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 354.2 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.
New: PaddleOCR, reading and translation improvements
Optional local PaddleOCR preserves images, table cells and merged cells. The app includes its standalone runtime, with no separate Python installation needed. Download approximately 1 GB of optional models in Settings; initial setup prepares the engine.
Fixed reading-position jumps near PDF pages and images, and Microsoft online speech connections. Translation uses book- and language-specific memory without first generating a whole-book glossary. OCR, translation and summaries have separate workflows; Codex sign-in and model choices are preserved.
Your books, models, bookmarks and reading history are retained. No new shortcuts. Specialist terms and complex layouts still require review. Physical VoiceOver, a second clean Mac and complete cross-version automatic installation are not fully verified.
Current limitations
Physical shortcuts and sustained VoiceOver use of the new title controls still require acceptance testing.
Real iCloud uploads, downloads after cloud eviction, large libraries under low disk space and long VoiceOver sessions remain incompletely tested. Full Word/Pages interoperability, complex MOBI multimedia and complex PDF layouts are not comprehensively validated.
AI model combinations, cancellation races, human sound feedback, clean-Mac installation and complete cross-version automatic upgrades still have outstanding acceptance work. Check OCR and AI results against the original; the previously reported close-book issue remains open.
Version and checksum
File size: 354,167,922 bytes. SHA-256:
91cf8906831eeeaa19638319b1278f3db6850fad6b3d104bf778ffca4c17f309