Is this free online speed reading tool really free?

Yes. There is no account, no sign-up, no trial and no word limit. The page is a plain static file and the reader runs in your browser.

Does my file get uploaded anywhere?

No. There is no upload endpoint. The EPUB or PDF is parsed by JavaScript inside the page, and your reading position is kept in your browser's localStorage. The page loads a web font and anonymous page-view analytics like the rest of the site, but your file is never transmitted anywhere.

What file formats does the online RSVP reader support?

EPUB, PDF, .txt and .md, plus anything you can paste. DRM-protected files — most Kindle and Apple Books purchases — cannot be opened by any browser tool, and scanned PDFs contain page images rather than text, so there are no words to stream.

What speed should I read at?

Start near your normal pace, around 250–300 WPM, and only push higher on easy prose. The research on speed reading is clear that large speed gains cost comprehension, so RSVP is best used as a focus tool rather than an accelerator.

Free tool · nothing to install

Free online RSVP reader

Read any EPUB, PDF or text — free, in your browser. Bring your own file or paste a passage, set a pace, and the words come to you one at a time with the focus letter held in one spot, so your attention has nowhere to wander off to. No account, no upload, no word limit.

Drop a book or document here

EPUB, PDF, .txt or .md — opened locally, never uploaded.

or paste text

Paste an article, a chapter, an email — anything

This reader needs JavaScript — it runs the whole thing in your browser rather than on a server, which is also why nothing you open here is uploaded.

This page is the reading engine. The app is everything around it.

Velo for iPhone, iPad and Mac carries the same RSVP engine plus the things a browser tab can't do: a library that remembers every book, reading position synced across your devices, highlights and notes, a Reader and Scrub mode over the same text, and on-device processing for files too big to hand a web page.

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How to use this free online speed reading tool

Bring text. Drop an EPUB, PDF, .txt or .md file onto the panel above, or paste a passage into the box.
Set a pace you can actually follow. 250–300 WPM is most people's normal reading speed. Start there.
Press space. Words appear one at a time with the optimal recognition point — the letter your eye naturally lands on — held in a fixed spot, so your eyes never move.
Use ← when you lose the thread. Rewinding ten words is the most important control on the page; RSVP without a way back is a lossy stream.

What RSVP actually does

RSVP stands for Rapid Serial Visual Presentation. Instead of laying text out across a page for your eyes to travel over, it delivers the text to a single fixed point, one word at a time. That removes the saccades and return sweeps that eat a real share of ordinary reading time — and, more usefully, it removes the places your attention can wander off to.

It does not make you a superhuman reader. The binding constraint on reading speed is linguistic processing, not eye movement, and no display trick shortens it. Treat this as a focus instrument that happens to have a speed dial. The longer version, including the parts that don't flatter RSVP, is here.

Nothing leaves your browser

There is no upload endpoint on this page and no server that sees your text. The EPUB and PDF parsing runs in JavaScript inside the tab — the PDF worker is served from this domain rather than a third-party CDN — and your last text and reading position live in your browser's own localStorage, which the “Read something else” button wipes. Closing the tab is a complete delete.

To be exact rather than just reassuring: the page does load a web font and the same anonymous page-view analytics as the rest of this site. Neither one sees a word of what you're reading, and your file is never transmitted anywhere. Open your network tab and check — that's the honest test.

Common questions

Is it really free?

Yes — no account, no sign-up, no word limit. It's a static page.

Why won't my Kindle book open?

Most Kindle and Apple Books purchases are DRM-protected, which no browser tool can read. DRM-free EPUBs work — here's where to find them.

Why did my PDF come out empty?

Scanned PDFs are pictures of pages with no text layer, so there are no words to stream. A born-digital PDF, an EPUB or a text export will work.

Can I read a whole book here?

You can, but a browser tab is a poor library. The app keeps your books, your place and your highlights, and syncs them across devices.

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