Speed-Reading Apps That Will Make You More Productive

There’s so much to read and so little time to get through it all. With how busy we all are nowadays, speed reading is a skill that can help you do more than just get through that to-read list on your nightstand. It helps you be more productive at work and just in life in general. A solid speed-reading app is a good tool to help you not only read faster, but also to absorb and process the info you’re speed-reading.

You could break out the stopwatch and start training yourself to learn how to read faster, but a speed-reading app gives you the extra boost you need to become an outstanding speed reader. Try one of these speed-reading apps and see how much you improve after steadily using it.

Spreeder — Free, Best in Web App and iOS

Spreeder offers software that helps you read at least three times as fast as normal. It works by helping you eliminate the inner voice we all have when we read, because that’s what limits our reading speed. It’ll help you find your base speed, and you can use the settings to adjust it as you get better at speed reading and comprehending.

Their cloud library lets you add anything you want to speed read so you can practice on your favorite books and articles or those documents you know you need to get through for work. The cloud supports 46 different e-book and document types, so you’re pretty much covered for anything you want to upload.

The iOS app is free and they have a free web app, but the purchased upgrades offer a lot more training and more advanced features, so it’s well worth the price. Spreeder offers a 12-month money-back guarantee as well, in case you aren’t happy with the service — but we bet you will be.

Outread — $1.99, for iOS, Designed for Both iPhone and iPad

Outread highlights words as you go along, training your mind to keep moving forward instead of jumping back to re-read things you’ve already processed. It offers syncing ability with Instapaper, Pocket and Pinboard so you can transfer things from there to the app, add from Safari or upload documents and e-books. There are also free e-books already in the app in case you want to practice with some classics.

The app is customizable to fit your reading style and preference. There are day and night modes, multiple fonts and you can adjust the highlighter or dimmer so the chunks of text you read at one time are to your liking. You can also track your day-to-day reading stats and make note of your progress over time.

Reedy — Free, for Android and Google Chrome Extension

Reedy is probably the best option out there for Android users. Similar to the look and feel of Outread, it has a simple interface and comes with night and day modes. You can upload files, add links from the web or read from other apps with app connectivity. It promises to help you read two to four times faster than normal, without any fancy training.

Instead of a highlighter or dimmer like Outread, it prominently displays the word you’re reading in the middle of the screen as you’re speed reading through, training your mind to focus on certain words or phrases instead of attempting to jump around throughout the text like our brains tend to. The app also lets you switch between speed-read mode and normal reading mode as you see fit.

All these apps will train your brain to read faster, while also retaining all the important info you’re reading. Those long work documents you need to read through will be a breeze, and your daily productivity will increase if you can read and comprehend things quicker. Download one of these apps and start practicing!