FocalRead
Turn articles, eBooks & social threads into speed reading
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Tristan Pollock

FocalRead - Turn articles, eBooks & social threads into speed reading

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Incredible
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Stop drowning in your reading backlog. FocalRead uses RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) to help you read 3x faster while improving comprehension Import content from anywhere: • Share articles directly from Safari, X, or Reddit • Import EPUBs, PDFs, and paste any text • Extract full threads and long-form posts Features: adjustable speed (100-1200 WPM), bookmarks, multiple themes, chapter navigation, and shareable quote videos. Free to start. Read more in less time

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Andres Sarrazola
Maker
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Hey Product Hunt! 👋 I'm Andres, and I love reading. eBooks, articles, I consume everything. But here's the problem: my reading list kept growing faster than I could ever finish it I started looking for solutions and discovered RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation), a science-backed technique that displays one word at a time, helping you read 2-3x faster while actually improving focus. I wasn't the only one with this problem. I found a growing community of people frustrated with their endless "read later" lists. That's when I knew we had to build something. FocalRead was born from that frustration. My team and I spent a lot of time crafting every detail, from seamless content import to the perfect reading experience. What makes FocalRead different: • Import from anywhere: Share directly from Safari, X, Reddit, or paste any URL • Works with books too: EPUB, PDF, DOCX, MOBI support • Thoughtful UX: Dark/light/gray themes, bookmarks, adjustable speed (100-1200 WPM) • Share your reads: Turn favorite quotes into shareable videos We built this with love for fellow readers who want to consume more without sacrificing their entire day. I'd genuinely love your feedback: → What content do you struggle to get through? → What features would make this more useful for you? → Is there anything confusing about how it works? Thanks for checking us out! 🙏 — Andres
Helga Razinkova

Never seen anything like that before, sounds intriguing! The only question that almost immediately popped into my head - wouldn't it be worse for our eyesight to keep staring at one spot on the screen? 😅

Andres Sarrazola
Maker

@helga_impalpable hey! thanks so much, totally fair question 😅

since the word stays centered, your eyes actually move less than in normal reading, which can reduce strain. plus you can adjust speed and size anytime to keep it comfortable

Helga Razinkova

@andres_sarrazola that's great to know, Andress! Now I can keep testing it without any second thoughts 😄

Congrats on the launch and best of luck!

Valeriia Kuna

First of all, I have to say that UI and website look very clean!

I’ve always been fascinated by RSVP tech to clear my reading backlog, but my main worry has always been context loss. If I zone out for a split second or blink, I’m afraid I’ll miss a key keyword and lose the meaning.

How does FocalRead handle this? Is there an intuitive gesture to quickly rewind or peek at the surrounding paragraph without breaking the flow?

Andres Sarrazola
Maker

@valeriia_kuna that’s a very real concern. in focal read you can instantly tap to pause, swipe back a few words, or scrub through the text to regain context. we also make rewinding frictionless so if you zone out for a second, you’re never “lost” for long

Michael Vavilov

I always liked the possibilities of this kind of reading. But the question is: who is the target audience for this type of product?

Andres Sarrazola
Maker

@michael_vavilov we’re mainly building it for curious, ambitious readers, students, founders, knowledge workers, anyone who feels overwhelmed by a growing reading backlog and wants to consume ideas faster without sacrificing understanding

Andres Sarrazola
Maker

shoutout to r/speedreading for the incredible feedback and early support. this product is better because of you. really grateful for the thoughtful comments and the warm welcome 🙌

Curious Kitty
Import is often the make-or-break moment: which content sources or formats were the hardest to reliably convert into a clean, readable stream, and what did you build to prevent the common “formatting mess → abandonment” outcome?
Andres Sarrazola
Maker

@curiouskitty great question. messy web pages and long reddit threads were the hardest.

we built a normalization layer that strips noise and turns everything into a clean rsvp stream, so there’s no formatting friction and people actually finish what they save.

Kai Ethan

Being able to import PDFs and web articles directly is a big plus. I like tools that help reduce friction instead of adding more steps.

Viktor Shumylo

Congrats on the launch! RSVP can definitely boost speed, but comprehension and retention are always the big question. How does FocalRead help users balance higher WPM with actually remembering and processing complex material, especially for dense books or technical articles?

Bhavin Sheth

Love the RSVP approach — helped me finally clear long articles without losing focus. Importing from everywhere is a big win 👍