# Open vs Cengage Read

The clearest difference is rating: Cengage Read at 4.2 against Open's 2.6. Cengage Read also leads on ratings volume (4K vs 84). Open's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cengage Read holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cengage Read has 4K ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 19% and 20% positive.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Open | Cengage Read |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-lms/id1553337282/reviews) | **[4.2 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cengage-read/id6444260893/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 84 | **4K** |
| Positive reviews | 18.8% of reviews | **19.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 70 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PeopleFluent, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/983980647) | [Cengage Learning](https://appshunter.io/developer/371168145) |

## What reviewers say

### Open

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-lms/id1553337282)

Access your educational courses and content directly from your mobile device. Download materials for offline use, update your profile, and receive important notifications. Students can track grades and badges, while teachers can grade assignments on the go.

**Highlights:** Access courses on mobile, Download content for offline use, Update profile information, Receive course notifications, View grades and badges (student), Grade assignments (teacher)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cengage Read

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cengage-read/id6444260893)

Access and study your digital textbooks from anywhere. This app allows students to read, take notes, highlight, bookmark, and use text-to-speech for a flexible learning experience on the go.

**Highlights:** Read eTextbooks on the go, Take notes and highlight, Bookmark important sections, Text-to-speech functionality, Search keywords, Navigate via table of contents

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to read textbooks
- 🚀 Convenient for on-the-go learning
- 👍 Useful for listening to audio while commuting
- 👍 Allows highlighting and note-taking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔥 Poor text formatting and layout
- 👎 Difficult to navigate and use
- 🔒 Login and account issues
- 🔍 Missing key features like split-screen and assignment tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and sign-outs
- Inconsistent highlighting and note-taking functionality
- Inability to view full pages and content
- Text-to-speech feature not working properly

**Requested features**

- Improve text formatting and layout
- Add split-screen support for note-taking
- Enhance accessibility features like text-to-speech
- Integrate assignment and due date tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Open free?

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

### Is Cengage Read free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Open or Cengage Read?

Cengage Read is rated higher. Open averages 2.6 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Cengage Read averages 4.2 from 4K ratings.

### Do Open or Cengage Read have ads?

Neither Open nor Cengage Read shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Open or Cengage Read?

Open ships an update every 2 months, and Cengage Read every 2 months. Most recently, Open was updated on September 22, 2026 and Cengage Read on September 23, 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.*