Comparison

MapleRead CX vs Inkwell

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

Head to head
About

MapleRead CX

This app offers a unique audio-visual reading experience for EPUB ebooks. Customize book styles, generate pseudo audiobooks with various voices, and enjoy immersive reading with synchronized audio and text. It also functions as a powerful library management tool with extensive customization options.

Highlights
  • Audio-visual EPUB reader
  • Pseudo audiobook generation
  • Immersion reading (sync audio/text)
  • Customizable book styles and themes
  • Word lookup and translation
  • Library management and organization
  • User-defined fonts and highlight colors
Read full description

MapleRead is dedicated to enable unique audio-visual reading experience for everyone. ------------ Our MapleRead app family has 3 members, namely SE, CE and CX. - SE is our flagship product with all features. - CE is SE without PDF reader and built-in Library Server. - CX is CE with some limitation. Free to try. - No recurring subscription fees. No ads. Just buy it once. Gratuity optional. - Moreover, SE and CE can be run side-by-side via split-view multitasking. - Recommend SE for use on multiple devices with easy and fast book sharing via Library Server. - Recommend the SE-CE bundle for the best value. ------------ MapleRead includes a superb audio-visual EPUB e-book reader. - It lets you easily modify publisher's original book style to better suit your aesthetic taste. - It lets you instantly generate pseudo audiobooks with a choice of narrator voices over 40 languages. - It enables immersion reading so that you may read and listen to the same book in sync. - Background listening works well too. Compatible with Lock Screen Music Player and CarPlay. MapleRead UI is friendly to users of all ages. - Books can be read in regular and large print. - A choice of UI text sizes makes reading in non-book views much more comfortable. MapleRead is a great learning tool. - It lets you look up words, translate sentences, search text, highlight text and write notes. - It helps you collect vocabulary and organize notes with various priorities. - It provides hooks to user-defined dictionaries, translators, and other tools. - Immersion reading improves your comprehension, especially of foreign-language books. MapleRead is an effective and fast library management tool. - It is designed for you, a book lover, who may own a huge and/or growing book collection. - It lets you keep all your books in one place and well-organized automatically. - It lets you display your books elegantly in style. - It lets you easily repair individual book metadata. - If supports multiple book sets and multiple tags. - It offers multiple ways to import and export books, and works well with Calibre. MapleRead offers unprecedented user-defined customization options. - They include unlimited user-defined fonts, book themes, cover images and library scenes. - Each book theme includes various types of user-defined highlight colors. - Each book can have its own theme, and each EPUB book can have its own style. [For more technical details, screenshots, FAQ and reviews, please visit our website.]

About

Inkwell

This free ebook reader offers a highly customizable reading experience with adjustable fonts, colors, and spacing. It seamlessly integrates translation and dictionary lookup, allowing you to import your own EPUB files and enjoy a personalized literary journey.

Highlights
  • Customizable fonts, sizes, and colors
  • Adjustable margins and paragraph spacing
  • Integrated iOS Translation and Dictionary
  • Intuitive design with smooth animations
  • Fast ebook loading
  • Import your own EPUB files
Features
Read full description

Discover Inkwell, the ultimate free ebook reader designed for customizable reading experiences. Immerse yourself in popular books with personalized settings for fonts, sizes, and colors. Inkwell is completely free, ensuring an exceptional reading experience without hidden costs. Features: • Open source and completely free, no locked features or in-app purchases • Highly customizable reading experience with adjustable font styles, sizes, and colors • Fine-tune margins, paragraph spacing, and explore captivating color options • Seamlessly integrated iOS Translation and Dictionary Look Up features for enhanced exploration and understanding • Intuitive design for easy navigation and smooth, beautiful animations • Fast ebook loading, eliminating waiting times and allowing you to dive into the story instantly • Bundled with four timeless masterpieces from Project Gutenberg • Import your own .epub files to curate a collection that matters to you Download Inkwell now and embark on a personalized literary journey like never before. Rediscover the joy of reading!

Screenshots

MapleRead CX4 screens
Inkwell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Inkwell at none against MapleRead CX's 1. Inkwell also leads on rating (3.9 vs 3.4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. MapleRead CX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Inkwell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Inkwell holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of MapleRead CX's written reviews are positive against 67% of Inkwell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapleRead CX ships an update every 5 weeks, Inkwell every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MapleRead CX versus Inkwell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapleRead CXInkwell
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (24 ratings)3.9 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaplepop LLCDimitrie Milinovich

Customer experience

MapleRead CX

All ratings24 ratings
Positive58.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral10.3%
Negative28.2%

Inkwell

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MapleRead CX

One-time1
  • Pro Upgrade$6.99
None

Inkwell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MapleRead CX free?
MapleRead CX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Inkwell free?
Inkwell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MapleRead CX or Inkwell?
Inkwell is rated higher. MapleRead CX averages 3.4 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Inkwell averages 3.9 from 9 ratings.
Do MapleRead CX or Inkwell have ads?
Neither MapleRead CX nor Inkwell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MapleRead CX or Inkwell?
MapleRead CX ships an update every 5 weeks, and Inkwell every 4 weeks. Most recently, MapleRead CX was updated on October 21, 2026 and Inkwell on October 24, 2026.

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