# The Archive Reader — Unofficial app for AO3.

> Unofficial fanfiction reader for AO3 with advanced customization and offline access. (iPhone/iPad app by Jerome Dellamaria.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-archive-reader/id6454961665 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jerome Dellamaria](https://appshunter.io/developer/1699795786)
- Category: Books, Entertainment
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.04/5 from 49 App Store ratings · 68 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 73 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2023-08-11
- Data updated: 2026-11-01
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-archive-reader/id6454961665/reviews.md

## What is The Archive Reader?

AO3 Reader with customization, Saved Searches, Offline reading, blacklisting, updates and more.
Feedback welcome !

UNOFFICIAL APP - THIS IS NOT ENDORSED IN ANY WAY BY THE ORGANIZATION FOR TRANSFORMATIVE WORKS.

Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Customizable reading experience
- Saved searches
- Offline reading
- Content blacklisting
- Update notifications

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full-time reading | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium reading | $0.99 | per month |


## What do users think of The Archive Reader?

Reviews of The Archive Reader are mixed: the Books app is rated 3.0/5 from 49 App Store ratings. What users like most: customizable themes and dark mode, offline reading capability. Top complaints: mandatory paid subscription model, one-hour reading limit for free users. Summarized from real user reviews.

**Pros**

- 🎨 Customizable themes and dark mode
- 📖 Offline reading capability
- 🏷️ Advanced tag search and filtering
- 📊 Reading progress tracking and statistics
- ⚡ Smooth performance on older devices
- 🔖 Saved searches and bookmarks
- 👤 No sign-in required to browse
- 🎯 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 📱 Better mobile experience than website
- 🔄 Regular updates and maintenance

**Cons**

- 💰 Mandatory paid subscription model
- ⏱️ One-hour reading limit for free users
- 📺 Excessive ads for non-premium users
- ⚠️ Not official AO3 app or endorsed
- 🚨 Copyright and ethical concerns about monetizing free content
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and error messages
- 🔐 Login authentication issues
- 📡 Syncing problems with website account
- 🚫 Comments feature not working properly
- ❌ Content not loading or appearing in search
- 🔗 Human verification popup blocking access
- 💳 Ads still appearing despite paid subscription

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes and fails to load content
- Comments posting functionality broken
- Login page loops without successful authentication
- Error 403 preventing app usage
- Human verification popup malfunctioning
- Search results not displaying popular fics
- Ads appearing despite active premium subscription
- Syncing issues between app and website
- Scrolling lag and stuttering during reading
- Works not syncing across multiple devices

**Most requested features**

- Story update notifications tab
- Ability to create and sync new works from website
- Collection selection when bookmarking
- UI organized similar to official website
- Social media-style navigation buttons
- Increased reading time limit for free users
- Optional donation model instead of mandatory subscription
- Sync drafts from website to app

## Is The Archive Reader safe?

The Archive Reader has mixed safety signals based on user ratings. The AppsHunter Safety Score for The Archive Reader is 63 out of 100. This assessment is based on 49 user ratings, with an App Store average of 3.0 out of 5. Of 49 App Store ratings, 49.0% point to a safe experience, 10.2% suggest some concerns, and 40.8% point to a risky experience.

## Is The Archive Reader legit?

The Archive Reader is no longer available in the App Store. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for The Archive Reader is 35 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (10 of 68)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-archive-reader/id6454961665/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Comments not working

*2025-01-08*

There’s something wrong with the comments I wanted to post a comment on the app, but it won’t let me and other people were able to  post comment on the. story I was reading on and I hope you fix it. Because every was great on till now

### 1/5 — At first was good but now..

*2025-01-03*

Bro it was so good at first.. no interruptions, no ads , unlimited reading time, etc.. but now it randomly stopped working? Like I’ve been trying for like 6 hours but it just crashes and says it can’t pull anything up and that there’s an error. 
I’ve been downloading and redownloading, powering off my phone, exiting out of the app but it’s just not working 😭 this was the only app that actually worked for me so I don’t have to use my browser but now it’s not working and now I’m pretty sad :,)

### 3/5 — eh

*2025-01-03*

i want to love this app so bad but the adds are just unbearable when the website has none. the concept is amazing though!

### 1/5 — Thief

*2025-01-02*

I am a writer, and I most definitely didn’t give anyone permission to put my stories on this app. If I could, I’d give it 0 stars. Stop stealing from writers! This app should be removed! This app is fake. It’s not the real AO3. Stop using it. They’re profiting off of the writers!

