handyREADER vs MagicReader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
handyREADER
This app provides a distraction-free experience for reading eBooks and listening to audiobooks. It supports a wide range of formats and integrates with cloud storage, allowing you to access your personal library offline.
- Supports multiple eBook and audiobook formats
- EPUB and smart PDF reading
- Audiobooks from folders or ZIP archives
- Files app and iCloud integration
- Automatic position memory
- Dark mode
- Sleep timer
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handyREADER – Read and Listen Your Way handyREADER is a clean and focused app for reading eBooks and listening to audiobooks — without distractions, unnecessary complexity, or ecosystem lock-in. Built around simplicity, offline access, and your own library, handyREADER lets you open books from Files, iCloud, external storage, or local folders and enjoy them your way. EPUB, smart PDF flow, audiobooks in folders or ZIP archives, and even older formats like PDB are all supported in one lightweight app designed around your books — not someone else’s platform. Whether you prefer reading quietly at night or listening on the go, handyREADER keeps the experience simple, calm, and comfortable. Features include: • Support for many eBook and audiobook formats • EPUB and smart PDF reading • Audiobooks from folders or ZIP archives • Full integration with the Files app and iCloud • Automatic position memory • Dark mode for comfortable night reading • Sleep timer with gentle fade-out • Skip-back after interruptions • Lightweight, distraction-free interface handyREADER is designed to stay out of your way and let your books take center stage. Enjoy reading and listening for free, with optional unlimited access for people who want an even smoother experience and would like to support independent development. Your books. Your choice.
MagicReader
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Read without touching the screen. MagicReader is a hands-free reader for EPUB, PDF and comics: turn your head, wave a hand, wink, or just say "next page" — and the page turns. Or sit back and let a natural voice read to you. Whether your hands are busy, wet, full, or simply resting — or touching the screen is difficult for you — MagicReader keeps the story going. NEW: OPENS LIKE A REAL BOOK • Ready for iPhone Duo — unfold it and your book becomes a two-page spread, with the spine right on the fold • Landscape reading — two pages side by side on iPad and most iPhones, for EPUB, PDF and comics, including vertical Japanese books • Flip page turns — pages turn over like paper and follow your finger • Split View on iPad and iPhone Duo TOUCH-FREE READING • Head control — turn your head left or right to flip pages; look up to open or close a book • Wink control — wink your right eye to go forward, your left to go back (Face ID devices) • Hand control — a cursor follows your hand; close your hand to grab a book, swipe from the screen edge to flip • Voice control — say "next", "back", "open", "read aloud" and more, in English, Japanese, Spanish, French or German • A guided tour teaches every gesture with live practice NATURAL READ-ALOUD • Natural, expressive voices read your EPUB books aloud — in English and Japanese • The sentence being spoken is highlighted, and pages turn in step with the narration • English narration powered by Kokoro; Japanese voices powered by VOICEVOX (VOICEVOX:No.7, VOICEVOX:四国めたん, VOICEVOX:青山龍星, VOICEVOX Nemo) • Books in Spanish, French and German are read by your device's system voice for that language, with nothing to download • Natural voices are downloaded once, then work fully offline — all speech is generated on your device YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY • EPUB and PDF books, plus CBZ/CBR comics and manga • Beautiful animated bookshelf themes — drifting watercolour clouds, a starry cosmos, and story worlds that come alive behind special books • Japanese vertical text (縦書き) done right, with optional automatic furigana (ふりがな) above kanji • Comfortable reading themes, adjustable fonts (including OpenDyslexic for dyslexia-friendly reading), and remembered positions THOUSANDS OF FREE CLASSICS • Browse and download public-domain classics from Project Gutenberg and Aozora Bunko (青空文庫) — from Alice in Wonderland to 銀河鉄道の夜 — right inside the app PRIVATE BY DESIGN • The camera and microphone are used only to recognize your gestures and commands, entirely on your device • Nothing is recorded, nothing is uploaded, and there are no accounts, no ads, and no tracking — ever MagicReader began in 2012 as one of the first face-controlled book readers on the App Store. It has been rebuilt from the ground up for today's devices — same magic, new tricks. Reading is best when nothing comes between you and the story. Not even your hands.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MagicReader at none against handyREADER's 3. On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. handyREADER sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. MagicReader asks for nothing beyond the download.
handyREADER ships an update fortnightly, MagicReader monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | handyREADER | MagicReader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 96 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SilkIdea s.r.o. | Leo Rivas-Micoud |
In-app purchases
handyREADER
- All files. No limits.$9.991 Year
- Single Book Access$0.99
- Lifetime Access$24.99
MagicReader
No in-app purchases









