check its privacy policy before uploading confidential documents, and use pasted excerpts if you are unsure.
Can a speed reading app read EPUBs too?
All five apps here handle EPUB as well as PDF: Speeedy free, SwiftRead within its quota, Read Fast on Premium, Outread with Outread+ (DRM-free files only) and Spreeder. EPUBs usually extract more cleanly than PDFs because their text is not laid out in fixed columns.
Does speed reading a PDF hurt comprehension?
It can if you push the speed too far. A 2016 review by Rayner and colleagues found comprehension, not eye movement, limits reading speed, so dense technical PDFs usually need a slower setting than a news article.