# Readwise Reader vs XRead

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XRead at none against Readwise Reader's 4. XRead also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%). Readwise Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Readwise Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. XRead asks for nothing beyond the download.

Readwise Reader ships an update weekly, XRead every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Readwise Reader | XRead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (579 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-reader/id1567599761/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **579** | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 178 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readwise, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476885527) | [Mert OZDIN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810914068) |

## What reviewers say

### Readwise Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-reader/id1567599761)

This app consolidates all your reading content, including web articles, newsletters, and PDFs, into a single, organized platform. It offers advanced highlighting, text-to-speech, and AI-powered assistance to enhance your reading workflow and knowledge retention.

**Highlights:** Consolidate web articles, newsletters, RSS, Twitter threads, PDFs, EPUBs, Import from Pocket, Instapaper, and Feedly, Advanced highlighting and annotation tools, Text-to-speech narration, AI-powered reading assistant (Ghostreader), Full-text search, Syncs across all devices, offline access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reader Monthly Plan | $8.99 | per month |
| Reader Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Reader Annual Plan | $95.90 | per year |
| Reader Yearly | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic reading experience
- 👍 Seamless integration with Readwise
- 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive UI
- 📚 All-in-one reading solution
- 🔍 Powerful search and organization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance issues
- 🔍 Cluttered interface for some users
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🖥️ Lack of iPad-specific features
- 📚 Missing basic reader features (e.g., bookmarks)

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Unreliable RSS feed updates
- Frequent crashes on iPad
- Issues with resuming reading position

**Requested features**

- Improved PDF and ebook support
- Customizable reading themes and layouts
- Better integration with note-taking apps
- Reading progress and statistics tracking
- Bulk management of saved items


### XRead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xread-clean-tweetsthreads/id6748126038)

Easily read long tweets and entire threads without interruptions. Paste links to view content in a smooth, distraction-free format, eliminating the need for "Show More" buttons and timeline clutter.

**Highlights:** Paste tweet or thread links, Seamless thread viewing, Distraction-free reading, Minimalist interface, Read long tweets easily

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Readwise Reader free?

Readwise Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is XRead free?

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

### Do Readwise Reader or XRead have ads?

Neither Readwise Reader nor XRead shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Readwise Reader or XRead?

Readwise Reader ships an update weekly, and XRead every 2 months. Most recently, Readwise Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and XRead on September 21, 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.*