The Best Speed Reading Chrome Extensions, Compared
Facts checked October 9, 2026 by the Read Fast team. How we compared
You read most things in Chrome, so a speed reading extension makes sense: no copying, no new tab, just press a button and read. The trouble is that the best-known one now limits its free tier, one long-listed extension has not been updated since 2014, and some "extensions" in listicles are really apps. We make one of these apps too, and ours has no extension, so it sits last here.
The options compared are SwiftRead, Sprint Reader, Readlax, AccelaReader and Bionic Reading, plus Read Fast as a no-install fallback.
The short answer
For most people the best speed reading Chrome extension is SwiftRead, because it reads web pages, PDFs, EPUBs and Kindle Cloud Reader books in place; if you want it free with no quota, use Sprint Reader, and if you want daily training rather than a reader, use Readlax.
- For reading any page, PDF or Kindle book in place: the best option is SwiftRead, because it is the only extension here that handles web pages, PDFs, EPUBs and Kindle Cloud Reader from one button.
- For a fully free extension with no account: the best option is Sprint Reader, because it is open source, has no paid tier, and reads any text you select on a page.
- For daily speed reading practice in the browser: the best option is Readlax, because its extension highlights phrases on web pages and the app around it runs exercises and comprehension checks.
- For computers where you cannot install extensions: the best option is Read Fast, because it runs in a normal browser tab from pasted text or a URL, so there is nothing to install or approve.
At a glance
| Feature | SwiftRead | Sprint Reader | Readlax | AccelaReader | Bionic Reading | Read Fast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with a daily quota; PRO monthly, annual or lifetime (price varies by region) | Free (open source) | Free basic; Pro $8.99/mo, $44.99/yr or $199.99 lifetime (Google Play, US) | Free; premium tier (URL import, AI passages) with no published price | Free tier; Premium and Premium Plus subscriptions (store prices vary) | Free (5,000 words/day, up to 400 WPM); Premium $19/yr or $49 lifetime |
| Free plan | Yes, daily quota | Yes, fully free | Yes, basic | Yes, paste text | Yes, limited | Yes, no signup |
| Platforms | Chrome extension, Web, iOS, Android | Chrome extension | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension | Web, Chrome extension | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
| Account needed | Not stated | No | Not stated | No | Yes | No |
| RSVP (one word at a time) | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes | No | Yes |
| Focus-letter (ORP) highlight | Not stated | Focal guides | No | Not stated | No | Yes |
| PDF import | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Advertised | Premium |
| EPUB import | Yes | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Premium |
| Web article import | Yes | Selected text on any page | Via browser extension | Premium (reported) | Yes | Yes |
| Top speed | Not stated | 1,800+ (listing) | Not stated | Not stated | n/a (no pacing) | 400 free / 1,000 Premium |
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. SwiftRead
Chrome extension, Web, iOS, Android · Free with a daily quota; PRO monthly, annual or lifetime (price varies by region)
SwiftRead, formerly Spreed, is the strongest extension for reading in place. Open it on a page or highlight text and it flashes the words at your chosen speed; it also reads PDFs, EPUBs, Kindle Cloud Reader and Libby, with text-to-speech. It has about 200,000 Chrome users and a 4.5 rating overall. PRO is sold monthly, annually or as a lifetime licence, at prices that vary by region.
- Best for
- Heavy Chrome users who want to speed-read whatever page, PDF or Kindle Cloud Reader book is already open, and are open to paying.
- Trade-off
- The free tier runs on a daily quota, recent Chrome Web Store reviews average about 3.1 against 4.46 all-time, and PRO has no free trial (there is a 14-day refund window).
“The Swiftread Chrome extension was updated to put basic features behind a subscription.”
“the free version works quite well”
2. Sprint Reader
Chrome extension · Free (open source)
Sprint Reader is a free, open-source Chrome extension. Select text, right-click and it reads it one word at a time or in chunks, with adjustable speed, words per slide, focal guides, pauses at punctuation, colour schemes and a stats panel. The listing claims speeds of 1,800+ WPM. It is narrower than SwiftRead but costs nothing, and it was updated as recently as September 2025.
