Quill
The reading app that respects how people actually read. Bring your own books, mark what matters, and never lose a thought between sessions. Pure mode by default — AI features are opt-in.
What Quill is
Quill is a reading app for iPad that combines a serious reader, a real notes system, and habit-building tools — without trying to become an AI product. The default experience is "pure" — no AI surfaces anywhere. If you want AI features later, you install an AI Pack extension and link your own provider. We never see your prompts.
Getting started
- Sign in with Apple → land on the Today tab
- Open Library → tap the search icon → search "Gatsby" or any classic
- Tap a result → it downloads from Project Gutenberg, free
- Tap your book in Library → tap "Continue reading"
- Make your first highlight by long-pressing text → tap Highlight
Adding your own books
Got PDFs or EPUBs already? Library toolbar → Import → "From Files" → pick from iCloud, Files, AirDrop. Anything Apple Files recognises will import.
Reading
Swipe-paginated reader
Horizontal page swipe like Apple Books. Pinch to zoom in. Auto-fits page width.
Highlights
Long-press text → choose from 5 colors. Every highlight syncs across devices and appears in the Quote Wall.
Notes & ink
Long-press an empty area for sticky notes. Tap the Ink tool for Apple Pencil mark-up that persists per page.
Bookmarks
One tap saves a bookmark to the current page. Find them in the Annotations sidebar.
Quick Access
Tap the status bar at the top of any book → side panel with progress, Pomodoro, quick note, recent highlights, jump-to-page, theme switcher.
"Where you left off"
Close a long reading session → write a one-line journal entry → see it next time you open the book.
Study tools
Vocabulary capture
Double-tap any word → save to your deck with definition + context. Daily review uses spaced repetition (1d, 3d, 7d, 14d intervals).
Study guides
Tap the study guide icon in the reader for chapter summaries, themes, and analysis. (Public-domain books only in Pure mode.)
Quizzes
10 free quizzes per month from real question banks. Score tracked in Stats.
Per-book notebook
Open the notebook icon for a Goodnotes-style infinite canvas tied to that book. Sketch math, doodle in margins.
Cornell export
Settings → Book → "Export Cornell notes" → markdown file ready for Obsidian, Notion, or anywhere else.
Habit + stats
Streak
Hit your daily reading goal to keep the streak alive. Default goal is 30 min — adjust in Settings.
Daily quest
Today tab shows progress toward your goal in a live progress bar.
Badges
6 badges to earn: 3 days, 7 days, 30 days, 100-min day, first quiz, perfect quiz.
Pomodoro timer
25-minute focus / 5-minute break cycles. Available in the Quick Access sidebar.
Reminders
Daily push notification at your chosen time. Optional 3-day "re-read" nudge after finishing a chapter.
Extensions
Quill is extensible. Browse and install official add-ons from Settings → Extensions. Each one is independent — you only see what you've installed.
Categories
| Category | Examples | Default? |
|---|---|---|
| Book sources | Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, Open Library | ✓ bundled |
| AI providers | Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Ollama (local) | opt-in |
| Themes | Library Lamp, Penguin Paper, Forest Reader | free + paid |
| Productivity | Obsidian export, Readwise sync, Notion sync | opt-in |
How to install an extension
- Settings → Extensions → tap the browse icon
- Pick from the catalog or paste a manifest URL
- Review the extension's TOS and privacy link
- Tap Install. Some extensions need you to enter an API key or other config.
AI features (opt-in)
Quill is a reading app first. No AI surfaces are visible until you turn AI Mode on AND install at least one AI provider.
Install + enable
- Settings → Extensions → AI Pack (or any individual provider)
- Enter your provider API key (you create this at the provider's website)
- Settings → Reading Mode → toggle AI Mode on
What AI features become available
- Explain this chapter — summarize the chapter you just finished
- ELI5 — long-press selected text, get a plain-language explanation
- Generate quiz — make custom multiple-choice questions from any chapter
- Character tracker — auto-extracted cast list with one-line bios
Available providers
| Provider | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic Claude | BYO API key | Best quality. Get a key at console.anthropic.com |
| OpenAI | BYO API key | GPT-5 family. Key at platform.openai.com |
| OpenRouter | BYO API key | One key for dozens of models. openrouter.ai |
| Ollama (local) | Free | Run your own LLM on a Mac or NAS. ollama.com |
Quill never sees your AI prompts
When you ask an AI feature for something, the request goes from your iPad directly to your AI provider. Your API key lives in the iPad's keychain. Quill's servers are not in the loop.
Themes
Quill ships two themes free: Midnight Flame (the default dark theme) and Daylight Minimal (light mode). Premium themes are installable from Extensions.
Premium themes
- Library Lamp — Deep navy + brass + candle cream · $1.99
- Penguin Paper — Cream, brick red, brown · $1.99
- Forest Reader — Deep forest green + amber · $1.99
- Terminal Reader — Matrix green on black · free
Make your own theme
Themes are just JSON files. Create one with the schema at extensions.quill.app/schema/v1.json, then Settings → Extensions → Import theme file. Share theme JSON with friends via AirDrop.
Privacy
- Sign in with Apple is the only sign-in option. We don't store your password.
- Books you import stay on your device + a private content-addressed file in your Documents folder.
- Annotations sync via Quill's Cloudflare Worker, scoped to your Apple user ID. Nothing else.
- AI extension prompts go from your iPad directly to your AI provider — Quill never sees them.
- Anonymous usage telemetry via TelemetryDeck. No personal data. Opt out in Settings.