Comparison

Instaread vs Masobe

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Instaread

Access condensed insights from thousands of bestselling nonfiction books in both audio and text formats. Learn key takeaways in 15 minutes or less, with curated content and original series on various topics. Download content for offline access and improve yourself with profound ideas.

Highlights
  • Key insights from bestselling books
  • Available in audio and text
  • Learn in 15 minutes or less
  • Professionally written titles
  • Instaread Originals series
  • Download for offline access
Features
Read full description

Quench your thirst of knowledge in record time! Instaread offers key insights from thousands of bestselling books. Available in audio & text. In 15 minutes. ● Get smarter in 15 min or less ● Thousands of professionally written titles & constantly growing ● Instaread Originals on important topics and people ● Available in text & audio ● 7-day free trial ● Beautiful and smart cover-illustrations ● Download content to read/listen offline ● Save to your library Titles include: ‘Getting Things Done’ by David Allen ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ by Tim Ferriss ‘The Untethered Soul’ by Michael A. Singer ‘The 5 Second Rule’ by Mel Robbins ‘Good to Great’ by James C. Collins ‘Blink’ by Malcolm Gladwell ‘Unshakeable’ by Tony Robbins ‘Eat Fat Get Thin’ by Mark Hyman and thousands more! ONLY THE BEST NONFICTION BOOKS ● Only the absolute best books make it into our app. ● Highly curated content ensures useful learning and avoids waste of time. INSTAREAD ORIGINALS ● “Success Stories”: A series on leadership in business, politics, and the arts. ● “Short Cuts”: Today’s hottest topics distilled. CREATED BY PROFESSIONALS ● Subject-matter experts extract key insights from books and craft Instaread Originals. ● Multiple professionals including writers, editors, voice actors & artists carefully craft every Intaread to perfection. ● All content is fact-checked for accuracy & quality. IMPROVE YOURSELF & STAY INFORMED ● Unlock the knowledge from the world’s greatest books & get access to profound ideas. ● Apply game changing ideas to improve important aspects of your life. ● Keep up-to-date with the latest developments in business, science, health, tech, history, culture & more. AUDIO & TEXT ● All Instareads are available in text and in audio. ● On the road, at the gym or at home cooking? Use the audio feature to multi-task. ● Switch between audio & text effortlessly. ● Read & listen at the same time. ONLINE & OFFLINE ● Download any amount of Instareads to your device. ● Access content on the plane, train or any location with limited connectivity. ---------------------------------------------- In the Press “...this cool service lets you read or listen to [...] highlights versions of hundreds of bestselling books.” CNET “...a nearly instantaneous way of diving into a book, understanding its meaning and boiling down key takeaways – all in a matter of minutes.” TheNextWeb “...[through this app] you can get expanded back-cover synopses complete with thematic takeaways to help you focus your reading list” Mashable ---------------------------------------------- Instaread offers two subscription options: Monthly subscription for $8.99/month (with first week FREE) and a Yearly subscription for $89.99/year (with first week FREE). Cancel subscription anytime. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period by going to your iOS Account Settings after purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the price of the annual or monthly subscription depending on what is chosen. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you change from an annual to a monthly subscription or from a monthly to an annual subscription during the free trial period. The privacy policy can be viewed at instaread.co/privacy. The terms of use can be viewed at instaread.co/terms.

About

Masobe

Discover and enjoy African stories through a vast digital library of eBooks. Read instantly, rent titles, or order physical copies to build your personal collection. Experience the rich storytelling heritage of the continent.

Highlights
  • Vast digital library of African eBooks
  • Discover fiction, poetry, and non-fiction
  • Curated collections by interest
  • Instant eBook access
  • Book rental options
  • Order physical book copies
Features
Read full description

Embark on a literary journey across Africa with the Masobe App, your ultimate digital companion for discovering and enjoying African stories. We bring the continent's rich storytelling heritage directly to your fingertips. Dive into our vast and ever-growing digital library. Discover thousands of eBooks from acclaimed and emerging African authors, spanning genres from gripping fiction and powerful poetry to insightful non-fiction. Explore curated collections tailored to your interests and find your next page-turner in seconds. But your reading options don't stop there. Masobe offers flexible access to suit your needs: Read Instantly: Get immediate access to a vast selection of eBooks. Rent a Book: Want to try before you buy or read something just once? Rent popular titles for a fraction of the cost. Own a Physical Copy: Found a book you can't live without? Seamlessly order a physical text copy directly through the app to build your personal library. From digital discovery to physical ownership, Masobe connects you to the stories you love. Download now and experience African literature like never before.

Screenshots

Instaread4 screens
Masobe3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Masobe at free with in-app purchases against Instaread's subscription. Masobe also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (71% vs 40%). Instaread's advantage is ratings volume (9.3K vs 16) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Instaread sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Masobe sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Instaread holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instaread has 9.3K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Instaread's written reviews are positive against 71% of Masobe's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Instaread ships an update every 2 months, Masobe every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Instaread versus Masobe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstareadMasobe
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9.3K ratings) — better4.4 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews40.1% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.3K — better16
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB161 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperInstaread, Inc.Safespace

Customer experience

Instaread

All ratings9,329 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews364 reviews
Positive40.1%
Neutral5.5%
Negative54.4%

Masobe

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral28.6%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Instaread

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezing and crashing
  • Login and access issues
  • Subscription billing problems
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline audio download option
  • Progress tracking and reading history
  • Highlight and note-taking features
  • Ability to access content on multiple devices
  • More affordable pricing options

Masobe

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Instaread

Subscriptions9
  • Instaread Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Instaread Subscription7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Instaread7 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Instaread7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Instaread7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Instaread$14.991 Month
  • Instaread7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Instaread7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Instaread7 Days trial2 variants$89.991 Year
11 purchases

Masobe

Subscriptions6
  • Reader$4.001 Month
  • Bookworm$8.001 Month
  • Scholar$12.001 Month
Show 3 more
  • Reader Plan Yearly$44.001 Year
  • Bookworm Yearly Plan$89.991 Year
  • Scholar Yearly Plan$133.991 Year
One-time5
  • 11-day$5.59
  • Gift Scholar Plan Monthly$12.00
  • Gift Reader Plan Yearly$44.00
Show 2 more
  • Gift Bookworm Plan Yearly$89.99
  • Gift Scholar Plan Monthly$133.99

Questions

Is Instaread free?
Instaread is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Masobe free?
Masobe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Instaread or Masobe?
Instaread is rated higher. Instaread averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.3K ratings, while Masobe averages 4.4 from 16 ratings.
Do Instaread or Masobe have ads?
Instaread shows ads; Masobe does not.
Which is updated more often, Instaread or Masobe?
Instaread ships an update every 2 months, and Masobe every 4 days. Most recently, Instaread was updated on October 24, 2026 and Masobe on October 24, 2026.

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