- Best for
- Anyone who wants to speed-read selected text in Chrome for free, with no account and no daily limit.
- Trade-off
- Chrome only, no EPUB or Kindle support, and reviewers describe the features as somewhat patchy: shortcuts break on some keyboard layouts and support outside English is weak.
3. Readlax
Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension · Free basic; Pro $8.99/mo, $44.99/yr or $199.99 lifetime (Google Play, US)
Readlax is a training app first: speed reading exercises, brain games and periodic comprehension checks, plus a habit tracker. Its Chrome and Edge extension gives web pages a reader view and highlights phrases to pace you. It is a different job from SwiftRead, better for building a habit than for clearing today's reading.
- Best for
- People who want a daily practice routine, with an extension that applies it to the web pages they read.
- Trade-off
- The extension uses phrase highlighting, not one-word RSVP, and the full app needs Pro ($8.99 a month, $44.99 a year or $199.99 lifetime on Google Play, US). Reviewers say the trial converts to a paid charge quickly.
4. AccelaReader
Web, Chrome extension · Free; premium tier (URL import, AI passages) with no published price
AccelaReader, from the course company Iris Reading, is a free RSVP web page with speed and chunk-size settings, pauses at sentence ends and an option to skip stopwords. The web tool is active; the extension, with about 3,000 users, is the part to avoid.
- Best for
- A no-frills paste-and-read session, through the web page or the bookmarklet rather than the old extension.
- Trade-off
- The Chrome extension looks unmaintained (last update listed as January 2014, 3.8 stars from 20 ratings), and URL import on the web version reportedly moved to a premium tier with no published price.
5. Bionic Reading
Web, iOS, Android · Free tier; Premium and Premium Plus subscriptions (store prices vary)
Bionic Reading's official apps bold the first part of each word and can convert text, files and websites. It is a formatting style, not a speed reader, and it is included so you can see how it differs. You can try the same effect free with our bionic reading converter.
- Best for
- Readers who want text reformatted with bolded word beginnings rather than paced one word at a time.
- Trade-off
- Not RSVP and not paced. Our sources list web, iOS and Android apps, not a Chrome extension, and the apps rate 2.4 on the App Store and 1.9 on Google Play, with reports of subscriptions failing to register.
“Paid subscription did not register and gave none of the paid features”
6. Read FastOur app
Web · Free (5,000 words/day, up to 400 WPM); Premium $19/yr or $49 lifetime
Read Fast is our app, and it is not an extension, so it is last here. It is a browser RSVP reader with 1, 2 or 3 word chunks, a focus-letter highlight and keyboard shortcuts that works in any tab: paste text or import a web article and read at up to 400 WPM, 5,000 words a day free, with no signup. If an extension is what you need, use one of the options above.
- Best for
- People on locked-down Chromebooks or work laptops, or on phones, who cannot install an extension but can open a web page.
- Trade-off
- Read Fast has no browser extension, so it cannot read in place: you paste text or a URL into a tab. No Kindle support, and PDF and EPUB upload need Premium ($19/year or $49 lifetime).
How to choose a speed reading extension
Start with where your reading lives, because that decides more than any feature list:
| Where you read | What you need | Best pick |
|---|---|---|
| Web articles in Chrome | Select text, read it fast | Sprint Reader (free) or SwiftRead |
| PDFs and EPUBs in the browser | File support in the extension | SwiftRead |
| Kindle Cloud Reader or Libby | Kindle support | SwiftRead (the only one) |
| A daily practice habit | Exercises plus a reading aid on pages | Readlax |
| A Chromebook that blocks extensions | A web reader in a normal tab | Read Fast or Speeedy |
Then check the method. SwiftRead, Sprint Reader and AccelaReader use RSVP, which flashes one word or a short chunk at a time in a fixed spot. Our RSVP guide explains how that works and where it breaks down. Readlax highlights phrases on the page instead, and Bionic Reading only changes the formatting, as our bionic reading guide covers. If you are not sure which suits you, try RSVP on a real article in our free RSVP reader for five minutes before installing anything.
