# Yom! Aozora Bunko vs Hoshi Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hoshi Reader at none against Yom! Aozora Bunko's 1. Hoshi Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 68%). Yom! Aozora Bunko's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Yom! Aozora Bunko sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Hoshi Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Yom! Aozora Bunko against 5.0 for Hoshi Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hoshi Reader has 23 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Yom! Aozora Bunko's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hoshi Reader's.

Yom! Aozora Bunko ships an update every 9 days, Hoshi Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Yom! Aozora Bunko | Hoshi Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yom-aozora-bunko/id1530145482/reviews) | [5.0 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoshi-reader/id6758244332/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **23** |
| Positive reviews | 68.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 94 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Seiichirou Tanaka](https://appshunter.io/developer/673085302) | [Manh-Hao Steffen Pham](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871502447) |

## What reviewers say

### Yom! Aozora Bunko

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yom-aozora-bunko/id1530145482)

Access and read over 17,000 literary classics from Aozora Bunko for free. Customize your reading experience with adjustable display settings, bookmarks, and search functions. An optional premium plan offers an ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Read 17,000+ literary classics, Customizable display (font, spacing, margins), Vertical and horizontal text options, Bookmarks and favorites, Work, author, and category search, Page count indicator, Ad-free premium option

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plan | $0.99 | per month |


### Hoshi Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoshi-reader/id6758244332)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Yom! Aozora Bunko free?

Yom! Aozora Bunko is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hoshi Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Yom! Aozora Bunko or Hoshi Reader?

Yom! Aozora Bunko and Hoshi Reader are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 23 ratings respectively.

### Do Yom! Aozora Bunko or Hoshi Reader have ads?

Yom! Aozora Bunko shows ads; Hoshi Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Yom! Aozora Bunko or Hoshi Reader?

Yom! Aozora Bunko ships an update every 9 days, and Hoshi Reader weekly. Most recently, Yom! Aozora Bunko was updated on November 7, 2026 and Hoshi Reader on November 5, 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.*