Strobe

What Strobe is

Strobe is a free RSVP reader for PDFs, EPUBs, and text on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It displays one word at a time at a fixed point, with reading speed adjustable from 100 to 1,000 words per minute. Smart Timing varies the interval between words based on length, punctuation, sentence endings, and complexity. Readers can import PDF, EPUB, TXT, and Markdown files or paste text. Search, chapter browsing, and resuming at the exact word where reading stopped help with longer documents. Imported text works offline, while documents, settings, and reading progress stay on the device. Strobe has no account, analytics, document uploads, or cloud sync between devices. Accessibility support includes VoiceOver, larger text, Reduced Motion, Dynamic Type, and keyboard controls on compatible devices. The maker describes it for researchers reading papers, students working through course materials, and heavy readers handling long documents. Strobe’s source code is public on GitHub, and the site says it was developed by Jaafar Abdeen. It is free, with no subscription or in-app purchases, and there is no free trial. DRM-protected EPUBs and password-protected PDFs cannot be imported; PDFs need a text layer because Strobe does not run OCR.

Who it suits

Strobe suits researchers, students, and heavy readers who want to read documents through a one-word-at-a-time display. It is also a fit for readers who value offline access, on-device document storage, and accessibility options such as VoiceOver and Dynamic Type.

Limits

The free plan costs nothing and includes the app without a subscription or in-app purchases. DRM-protected EPUBs and password-protected PDFs are unsupported, and PDFs need a text layer because Strobe does not run OCR.

Getting started

1. Open https://strobefast.app/.
2. Use Strobe on iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.
3. Import a PDF, EPUB, TXT, or Markdown file, or paste text.
4. Set the reading speed between 100 and 1,000 words per minute.
5. Use search or chapter browsing, then resume from the word where you stopped.

Verdict

Choose Strobe if you want a free RSVP reader for supported documents, with adjustable pacing, offline reading, and on-device storage. Look elsewhere if your EPUBs have DRM, your PDFs are password-protected or image-only, or you need reading progress synced across devices.