Comparison

Aurora Reader vs ZenReader

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

Head to head
About

Aurora Reader

Save, read, and organize articles from the web with a clutter-free reading experience. Look up word definitions, add notes, and listen to articles hands-free. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Save articles from web
  • Clutter-free reading view
  • Offline article access
  • Word definition lookup
  • Highlighting and note-taking
  • Article-to-speech functionality
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Save articles, read articles, learn new words, record new thoughts… Aurora Reader is a premium Read-It-Later app that builds with latest technologies and packs a ton of exciting features. SAVE ARTICLES • Find Aurora Reader’s extensions from Share sheet in Safari, Twitter, Medium and many other apps, and use them to view or save articles • On iPad, use Drag & Drop to import multiple articles from another app at once • With automatically iCloud Sync, you can save articles on your iPhone and read them later on your iPad, iPod touch or Mac* READ ARTICLES • Article view automatically removes clutter from webpage and shows only the main article content for you • Immersive reading experience let you keep focus • No network, no problem: saved articles can be read at anytime, even without network • Customize your reading experience with multiple fonts and themes • Reading progress is automatically sync with iCloud, so you can easily switch device and continue reading from where you left off LEARN NEW WORDS • On article view, you can check word definitions simply by one tap. To close definitions view, it’s also as simple as a tap or swipe • Check word definitions in multi-language dictionaries • Aurora Reader can get you a great amount of definitions in least amount of time, thanks to the customized search engine with special optimization • Words you look up can be automatically saved to Aurora Reader’s companion app: Aurora Dictionary • Install or delete dictionaries from Dictionary Manager view RECORD NEW THOUGHTS • Select, swipe, highlight, and add notes • Save unlimited highlights and notes • Choose the highlight color that match your style REWIND • Rewind your reading journey with Search • Search saved articles, notes, folders and more from iOS home screen or in-app search bar • Accurately locate sentences and paragraphs with Full-Text Search ORGANIZE • Organize your articles and notes with Folders • Enjoy the freedom to create unlimited folders and subfolders • Quickly find your folders with Search • Use Drag & Drop to move and reorder your folders, articles and notes RELAX • Listen to articles with high fidelity voice, hands-free and eyes-free • Check currently reading paragraph on in-app Now Playing view. Find some unfamiliar words? just tap to look up • Listen with just your Apple Watch (requires watchOS 6.0 or later, and a pair of Bluetooth headphones) • Switch between multiple speech languages and voices * Aurora Reader for Mac is available on Mac App Store

About

ZenReader

This app is a versatile ebook reader and document manager supporting numerous file formats. It offers a customizable reading interface, note-taking capabilities, text-to-speech functionality, and robust library management features. Track your reading progress and protect your privacy with advanced security options.

Highlights
  • Supports EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT, ZIP, RAR, and more
  • Customizable reading interface with night mode
  • Note-taking, highlighting, and dictionary integration
  • Text-to-speech with multiple language options
  • Wi-Fi transfer, iCloud, and AirDrop import
  • Gesture and facial recognition for privacy
  • Reading statistics and goal setting
Features
Read full description

极简阅读器 - 文档整理、笔记、朗读、解压 作为一款好用易上手文档管理APP,它的主要的亮点在于 ● 丰富的格式支持,Txt、Epub、Pdf、Mobi、Azw、Zip、Rar、7z等 ● 支持wifi传书、iCloud导入、隔空传送,即传即到 ● 舒适养眼的阅读界面,很护眼夜间模式,提供多种翻页模式,仿真、平移、滚动、覆盖模式等 ● 强大的自定义功能,自定义文字间距、段落间距、首行缩进,图片背景 ● 好用的笔记记录,长按文字,支持划线、笔记、词典、网页、全文搜索、分享等功能 ● 多种听书朗读功能,支持中文、广东话、英语、德语、意大利语诸多语系 ● 隐私保护,通过手势或者人脸识别解锁 ● 统计您的阅读记录,通过数据来感受你的阅读进展,设置您的阅读目标、阅读时长等 ● 强大的书籍管理功能,支持自定义分组,修改书名,阅读进度,导入导出 ● 自动分章节,你会发现即使你下载的是TXT格式,也能看到完美的章节 ● 提供了所有系统自带的字体,也自己导入字体文件,阅读更善心悦目 让你在沉浸式阅读中获得的最纯粹的体验~ ===== 极简阅读 可以按年订阅或一次性购买。在选择订阅模式时,免费试用或确认购买后,我们将从您的 iTunes 帐户中收取费用。除非在账单周期结束前至少 24 小时关闭自动续订,否则将自动续订。您可以转到 iTunes 帐户设置来管理订阅并关闭自动续订。 政策和使用条款 https://simplereader.super.site/%e9%9a%90%e7%a7%81%e6%94%bf%e7%ad%96

Screenshots

Aurora Reader4 screens
ZenReader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Aurora Reader at none against ZenReader's 4. Aurora Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown). ZenReader's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (82% vs 62%). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. ZenReader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year. Aurora Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ZenReader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZenReader has 366 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Aurora Reader's written reviews are positive against 82% of ZenReader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aurora Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, ZenReader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 12, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Aurora Reader versus ZenReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAurora ReaderZenReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (12 ratings)4.7 (366 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews82.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12366 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJunyu KuangLexyTech Ltd.

Customer experience

Aurora Reader

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral15.4%
Negative23.1%

ZenReader

All ratings366 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews74 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral8.1%
Negative9.5%

Bugs and requests

Aurora Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ZenReader

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Text replacement shows success but reverts after reopening
  • Duplicate chapters in segmentation
  • File parsing errors on valid documents
  • Audiobook stops when screen locks
  • Voice narration language changed to Cantonese after iOS 18
Show 5 more
  • Import failure notifications appear repeatedly
  • Deleting one file with same name deletes both (EPUB and AZW3)
  • Cannot select text across multiple HTML sections
  • Settings arrows not clickable, only text is
  • QQ file import broken in recent versions

Requested features

19 requests
  • Simplified audiobook playback controls
  • Flexible audiobook starting point selection
  • Include audiobook listening time in statistics
  • English language UI support
  • Direct TXT file editing capability
Show 14 more
  • Footnote/link navigation support
  • Faster audiobook speed options beyond 3x
  • Better quality AI voice narration
  • Vertical text layout option
  • Auto-page turning feature
  • Customizable note colors
  • Cross-file text selection and highlighting
  • Annotation page navigation
  • Instant translation feature for English books
  • Customizable tap zones for left-handed users
  • Document sorting options
  • File management through Files app
  • Smarter chapter segmentation
  • Compatibility with book formatting standards

In-app purchases

None

Aurora Reader

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

ZenReader

Subscriptions1
  • 1年订阅$6.991 Year
One-time3
  • 限时特惠$9.99
  • Pro专业版$14.99
  • Pro渠道优惠$39.99

Questions

Is Aurora Reader free?
Aurora Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ZenReader free?
ZenReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Aurora Reader or ZenReader?
ZenReader is rated higher. Aurora Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while ZenReader averages 4.7 from 366 ratings.
Do Aurora Reader or ZenReader have ads?
ZenReader shows ads; Aurora Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, Aurora Reader or ZenReader?
Aurora Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, and ZenReader every 2 weeks. Most recently, Aurora Reader was updated on August 12, 2026 and ZenReader on September 26, 2026.

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