# SmartApfel vs Matter

The clearest difference is rating: Matter at 4.6 against SmartApfel's 4.0. Matter also leads on ratings volume (1.2K vs 7) and chart position (#115 vs unranked). SmartApfel's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 54%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartApfel sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Matter sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Matter holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Matter has 1.2K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of SmartApfel's written reviews are positive against 54% of Matter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SmartApfel ships an update fortnightly, Matter weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartApfel | Matter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartapfel/id1056322079/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/matter-reading-app/id1501592184/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **64.5% of reviews** | 54.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#115** |
| Size | 26 MB | 121 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [acasa Software GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/974663980) | [Dig Wells, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498971378) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartApfel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartapfel/id1056322079)

Stay updated on Apple HomeKit and Matter smart home technology. Get the latest news, device information, automation ideas, and warnings about problematic firmware updates. Perfect for both beginners and experienced users.

**Highlights:** Latest news on HomeKit & Matter, Device overview, Automation examples, Firmware update warnings, Beginner-friendly information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small coffee (monthly) | $1.49 | per month |
| Large coffee (monthly) | $3.49 | per month |
| Espresso | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cup of coffee | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pot of coffee | $3.99 | one-time |


### Matter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/matter-reading-app/id1501592184)

**Currently charting:** #115 Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

Consolidate articles, newsletters, and PDFs into a single, elegant reading experience. Enjoy features like natural text-to-speech, fluid highlighting, and offline access. Sync your highlights to popular knowledge management tools.

**Highlights:** Save articles, newsletters, PDFs, and YouTube, Natural text-to-speech for articles, Fluid highlighting and note-taking, Sync highlights to Notion, Obsidian, Readwise, Send articles to Kindle, Unified inbox for subscriptions, Offline reading

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Matter Pro Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Matter Premium (Monthly) | $7.99 | per month |
| Matter Premium (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Matter Pro (Monthly) | $12.99 | per month |
| Matter Premium (Monthly) | $13.99 | per month |
| Matter Premium (Monthly) | $14.99 | per month |
| Matter Premium (Monthly) | $15.99 | per month |
| Matter Premium (Monthly) | $19.99 | per month |
| Matter Pro (Annual) | $59.99 | per year |
| Matter Pro (Annual) | $59.99 | per year |
| Matter Pro (Annual) | $59.99 | per year |
| Matter Premium (Annual) | $69.99 | per year |
| Matter Premium (Annual) | $79.99 | per year |
| Matter Premium (Annual) | $79.99 | per year |
| Matter Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Matter Pro (Annual) | $79.99 | per year |
| Matter Premium (Annual) | $99.99 | per year |
| Matter Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Matter Patron Tier | $149.99 | one-time |
| Matter Premium (3 years) | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless reading experience
- 👍 Elegant and intuitive UI
- 🔊 Excellent text-to-speech functionality
- 💡 Unified inbox for newsletters and articles
- 🌟 Best read-it-later app on the market

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Concerns over privacy and data collection
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Inconsistent article parsing and formatting
- 🔍 Limited author/feed discovery options
- 🔇 Audio playback issues and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription issues and inability to cancel
- Delayed or missing newsletter delivery
- Syncing problems across devices
- Crashes and freezes on certain content

**Requested features**

- Ability to manually add blogs and RSS feeds
- Customizable highlighter colors
- Offline mode for audio playback
- Integration with more note-taking apps
- Improved search and filtering capabilities


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartApfel free?

SmartApfel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Matter free?

Matter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SmartApfel or Matter?

Matter is rated higher. SmartApfel averages 4.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Matter averages 4.6 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do SmartApfel or Matter have ads?

Neither SmartApfel nor Matter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartApfel or Matter?

SmartApfel ships an update fortnightly, and Matter weekly. Most recently, SmartApfel was updated on October 13, 2026 and Matter on October 19, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*