Wonder Reader
A free Mac reader designed for accessible reading, with text-to-speech, OCR, and optional local AI translation and summaries.
Download and install
For Apple silicon Macs (M1 or later), running macOS 14 or later. Intel Macs are not supported.
Download Wonder Reader free (ZIP, about 47.3 MB)
- Download and unzip the file.
- Drag Wonder Reader.app into Applications.
- Open the app to start reading.
The app is Developer ID signed, notarized by Apple, and includes a stapled notarization ticket. No account or UDID registration is required.
No subscription or paid unlock is required. AI model downloads are optional and separate from the app download.
Read first; add models when you need them
Ordinary reading, system text-to-speech, and Apple OCR work without downloading an AI model. Navigate the table of contents, add bookmarks, and return to your saved reading position.
The original text is read-only. Processing results are kept separately, so you can refer back to the source when checking a translation or summary.
Optional AI translation, summaries, and model-based recognition use downloaded models locally on your Mac. Choose Low, Mid, High, or Advanced in Settings → Models; download, enable, or delete models there. Low is about 867 MB; actual download sizes are shown in the app.
Internet access is needed to download models. You do not need Python, Homebrew, or a manually configured model runtime.
What is new in build 42
PDFs open in a continuous, read-only Reading view with navigation and source-page mapping. Use the labelled popup to switch to Original layout and check figures or page layout. The original PDF is unchanged.
Press Command-B to add a bookmark and Command-5 to open the list. Edit its name and independent note, then export bookmarks and notes as TXT or Markdown with book title, location, timestamp and excerpt. Existing bookmark positions and dates remain compatible.
Nine interface languages and the built-in guides have been updated. The 47.3 MB app download does not include model weights.
Current limitations
PDF Reading view follows the existing text layer; it does not automatically reconstruct every multi-column layout or complex table. Check figures and visual layout in Original layout. Scanned pages require explicit OCR; results remain in the Command-4 processing-results area.
The High model in build 41 was checked with actual English, Chinese, and French translation excerpts and summarization. This does not establish equivalent testing of every model. Translations can still misinterpret relationships or unfamiliar proper names; check the original text.
Command-Escape can occasionally fail in the processing-results area; this is not claimed as fixed. VoiceOver navigation in Trash and Settings, and behavior during extended use, still need practical feedback.
Version and checksum
File size: 47,265,068 bytes. SHA-256:
addf6e7047bf55dbe5bded15854de5f7bc1265efcbbcbfe41a75a1e1d7530df1