# Reader vs Sandbook

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sandbook at none against Reader's 1. Sandbook also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 57%) and ratings volume (148 vs 4). Reader's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sandbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sandbook has 148 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Reader's written reviews are positive against 81% of Sandbook's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Reader | Sandbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reader/id1179373118/reviews)** | [4.6 (148 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandbook-natural-voice-reader/id6745732885/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **148** |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **80.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 1 MB | 126 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 18.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) | [SmashMelon LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895995887) |

## What reviewers say

### Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reader/id1179373118)

This app provides a distraction-free reading and annotation experience for PDF documents on iOS. Seamlessly sync your annotated files with your Mac for further editing and workflow integration via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free reading, PDF annotation, iCloud sync with Mac, Companion to macOS app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ask AI Subscription | $1.99 | one-time |


### Sandbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sandbook-natural-voice-reader/id6745732885)

This app reads books, documents, and articles aloud using natural-sounding voices. It offers offline functionality, supports various file formats, and allows customization of reading speed and appearance. Save web pages and printed text for later listening.

**Highlights:** Natural offline voices, Supports EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, and more, Save web pages for later, Adjustable reading speed, Highlighting of spoken words, CarPlay integration, Export audio files

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Reader free?

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

### Is Sandbook free?

Sandbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Reader or Sandbook?

Reader is rated higher. Reader averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Sandbook averages 4.6 from 148 ratings.

### Do Reader or Sandbook have ads?

Neither Reader nor Sandbook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Reader or Sandbook?

Reader ships an update weekly, and Sandbook weekly. Most recently, Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and Sandbook on October 30, 2026.

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