Constraints that matter for extension users
Free limits. SwiftRead's free tier runs on a daily quota, and reviewers and a personal blog say basic features moved behind PRO. Sprint Reader has no paid tier at all. If you read a lot every day, that difference matters more than any setting.
Upkeep. AccelaReader's extension was last updated in January 2014; Sprint Reader's most recent listed update was September 2025.
Locked-down machines. Schools and employers often block extension installs. In that case a web reader is the only option, and it also works on phones, where Chrome extensions do not.
Realistic speed. Most extensions let you set very high speeds; Sprint Reader's listing claims 1,800+ WPM. The research does not support those numbers at full comprehension. A 2019 meta-analysis by Brysbaert puts average adult silent reading at about 238 WPM for nonfiction, and the 2016 review by Rayner and colleagues found comprehension, not eye movement, sets the limit. Take a baseline with the reading speed test and aim for 300 to 400 WPM first.
Extensions and apps we left out
- Reedy. Mainly an Android e-reader, though it also lists a Chrome extension. We have not researched the extension in depth, so we have not ranked it.
- Speechify. Text-to-speech, not speed reading. It reads pages aloud rather than pacing your eyes.
- Spreeder. A strong training app on the web, iOS and Android, but not a read-in-place extension. See our Spreeder vs SwiftRead comparison.
- Spritz. The 2014 RSVP technology still named by chatbots. It never had a consumer app and has been quiet since about 2017.
- Speeedy. An excellent free web reader that opens PDFs and EPUBs, but it is a web app, not an extension.
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 Chrome extension?
SwiftRead is the most capable: it reads web pages, PDFs, EPUBs and Kindle Cloud Reader books in place. Its free tier runs on a daily quota, so if you want a fully free extension, Sprint Reader is the best alternative.
Is there a free speed reading Chrome extension?
Yes. Sprint Reader is fully free and open source, with no account and no paid tier. SwiftRead and Readlax have free tiers with limits, and AccelaReader's extension is free but has not been updated since 2014.
Is SwiftRead free?
SwiftRead is free within a daily quota, and the developer says the free tier includes PDF, EPUB and Kindle reading with daily limits. PRO is sold monthly, annually or as a lifetime licence, prices vary by region, and there is no free trial, only a 14-day refund window.
Can a Chrome extension speed-read PDFs?
SwiftRead can: it reads PDFs as well as web pages and EPUBs. Our sources do not confirm PDF support for Sprint Reader. Scanned PDFs that have no text layer will not work in any speed reader, because there is no text to extract.
Can I speed-read Kindle books in Chrome?
Yes, with SwiftRead, which works with Kindle Cloud Reader and Libby. None of the other extensions or apps on this page list Kindle support.
Does Sprint Reader work in Edge or Firefox?
Our sources list Sprint Reader only in the Chrome Web Store. Edge can install many Chrome Web Store extensions, but we have not confirmed it for Sprint Reader. SwiftRead has its own Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari extensions.
Is there a Bionic Reading Chrome extension?
The official Bionic Reading apps in our sources are web, iOS and Android, and they convert text, files and websites. Bionic Reading also does not pace you, so it is a formatting style rather than a speed reading tool. Our free bionic reading converter shows the effect on any text.
Is a speed reading extension safe to install?
An extension that reads the page you are on needs permission to see that page's text, so check what each one asks for when you install it. Open-source extensions such as Sprint Reader let anyone inspect the code. A web reader such as Read Fast needs no extension permissions, because you paste text into it.
What can I use if my school Chromebook blocks extensions?
Use a web-based reader that runs in a normal tab. Read Fast and Speeedy both work with no install and no account; Speeedy also opens PDFs and EPUBs free, while Read Fast keeps file upload for Premium.
Do speed reading extensions actually work?
They help with one thing: cutting eye movements and re-reading, which can take a typical reader from about 238 WPM toward 300 to 400 WPM on easy text. A 2016 review by Rayner and colleagues found no evidence of large speed gains at full comprehension, so treat 1,000+ WPM settings as skimming.