Published 2026-10-29
Checked 2026-10-29
DATA SHEET · 2026-10-29
What do reading apps cost, and which pricing suits ADHD?
Reading tools charge in four ways: per book (Magic Bookmark: first book free, then $4.99 or down to $1.40 in packs, credits never expire), by subscription (Speechify Premium $29 a month or $139 a year; Audible from $8.99 a month), by allowance (Spotify Premium’s 15 audiobook hours a month, expiring monthly), or nothing extra (Libby with a library card, phone read-aloud, Kindle recaps with a Kindle ebook). If you tend to forget subscriptions, per-book and free options cannot keep charging you after you stop reading.
Price honesty is one of our eight scoring criteria because a forgotten subscription is a real cost. This sheet records what the reading tools on this site charge, from their official pages, with dates.
What does each reading tool cost?
Reading tool prices as listed on official US pages (checked 2026-10-29; Magic Bookmark 2026-10-27). Not receipts.
| Tool | Model | Price | If you stop using it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Bookmark | Per book | First book free; 1 credit $4.99; 5 for $19.99; 10 for $34.99; 50 for $69.99 | Nothing renews; credits never expire |
| Speechify | Subscription | Free plan; Premium $29 a month or $139 billed yearly | Premium renews until cancelled |
| Audible | Subscription | $8.99 a month, or $14.95 a month with one audiobook a month to keep, after a 30-day trial; a 12-audiobook yearly option lists at $149.50 | You keep titles you chose; the plan renews until cancelled |
| Spotify Premium | Allowance inside a subscription | Select Premium plans include 15 hours a month; extra hours can be bought | Unused hours expire monthly, no refunds |
| Libby | Free | Free with a library card | Loans end; nothing to cancel |
| Kindle Recaps, Story So Far, Ask this Book | Included | Free with eligible Kindle ebooks bought or borrowed through Amazon (US) | Nothing to cancel |
| iPhone Speak Screen, Android Select to Speak | Built in | Free | Nothing to cancel |
| Focusmate | Freemium | Free for up to 3 sessions a week; Plus $8 a month billed yearly or $12 monthly | Plus renews until cancelled |
Why does the pricing model matter with ADHD?
A subscription charges you whether you read or not, so a month lost to a busy patch costs the same as a month of reading. Per-book credits only cost money when you start a new book, and a credit you bought and did not use is still there later. Free options cost nothing to abandon. An allowance, like Spotify’s hours, sits in between: it is included in a plan you may already pay for, but unused hours do not carry over.
None of that makes one model right for everyone. If you use a tool every day, a subscription can be fair value. The risk is paying through the months you do not.
When is a yearly plan actually cheaper?
Speechify’s yearly price is $139 against $29 a month. That saves money only if you would otherwise keep paying monthly for five months or more (5 x $29 = $145). If there is a real chance you stop after two or three months, monthly is cheaper. Focusmate Plus is $8 a month billed yearly ($96) against $12 monthly, so yearly wins after eight months.
How do Magic Bookmark’s packs work out?
Cost per book by pack size (Magic Bookmark, App Store listing checked 2026-10-27)
| Pack | Price | Per book | Makes sense if |
|---|---|---|---|
| First credit | Free | $0 | You want to see if your book is covered |
| 1 credit | $4.99 | $4.99 | You read a supported book every month or two |
| 5 credits | $19.99 | $4.00 | You know the catalog covers your next few books |
| 10 credits | $34.99 | $3.50 | You read series in the catalog |
| 50 credits | $69.99 | $1.40 | You read a lot of supported titles, and you are sure |
One credit covers one whole book, not one session. Full desk review.
What is on the renewal checklist?
- I wrote down the trial end date on the day I started
- I set a reminder two days before it
- I know where to cancel (iPhone: Settings, your name, Subscriptions)
- I decided what counts as using it, before I started
- I checked that sign on the reminder day
What have we not checked?
These are prices as listed on official pages, not receipts. We have not bought credits or subscriptions for these reading tools, so we cannot yet report on checkout, renewal reminders or cancellation. When we do, it goes on the price tracker with a date and a changelog line.
Questions people actually ask
Is Magic Bookmark a subscription?
No. You buy Bookmark Credits; one credit covers one book, credits never expire, and the first one is free.
How much is Speechify Premium?
$29 a month, or $139 billed yearly, per Speechify’s pricing page on 2026-10-29. The free plan allows speeds up to 1.5x with 10 robotic sounding voices.
Do Spotify audiobook hours roll over?
No. Spotify says unused audiobook listening time expires at the start of the next billing period and is not refunded.
Is Libby really free?
Yes, with a library card. What you can borrow depends on your library.
Do Kindle Recaps cost extra?
No. Amazon offers them with eligible Kindle ebooks bought or borrowed through Amazon, in the US.
Sources
- Magic Bookmark: Book Recaps, App Store listing (US), checked 2026-10-27
- Magic Bookmark website, checked 2026-10-27
- Speechify pricing page, checked 2026-10-29
- Audible: Membership plans and pricing (US), checked 2026-10-29
- Spotify: Audiobooks in Premium (US), checked 2026-10-29
- Spotify Support: Audiobooks in Premium plans (how listening time is counted), checked 2026-10-29
- OverDrive: the Libby app, checked 2026-10-29
- Amazon: Kindle Recaps, Story So Far and Ask this Book
- Focusmate pricing page (free plan, Plus pricing), checked 2026-10-29
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