Reading books or articles are one way to learn a new skill; learning with software is another one. In this post we review five of the best speed reading software. These programs are designed to help increase your reading speed and comprehension, train your eyes or eliminate subvocalization. Guided training plans will enable you to apply various learning strategies and to monitor your progress.
What is the best speed reading software
- Ace Reader Pro
- 7 Speed Reading
- Reader’s Edge
- Rocket Reader
- Speed Reader X
- Verdict
1. Ace Reader Pro
Ace Reader Pro helps you break the hurdle you may encounter during reading. This magnificent software includes 250 comprehension tests and 13 levels of evaluation. It also provides a feature through which you can add your own texts.
It guarantees full comprehension of complex textbooks in a short time provided you follow the proposed 15 to 25 minute training sessions.
The program is comprised of the course mode, the menu mode and the expert mode. Ace Reader Pro also allows the user to control the speed of which the texts are displayed. It also gives comprehensive reports for progress monitoring.
A nice pro is to see how many materials are included in the software. There are even Spanish editions available. Aside from that, a distinct feature I like is the adjustable settings. This means the user will decide the speed of the text and the comprehension tests. It gives the users freedom to challenge themselves as they please. Current Price at writing: $69.95. Free Trial Ace Reader Pro.
This is excellent for adults and teachers because it is easy to use and directly to the point.
However, Ace Reader Pro may not be suitable for children because it does not allow them to play and have fun with the features. Instructions may be tricky to first and second graders. But once they get the hang of it and understand the online basics, they will gradually adjust to the programs.
2. The 7 Speed Reading
Each person is a bit different when it comes to learning styles. Hence, 7 Speed Reading offers seven varying learning strategies to become a faster reader. It also teaches practical skills in a fun, interactive manner and is very instructional, which together give the users more room to learn.
The whole program consists of 15 software activities as well as video training, step by step modules and ultra-advanced tracking to follow your progress. These features may not be found on other software.
A true bonus is the ability to paste any text from the internet and to use them for exercises as well as tests. Other features include modules to eliminate sub-vocalization and regression as well as learning to read word groups. The program also provides tools to train the user’s eye muscles, optic nerves and brain to help improve user’s reading experience. It features games that aid the user practice the skills learned during the lessons.
7 Speed Reading is readily usable by all ages and suitable for friends and family as everyone can benefit from the program. Despite its user-friendliness, users might take some time to navigate and be acquainted with the tools. Price is fair considering the tools it provides to the users. Current Price at writing: $79.95.
3. The Readers Edge
The primary goal of this program is achieving a better reading speed and comprehension. It’s similar to 7 Speed Reading providing all the necessary tools and suitable for every reading level and age.
Features focus on stopping sub-vocalization or re-reading and also help decrease eye-fixations. Exercises are also an important component. Some of these activities include recognition tests, mobility training, word group reading tests and vertical and horizontal span exercises. A bonus is oral, visual and audio reading sections.
The Reader’s Edge is created by the Literacy Company with a purpose of helping children, students and adults improve their reading skills. The company also awards different versions for home use, schools, library and other educational centers. It also offers free updates for the rest of your live, best thing for sure!
At the beginning, the software might look a bit complicated due to the many tools it offers. But, once you get started the program provides a convenient ease of use. Set your reading goals and get your detailed lesson schedule. There’s a step by step training module to let you progress immediately. It all takes 15 minutes to practice a day.
The bottom line: The Reader’s Edge is full-packed with all the features a user will need and the price is very affordable. This might be one of the best speed reading software in the market. Price at writing: $79.95.
4. RocketReader
offers an innovative reading method. It displays a collection of features and patterns which makes it appealing to younger users. You can sign up for a free trial to see if it works for you.
The software focuses on reading comprehension for the starters. For the adults, the main purpose is both to read speedily and comprehensive fully. Before you start, you will be asked to run a speed reading test. The test itself is also available at their website without the need to sign up.
There’s one cool feature when it comes to comprehension tests. Questions can be answered either by typing the answer or clicking the “guess it” option, which offers multiple choice answers. By the way, the content categories include history, literature, science, etc. You can also bring your own text files. If you want to know how such a test looks like check out this feature by testing their free “6 minute RocketReader exercise”.
With the number of tests and exercises present in the software, it surely is a great buy. It has many tools the user can use to improve their reading speed or comprehension ability and expand vocabulary.
RocketReader caters to all ages with the different categories it presents.
Many find it easy to navigate and get easily familiar with the functions. However, the design is a bit too colourful and the designs divert our attention. Adults may be turned-off by it consequentially. Price online version: $109.95 Get a free trial now.
5. Speed Reader X
helps the people improve their reading speed and to save their budget. Its primary target is to increase the person’s speed excluding the comprehension skills.
In the box is a variety of quality teaching tools amongst them is a peripheral eye exercise, which enhances the ability of the eyes and the brain. This program only contains easy reading materials for faster pick-up of skills.
It can be installed and run easily. Also, navigation presents no difficulties at all. Users will decide whether to skip a lesson or repeat them as they like to achieve optimal result.
As mentioned above, Speed Reader X does not provide comprehension tests. They have different software for that. This software only focuses on increasing the reading speed ability, but it also has the lowest price of all programs mentioned here.
By using this product, you will eradicate the bad reading habits you have and gives you the ability to process words quickly. Current Price for online version: $29.95. Read more and get a free memory book!
Verdict
All five programs focus on eliminating bad reading habits such as subvocalization or regression. The 7 Speed Reading software is extremely versatile and has plenty of useful features like the training videos and games. Above all, it dramatically increases your speed on the level you want to achieve.
Ace Reader Pro on the other side is easy, adult-friendly, direct, and effective. It hits on all cylinders and works incredibly well. The Reader’s Edge or RocketReader are also suitable for students and children. SpeedReader X is the cheapest program here, but lacks the comprehension tests.
What is the best speed reading software in your opinion?
Thanks for this list. I’m tutoring my niece because she’s a little behind in her reading skill and by ‘behind’ I mean she reads slowly. I’m going to try several of these.
Best thing when choosing a speed reading software is to look at the main features and learning techniques. Important is also the age of the users. The Reader’s edge for example is suitable for all ages and suits younger adults or children. Ace Reader software on the other side is more suitable for adults and professionals. Cheers Mark
Hey, are there any techniques or software that combine speed reading with learning foreign languages?
I read as much as I can. That means reading books, articles, but also signs, ads in magazines or comics. Everything. It will help recognize new words or phrases much faster. Another tip is to learn common pre- and suffixes as well as the most common nouns of the language you wish to learn…