ClearRead reads your books, PDFs and articles aloud while every word lights up in sync. Add dyslexia-friendly fonts, roomy spacing, focus mode and colours that suit your eyes, and reading finally feels easy.
ClearRead is a free reading app for iPhone and iPad built for people with dyslexia, ADHD and visual impairments, and for anyone who reads better when they can listen along. It turns ePubs, PDFs, web articles and pasted text into a clean, distraction-free reading view, reads them aloud with word-by-word highlighting, and lets you tune fonts, spacing, layout and colours until the page fits your brain.
The same quiet indigo design on every screen, in light or dark mode.
Import an ePub or PDF, paste a link to a web article, or paste text straight in. ClearRead strips the clutter and keeps the words.
Pick Lexend or OpenDyslexic, widen the spacing, switch on bionic reading or focus mode, and choose a theme. Settings apply everywhere.
Tap Listen. Words highlight as they are spoken so your eyes and ears work together, at any speed from 0.5x to 2.5x.
ClearRead removes the barriers that make ordinary text hard work. Here is what each group gets from it.
The challenge: letters crowd together, lines get lost, and decoding every word is exhausting.
How ClearRead helps: Lexend and OpenDyslexic fonts, independent letter, word and line spacing, tinted and high-contrast themes, and read-along audio that pairs each word with its sound.
The challenge: attention drifts, pages get re-read, and long texts never get finished.
How ClearRead helps: focus mode dims everything but the current line, bionic reading gives your eyes anchor points, audio keeps you moving, and streaks and daily goals make progress visible.
The challenge: small type, harsh contrast, and PDFs that refuse to scale.
How ClearRead helps: large adjustable type, dark, sepia and high-contrast themes or your own custom colours, PDFs converted to reflowable text, and text-to-speech for resting your eyes.
All of these are free. Premium only adds nicer voices.
Text-to-speech that highlights each word as it is spoken, so you never lose your place.
Two fonts designed for readability, plus Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Calibri, Tahoma and the system font.
Font size, line height, letter spacing, word spacing and paragraph spacing, each on its own slider.
The first part of every word is bolded to give your eyes fixation points and keep you flowing through text.
A soft highlight follows the line you are on while the rest of the page dims. Choose the strength that suits you.
Read continuously or page by page like a book. Progress and location are saved automatically.
Light, dark, sepia and high contrast, or build your own theme from any background, text and accent colour.
ClearRead extracts the text from PDFs and reflows it with your fonts, spacing and colours, with the original page alongside.
Import ePub and PDF files, save any web article by pasting its link, or paste text directly into the app.
Slow down for dense material or speed up for review, in 0.1x steps.
Use the voices built into iOS for free, or upgrade to natural AI voices that run on your device.
A daily reading goal, streak counter and progress bars keep the habit going without nagging.
Audiobooks replace reading. Most eReaders ignore how dyslexic and ADHD brains work. ClearRead does both jobs at once.
| Capability | ClearRead | Audiobooks | Standard eReaders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reads your own ePubs, PDFs and articles aloud | Yes | No, fixed catalogue | Rarely |
| Highlights each word as it is spoken | Yes | No | Rarely |
| Lexend and OpenDyslexic fonts | Yes | Not applicable | Sometimes one of them |
| Letter, word, line and paragraph spacing | Yes, each separately | Not applicable | Usually line spacing only |
| Bionic reading and focus mode | Yes | No | Rarely |
| Reflows PDFs with your settings | Yes | No | Rarely |
| Free core experience | Yes | Subscription or per title | Varies |
Every reading and accessibility feature is included at no cost. Premium exists only for people who want the nicest voices.
Free
Everything above stays free.
Optional subscription
Weekly and yearly plans. Current prices are shown in the app and on the App Store.
Free tools for readers with dyslexia and ADHD. No account, and your text never leaves your browser.
Paste any text and bold the start of each word. Adjust how much is bolded and copy the result.
Compare Lexend, OpenDyslexic, Verdana and more side by side, with your own spacing and colours.
Find your words per minute, check what you understood, and see how it compares.
Choosing an app? Read our honest comparison of the best apps for dyslexia.
ClearRead is a free reading app for iPhone and iPad made for people with dyslexia, ADHD, and visual impairments. It reads ePubs, PDFs, web articles, and pasted text aloud while highlighting each word, and lets you change the font, spacing, layout, and colours until reading feels comfortable.
Yes. ClearRead is free to download and use. Reading, text-to-speech with system voices, word highlighting, all fonts, spacing controls, bionic reading, focus mode, and every theme are included at no cost. An optional ClearRead Premium subscription adds natural-sounding AI voices and higher text-to-speech limits.
ClearRead runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later and is available on the Apple App Store. An Android version is not yet available.
ClearRead opens ePub and PDF files from your device, saves web articles when you paste a link, and reads any text you paste in. PDFs are converted to clean reflowable text so your fonts, spacing, and colours apply to them too.
ClearRead was designed for dyslexic readers. It includes the Lexend and OpenDyslexic fonts, separate controls for letter, word, line, and paragraph spacing, a focus mode that keeps you on the current line, bionic reading, tinted and high-contrast themes, and read-along text-to-speech so you can see and hear every word together.
Yes. Focus mode dims everything except the line you are reading, bionic reading gives your eyes fixation points, and read-along audio keeps your attention anchored to the page. Daily goals and reading streaks help you build a consistent habit.
ClearRead includes Lexend and OpenDyslexic, two typefaces designed for readability, plus Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Calibri, Tahoma, and the system font. Font size, line height, letter spacing, word spacing, and paragraph spacing can all be adjusted independently.
Tap Listen and ClearRead reads the text aloud while highlighting each word in sync. You can set the speed from 0.5x to 2.5x and choose from the voices built into iOS for free. ClearRead Premium unlocks natural-sounding AI voices.
Bionic reading bolds the first part of each word so your eyes can jump between fixation points instead of decoding every letter. ClearRead can turn it on for any book, article, or PDF with one switch.
Yes. Once a book, PDF, or article is on your device, reading and text-to-speech with system voices work without an internet connection. Premium AI voices run on-device after they have been downloaded.
ClearRead is developed by EC Digital. It is listed on the App Store as "ClearRead - Dyslexia Reader". Support is available at clearread.app/support.
Curious about the research behind reading while listening? See why read-along beats reading or listening alone.
Free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. No account, no paywall for the essentials.
Android is not available yet. Tell us if you would like it.
