# Gutenberg | eBook Reader vs Bright Passages

The clearest difference is price: Gutenberg | eBook Reader at Free against Bright Passages's $4.99. Gutenberg | eBook Reader also leads on ratings volume (745 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). Bright Passages's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 6).

Gutenberg | eBook Reader is free to download; Bright Passages costs $4.99 up front. Gutenberg | eBook Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Bright Passages asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bright Passages holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gutenberg | eBook Reader has 745 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Gutenberg | eBook Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bright Passages's.

Gutenberg | eBook Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, Bright Passages every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gutenberg | eBook Reader | Bright Passages |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (745 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gutenberg-ebook-reader/id1289618861/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bright-passages/id6792161370/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **745** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 69.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 48 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Webron Software LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1071126548) | [Nathan Perry](https://appshunter.io/developer/6792161372) |

## What reviewers say

### Gutenberg | eBook Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gutenberg-ebook-reader/id1289618861)

Access a vast library of public domain e-books and audiobooks from around the world. Explore tens of thousands of titles across numerous languages and categories, including classics and popular works.

**Highlights:** Vast public domain e-book library, Extensive audiobook collection, Thousands of titles available, Multiple languages supported, Categorized book selection, Top 50 e-books listed

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Premium | $39.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Extensive collection of classic literature
- 💰 Free access to thousands of books
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 📖 Page-turning feature mimics physical books
- 🌙 Night mode for comfortable reading

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Search function is unreliable and confusing
- 📱 Poor book organization and browsing
- 💔 Missing many books found on Project Gutenberg website
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- ⚙️ Limited customization options for book format

**Reported bugs**

- Search returns no results or irrelevant results
- Books listed on Project Gutenberg not appearing in app
- App fails to download certain books
- Reading progress not saved between sessions
- Continuous scroll instead of page-by-page display

**Requested features**

- Improved search functionality with better filtering
- Better book organization and categorization system
- Dictionary/word definition feature
- Improved paragraph spacing and text formatting
- Page-by-page navigation instead of chapter-based


### Bright Passages

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bright-passages/id6792161370)

Capture and organize highlights from physical books using your camera. Automatically detects highlighter colors and allows manual text selection for unmarked passages. Creates a searchable, shareable digital library of your favorite book passages.

**Highlights:** Camera-based highlight detection, Automatic highlighter color categorization, Manual text selection, Searchable digital library, Customizable categories, Add personal notes, Export to CSV, Excel, Markdown

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gutenberg | eBook Reader free?

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

### Is Bright Passages free?

Bright Passages costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Gutenberg | eBook Reader or Bright Passages?

Bright Passages is rated higher. Gutenberg | eBook Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 745 ratings, while Bright Passages averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Gutenberg | eBook Reader or Bright Passages have ads?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader shows ads; Bright Passages does not.

### Which is updated more often, Gutenberg | eBook Reader or Bright Passages?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, and Bright Passages every 2 days. Most recently, Gutenberg | eBook Reader was updated on October 15, 2026 and Bright Passages on October 8, 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.*