If anyone knows how, is there a way to get my stories removed from this app?

### 1/5 — Thief

*2024-12-29*

I am leaving 1 star comments to all of these unofficial ao3 apps as a fandom writer because they are THIEVES. These apps are abusing free fandom works on ao3 for commercial purposes without any authorization. If you love those fandom works, go to the official website, and you can leave kudos and subscribe. Downloading this app does not make your life any easier, instead it seriously violates fandom writers’ copyright.

### 5/5 — Really good!!

*2024-12-28*

Rlly good!! My mom has an app where she can see my search history so this helps! Now I can read what I want without it showing :p

### 5/5 — Great App

*2024-12-15*

Having used this app for over a year and 50+ hours, I can confirm that it is an absolute godsend. The app runs really smoothly even on my old 6s, despite the site proper chugging along at times. The app has a plethora of features with no sign-in required (although you can anyway) including custom themes, saved searches, saved works, tag blocking, reading time tracking and charts, everything else in the site itself, autoscroll, etc., but the ui is still super clean and easy to use.

I don’t usually leave reviews, but this app needed one. About half of the reviews are about a mistake the dev made one time by adding a monetisation system. It was only up for like a week (I think?), but it got the app review bombed, and like, if it were some corporate entity, then sure, but this is one person. People make mistakes.

Anyway yea vewy gud app 10/10 wud recommend

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work very well

*2024-12-05*

I’ve tried all the ao3 apps and this one is not good

### 5/5 — Great!!!

*2024-11-30*

love it. Does exactly what it says: easy to load the work. No adverts seen the whole time using it. Able to view writings offline. Thanks for thiss LOVE the dark mode. 🥹🥹🥹♥️

### 5/5 — Idk why this isn’t five stars

*2024-11-20*

Maybe I am just lucky, but I have not had any of the problems with paywalls anyone else is talking about.
I find this app easy to use. The tags search is very easy for me and helpful in a way that the website doesn’t have. 
The other search is more general and can be used to find specific titles. 
:)

## Frequently asked questions about The Archive Reader

### What is The Archive Reader?

The Archive Reader is an unofficial application designed to provide a personalized and enhanced reading experience for fanfiction hosted on AO3. It allows users to customize their reading settings, save searches, and read content offline.

### What are the key features of The Archive Reader?

Key features include a customizable reading interface, the ability to save frequent searches, offline reading capabilities for downloaded stories, content blacklisting to filter unwanted material, and notifications for updates.

### Is The Archive Reader free to use?

The app is free to download and use, but it does offer in-app purchases. This suggests that some features or content might be unlocked or enhanced through these purchases.

### What devices is The Archive Reader compatible with?

The provided data indicates it is available on Apple devices, as it references Apple's legal terms for internet services and iTunes. Specific iOS versions are not detailed but it's designed for mobile use.

### How can I use The Archive Reader for offline reading?

The app supports offline reading, meaning you can download your favorite fanfiction stories to your device. This allows you to access and read them even without an internet connection, perfect for commutes or areas with poor signal.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.6.8 — 2024-09-29

- Add kudos-to-hit ratio filter
- Some TTS fixes
- Fix empty chapter titles
- Fix some freezes when losing connection

### 1.6.7 — 2024-05-03

- Bugfixes

### 1.6.6 — 2024-04-01

- Fix errors 200 across the app

### 1.6.5 — 2024-04-01

- Bugfixes

### 1.6.4 — 2024-03-18

- Series works pagination
- Bugfixes for searches

## Apps similar to The Archive Reader

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Readscape](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readscape/id6446336467) | — | Free | Books |
| [NovelBar](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novelbar/id6453157225) | 4.1 (2,181) | Free | Books |
| [MANGA BANG! manga & webcomic](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manga-bang-manga-and-webcomic/id1560286142) | 4.7 (188) | Free | Books |
| [FanFiction.Net](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fanfictionnet/id1192753879) | 2.5 (975) | Free | Books |
| [Softgoods](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/softgoods/id6450132477) | 4.4 (74) | Free | Books |
| [FanFiction Plus & AO3 Reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fanfiction-plus-and-ao3-reader/id1076160335) | 3.7 (1,304) | Free | Books |

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-01.*