Leo vs Spreeder
Disclosure: Leo is our own app. We compare honestly, but keep that in mind.
Spreeder and Leo share the RSVP technique, but they point to different uses: Spreeder is a full cloud platform (web and apps across many devices) for training your speed; Leo is a local-first app for reading your books on iPhone. Here is the honest comparison.
What Spreeder does well
It is the veteran of speed reading, and it is a whole platform: web, iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and browser extensions, with your library synced in the cloud. Its strength is customization (several modes and a lot of settings) plus study tools: notes and labels, a dictionary, vocabulary builder, flashcards, courses and even AI summaries, with a touch of gamified motivation through goals and rewards. If you want to train your speed across many devices by pasting text or reading articles, and you like tweaking options, Spreeder more than delivers.
How Leo is different
Leo is not about training or pasting text: it is about reading your books, EPUB and PDF, with their layout, chapters and images, on iPhone. You can bring your whole library over OPDS/Calibre, something Spreeder does not have. It keeps the full chapter text synchronized under the word so you can reread or jump, and it adds natural pauses at punctuation. It looks after accessibility with fonts like Atkinson Hyperlegible and OpenDyslexic and haptic feedback, and everything stays on your device (local-first), while Spreeder works in the cloud. It has fewer settings than Spreeder, but the essentials are there, along with stats (daily goals, streak and reading speed over time). In the end, reading this way is already training.
Quick table
| Leo | Spreeder | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | iPhone | Web and app (many devices) |
| Your books (EPUB/PDF) | Yes | Pasted text / web |
| Your library (OPDS/Calibre) | Yes | No |
| Full text for rereading | Yes | No |
| Privacy | On your device (local-first) | In the cloud (US servers) |
| Accessibility (Atkinson, OpenDyslexic, haptics) | Yes | No |
| Settings and study tools | The essentials | Many (modes, notes, labels, dictionary) |
| Stats and goals | Yes | Yes |
What about comprehension?
More settings do not mean more understanding. What really protects comprehension is being able to reread, and Leo keeps the full text in view for that. We explain it in the history of RSVP.
Best RSVP reading apps for iPhone →
Leo is coming soon to the App Store. Join the waitlist and be among the first to try it.