ClearRead transforms any highlighted section in a PDF, EPUB, or Kindle file into an active reading cycle based on the principles of “active recall” and “spaced repetition”—the two most effective techniques supported by evidence in the field of learning science. Each section consists of four steps: predict what’s coming, read, explain in your own words, and then assess your level of recall. The sections reappear on the day you’re about to forget them. A one-time payment of $29. Yours forever.
Hi PH 👋
I built this because of a specific, slightly embarrassing moment.
A friend asked me about a book I'd finished two months earlier. I said it was really good and then just... stopped. I couldn't name a single argument from it. So I tested myself on the last five books I'd read and could summarize two.
I'd been highlighting everything. Turns out highlighting is recognition, not recall — your brain sees the material, goes "yes, I know this," and files it under handled. It isn't. Recognition is the easiest thing memory does and it's indistinguishable from knowing.
What actually worked was much less pleasant: after each section, close the book and write what it said in my own words. Then come back to it on a schedule. I built ClearRead so I'd stop doing this badly in a notebook.
Two deliberate decisions:
No AI while you read. Nothing is summarized for you. If a machine compresses the book, the machine understood it and you watched.
No server. It's a single HTML file that runs in your browser, works fully offline, and syncs to your own Google Drive if you want. I can't see your library because it never reaches me. That's also why it's $29 once instead of a subscription — I'm not paying to store anything.
Happy to answer anything. Especially interested in what's missing.
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I'm really enjoying the main premise of this. Ive also had this problem and my solution was going back and summarizing main points from books and literature that Ive read and keep it in a google doc but that got pretty disorganized and I didn't really keep up with it. The quote bank is my favorite feature as it's essentially a replacement of that and it's a lot more organized. My feedback would be less about the product and more about the website structure which I think could be a little more simple and easy to navigate. Other than that, great job! I'm excited to start using it when I finish my next book.
I'm really enjoying the main premise of this. Ive also had this problem and my solution was going back and summarizing main points from books and literature that Ive read and keep it in a google doc but that got pretty disorganized and I didn't really keep up with it. The quote bank is my favorite feature as it's essentially a replacement of that and it's a lot more organized. My feedback would be less about the product and more about the website structure which I think could be a little more simple and easy to navigate. Other than that, great job! I'm excited to start using it when I finish my next book.