Top 5 speed-reading apps for Android and iPhone

Speed-reading apps have, in a bafflingly inexplicable way, gained popularity in today’s world, which, as we all know, is hurtling through space at ludicrous speeds while we humans scurry around trying to do more things faster, as if we weren’t already spinning fast enough. These apps, the digital equivalent of asking your eyes to hurry up and catch the bus, claim to help you read faster and comprehend more, all in the increasingly shrinking span of time we now like to call “a day.” For those brave souls willing to challenge the laws of both optics and comprehension, here are five speed-reading apps that promise to make reading feel less like reading and more like a brisk jog through words.

1. Spritz



Spritz – a name that conjures up the refreshing sensation of a light spray of water, but in reality, it's more like trying to sip from a fire hydrant. The app proudly boasts a technique known as "rapid serial visual presentation," or, to put it in simpler terms, "We're going to fling one word at you at a time at lightning speed and hope your brain doesn’t panic." According to Spritz, this method will have you reading at up to 1,000 words per minute, which sounds impressive until you realize that’s roughly the speed of a runaway freight train. Available on both Android and iOS, Spritz kindly lets you adjust the reading speed, font size and even the background color, presumably to give you a sense of control over the visual chaos. Whether you’re tackling Tolstoy or just trying to skim the news, Spritz offers a wide range of material, because who doesn't want to consume "War and Peace" at the same pace as a game of charades?

2. ReadQuick



Next up, ReadQuick – a name that might be trying a bit too hard to inspire urgency, like a friend telling you to hurry up because the movie’s about to start. Much like Spritz, it uses the now-ubiquitous rapid serial visual presentation method, but with a small twist. Instead of hurling one word at you like Spritz, ReadQuick throws entire sentences in your direction, as if to say, “Hey, we believe in you, you can handle this!” Whether or not you can is a different question. Available on iOS, ReadQuick lets you save articles to read later, a feature that suggests even the app itself knows that maybe, just maybe, you’ll want to slow down once in a while.

3. Flash Reader



Flash Reader, for the daring reader who believes that "if a little bit is good, more must be better," takes a different approach. Rather than presenting words or sentences one at a time, it bombards you with clusters of words in rapid succession, as though it's hoping your brain will casually pick out the important ones before you’ve had a chance to panic. Available on both Android and iOS, Flash Reader offers all the usual customization options, plus an assortment of reading material from blog posts to e-books. It's the perfect app for those who think reading should feel a bit more like a frenetic game of word dodgeball.

4. Outread



Outread, meanwhile, is for those who not only want to read quickly but also harbor a quaint desire to actually understand what they’ve read. The app slows things down just a bit by feeding you bite-sized passages and then quizzing you on what you’ve just consumed, much like a suspicious waiter who isn’t entirely convinced you’ve appreciated the subtle nuances of the chef’s work. Outread is an iOS-exclusive offering and comes with the usual assortment of reading materials and a “Library” function – presumably so you can stockpile things to read at high speeds later.

5. Spreeder



Spreeder – the app that turns reading into a high-speed sport. Like Spritz, it fires words at you one by one, but Spreeder also ups the ante with training exercises, because why just read when you can train for it? Available on Android and iOS, it lets you adjust speed, font size and background colors, all while building your speed-reading muscles. With a handy "Reading List" feature, Spreeder makes sure you can stack up all the articles and books you’ll breeze through—once you’ve become a speed-reading pro.

See also: Top 5 eBook Readers