Walden  ·  Reading

To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem.

A written word is the choicest of relics. It is something at once more intimate with us and more universal than any other work of art.

Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage.

the heart of the chapter
CCiel

Ciel

Every book holds more than its pages.

Ciel helps you find all of it.

Read

Ciel reads it with you,

aloud, at your pace, line by line.

Explain · Teach

opens every idea,

explains it simply, teaches it, and checks you understood.

On the page

and marks what matters.

Every highlight and note points to the exact line it came from.

Your library

Your reading room is ready.

For students, and anyone who reads to learn.

Sit back, or scroll to go faster

Sound familiar?

You read 40 pages tonight. How much will you remember on Friday?

Rereading isn't learning

You reach the end of a chapter and realise you can't say what it argued. So you start again.

Summaries you can't trust

AI summaries sound confident, but you can't see where a point came from, or whether the reading even says it.

No one to ask at midnight

The question comes up while you read, long after office hours. By morning, the moment is gone.

How it works

Like reading with a brilliant classmate beside you

Your document stays in front of you the whole time. Ciel works on it, not instead of it.

Add your reading

A PDF, a scan, a Word file or a photo of a page. Organise it in folders for each course.

Ciel reads with you

Ciel reads aloud, highlights, circles and writes notes in the margin while explaining each idea.

Learn your way

Ask by voice at any moment, or let Ciel teach the whole reading on a whiteboard.

Prove you know it

Take a short test. Every answer shows you where it is in the reading, so you revise what you missed.

Why Ciel

Other apps rewrite your reading. Ciel stays inside it.

Your professor assigned the original, so that's where Ciel teaches you.

Typical AI reading apps

  • Turn your document into their own words
  • Summaries with no way to check the source
  • You read their version, not the assigned one
  • Help that ends when the summary does

Ciel

  • Works on your actual page, line by line
  • Every point links to the exact sentence it came from
  • Your highlights and notes stay on the original
  • Explains, teaches, answers and tests you

Everything you need to study a reading

One place, from first page to exam

Read aloud

Listen while your eyes follow the line. Tap any sentence to start there.

Explain

Highlights, circles and margin notes, with a plain-language explanation of each.

Teach on a whiteboard

Titles, diagrams and arrows, written by hand, with quick questions along the way.

Ask by voice

"Wait, what does that mean?" Ciel answers about the passage you're on.

Summaries you can trust

Key points and terms, each linked to its line. Export to Excel.

Test yourself

Questions that check understanding, with a score and what to revisit.

Your notes, kept

Your highlights, Ciel's marks and whiteboard notes, ready for revision or print.

Every course, organised

Folders and subfolders, and one question answered across a whole course.

Pricing

Less than a coffee a week

Start free. Upgrade when Ciel has earned it. Cancel anytime.

Free start

$0
  • 2 documents
  • Every mode: read, explain, teach, test
  • Laptop and phone

Student

$6.99 / month
or $59 a year, about 30% less
  • Your readings, all semester
  • Natural voice
  • Whiteboard lessons and tests
  • Folders for every course
  • Your notes and highlights, saved

Pro

$17.99 / month
For researchers, professionals and heavy readers
  • Everything in Student
  • Deeper lessons from our most capable model
  • Premium voice
  • Higher limits

Founding students: join during the pilot and get your first 3 months at $4.99.

Questions

Before you start

Is using Ciel cheating?

No. Ciel helps you understand the reading you were assigned. You still read the original, with the page in front of you, and you do your own thinking and writing. Check your course's policy on AI tools if you're unsure.

Does Ciel make things up?

Ciel is built to stay with your document. Every highlight, summary point and test answer is anchored to an exact sentence you can see on the page. When the reading doesn't answer a question, Ciel says so.

Are my documents private?

Your library is yours alone. Documents are never shared with other students, and they are never sold or used for advertising.

What can I upload?

PDFs, scanned pages, photos of pages, Word documents, RTF, text and web pages.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. Add Ciel to your home screen and your library, progress and notes follow you between phone and laptop.

Can I cancel?

Anytime, in two clicks. Your notes stay available to export.

Your next reading is waiting.
Read it with Ciel.

Two documents free. No card. Ready in under a minute.