Build the bookshelf you've always wanted — then actually read the books on it.
SlowRead turns reading into a slow, intentional ritual: a gorgeous 2.5D bookshelf you'll be proud to show off, focus sessions that really block the apps stealing your attention, and a reading streak that keeps you coming back.
— A BOOKSHELF WORTH SHOWING OFF —
Every book you add becomes a beautiful spine or cover on a warm, hand-illustrated shelf. Photograph a real book spine to bring its exact look into your library, rearrange your books by dragging them around, and decorate your shelves with plants, candles, clocks and more. Switch between a cozy Cottagecore light theme and a moody Dark Academia dark theme. It's a bookshelf that finally feels like yours — made for booktok and romantasy lovers.
— FOCUS SESSIONS THAT ACTUALLY BLOCK DISTRACTIONS —
This is what makes SlowRead different. Start a timed reading session and SlowRead really blocks your distracting apps — not a gentle reminder, an actual block powered by Screen Time. Close Instagram, open your book, and stay there. Your session keeps going even if you leave the app or your phone restarts, so there's no cheating your way back to the feed.
— BUILD A READING STREAK YOU'RE PROUD OF —
Set a simple daily reading goal in minutes and watch your streak grow on a beautiful calendar and heatmap. A fresh literary quote greets you each day. Small, gentle nudges — never guilt.
— TRACK EVERY BOOK, EFFORTLESSLY —
Organize your TBR, currently reading and finished books. Create custom libraries for any collection — series, moods, seasons — and tag books however you think. Add private notes, log rereads, and track your start and finish dates. Everything stays neat, searchable and yours.
— ADD BOOKS IN SECONDS —
Search millions of titles across multiple book databases, scan a barcode, or snap a photo of a spine. Covers are fetched automatically so your shelf looks stunning from the very first book.
— BRING YOUR LIBRARY WITH YOU —
Coming from Goodreads? Import your entire library from a CSV export in a few taps, and SlowRead backfills the missing covers for you.
— PRIVATE BY DESIGN —
SlowRead is local-first. Your library lives on your device, not on our servers. No feed, no ads, no noise — just you and your books.
Start your first slow reading session today. Your shelf, and your attention span, will thank you.
All features described above require a subscription. A free trial is included, so you can try everything before paying.
TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Amazing concept, loved the way it looked from what little I saw. But having to pay to use an app is an automatic “no” for me. With everything slowly turning into a subscription service I won’t want to have to deal with another one.
Developer Response
Thank you. SlowRead has a lifetime option: one payment, no recurring charge, nothing to manage. It's on the plans screen next to the weekly and annual. If it's subscriptions you'd rather avoid, that's the one.
Subscription Based
AquariusBat
I was real excited for a new app that looks absolutely amazing, but you have to pay to USE the app 🙃. $40/year for a MOBILE APP; ridiculous. It’s a mobile app…big pass. I’ll go back to using Margins (same features for FREE). Ha, even Good Reads isn’t this scummy lol
Developer Response
Appreciate you writing this out, even if it's blunt.We're a small team building this full-time, and an app like this has real running costs, Apple's cut, the developer account, infrastructure, and the constant work of keeping everything working across iOS updates. Subscriptions are what make that sustainable. Free apps usually pay for it another way, whether that's ads or data.We do offer a discount that brings it down to 29$, and there's a free trial first. Genuinely no hard feelings if it's still not for you.
Expensive
TikkiNikki24
I would have loved this app but there is no way I’m paying $40 multiple times to use an app. I’m not even paying $10 unless it’s a 1 time charge and even that is pushing it. It’s too bad though it probably would have been a good app but anyone can do the same thing on Canva or another app for FREE!
Developer Response
Hi! Just to clear this up: SlowRead never charges $40 "multiple times." There's one subscription (with a free trial so you can try everything first), and if you prefer a one-time charge, we offer exactly that ,a lifetime purchase, pay once and it's yours forever. We're a tiny indie team and the price is what keeps the app alive, with no ads and no selling your data. We'd love for you to give the trial a real try and if anything feels off, email us and we'll help.
Loved the styling
Sondra202
Wouldn’t have even minded paying for the app. But the problem is that it doesn’t do audiobooks. Without audiobooks it’s useless to me honestly.
Developer Response
Hi, from the SlowRead team. First of all, we have a feature request section where we’re constantly working on the things our users ask for. This review honestly does us more harm than good. Best regards.
Your shelf, out in the world. Your public profile is here: a page with your shelf, what you're reading and your reading calendar, at slowreadapp.com/@you. Share the link, follow other readers, and see who's reading what.
A flame for your streak. Your streak now burns in the corner of Home, with a small celebration every day it grows. Tap it for your streak journal: your best run, this month, and the days you read.
Stories to share. Four templates - what you're reading, your favourites, your stats, your profile - ready for Instagram and TikTok in a tap, from Share profile.
A new Home, and more. A new header, a This week card with the cover of each day you read, and feature requests one tap away next to your streak. Readings added to a past day can now be edited or removed from that day in Stats. Plus fixes across the app.
Did Not Finish. A fourth status for the books you set aside - it never counts as read. Pick the colour of any drawn spine, reorder your libraries, see "In your library" on search results and in the scanner, discard a session you didn't read, and edit any reading. And a faster, lighter app: photos no longer freeze the screen, the scanner rests while you look at a book, and Home no longer recalculates on every visit.
Almost everything here comes straight from your feedback - thank you for reading with us.
Version 1.0.11
The developer, Adrian Martinez Moreno, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Used to Track You
The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:
Identifiers
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Purchases
Contact Info
User Content
Identifiers
Usage Data
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Identifiers
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Adrian Martinez Moreno
Size
62.7 MB
Category
Books
Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.6 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 17.6 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 17.6 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 14.6 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.