BOOK WALKER (Chinese version) vs Hoshi Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BOOK WALKER (Chinese version)
Access a vast library of manga and light novels on your iPhone and iPad. Enjoy a premium reading experience with customizable features and offline access. Discover exclusive content and manage your library across multiple devices.
- Vast selection of manga and light novels
- Exclusive gifts and content
- EPUB 3 format with vertical layout
- Customizable reading environment
- Offline reading and cloud bookmark sync
- Manage up to 7 devices
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Now! Join the BOOK WALKER, carry the best Manga and Light Novel in your iPhone and iPad to go. All eBooks are made in EPUB 3 - international standard format, and go with fully functional reader providing excellent reading experience. Ｗide Selection Collect all categories of titles, including magazine, fiction and non-fiction. BOOK WALKER is the No.1 eBook platform stores most selections of Manga, Light Novel and exclusive titles. Exclusive Gift and Content Additional chapters, special epilogues, extra illustrations, smart phone wallpapers, and unique bookshelves are all in BOOK WALKER only! Best Reading Mode With ePub 3 format, user can enjoy vertical layout same as printed books and two premium crystal font styles, which providing new reading experience. User also can adjust the font size, screen brightness, background color, animated page turn and variable bookshelves to set up personalized reading environment. Perfect Reading Function Sync and read off line your books across all your devices. Easily highlight and make note in the eBook. Tap and hold text for instant internet searching. Automatically synchronize your bookmarks in the cloud service. And exclusive “Mega Illustration” is the best solution for displaying double spread page on whole monitor. Enjoy Reading Anytime Anywhere Each BOOK WALKER account can manage 7 devices, including iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or other device. User can log in BOOK WALKER website with any mobile device to purchase and download eBooks immediately. Never miss any treasure reading moment.
Hoshi Reader
This app is a lightweight Japanese EPUB reader designed for immersion learning. It features a pop-up dictionary with deinflection and supports Anki integration for vocabulary mining. Organize your library with bookshelves and track your reading progress.
- Vertical and horizontal reading modes
- Yomitan-like pop-up dictionary
- Anki mining support
- Customizable Anki card format
- Reading statistics
- Bookshelves for library organization
- Customizable themes and fonts
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Hoshi Reader is a lightweight Japanese EPUB reader with a built-in pop-up dictionary and Anki mining support, made for immersion learning. Main Features: - Vertical (縦書き) and horizontal (横書き) reading modes - Yomitan-like pop-up dictionary with proper deinflection support - Support for all Yomitan term, frequency and pitch dictionaries - Dictionary audio support - AnkiMobile mining support - Fully configurable Anki card format, with most handlebars targeting Lapis implemented - Sasayaki (Audiobooks): Sync audiobooks to book text to read along - Reading statistics - ッツ Reader sync - Bookshelves to organize your library - Customizable theme, font and layout
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hoshi Reader at 100% against BOOK WALKER (Chinese version)'s 17%. Hoshi Reader also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.9) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). BOOK WALKER (Chinese version)'s advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Hoshi Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of BOOK WALKER (Chinese version)'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Hoshi Reader's.
BOOK WALKER (Chinese version) ships an update every 4 months, Hoshi Reader weekly. Both last shipped on October 5, 2026.
| Parameter | BOOK WALKER (Chinese version) | Hoshi Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (36 ratings) | 5.0 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 36 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BOOKWALKER TAIWAN | Manh-Hao Steffen Pham |
Customer experience
BOOK WALKER (Chinese version)
Hoshi Reader
In-app purchases
BOOK WALKER (Chinese version)
No in-app purchases
Hoshi Reader
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BOOK WALKER (Chinese version) free?
Is Hoshi Reader free?
Which has better reviews, BOOK WALKER (Chinese version) or Hoshi Reader?
Do BOOK WALKER (Chinese version) or Hoshi Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, BOOK WALKER (Chinese version) or Hoshi Reader?
Other comparisons
