Comparison

Open Library Reader vs Torrossa Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Open Library Reader

Access and read millions of books from an online library. Organize your reading lists, track borrowed books, and discover related titles within a familiar reading interface. Requires an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Browse and check out millions of books
  • Track reading progress and wishlists
  • Built-in search and related title discovery
  • Shelf management and edition changes
  • Checkout tracking for borrowed books
  • Customizable reading interface
Features
Read full description

Open Library is an online library with millions of books to browse or check out. You can track the books that you're reading, want to read, etc. and read many of them right there. PLEASE NOTE: This app is an interface to the openlibrary.org web site — if you don't use that site to read books, you may have trouble figuring out what the app is for. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the site first, and then you'll understand what the app offers. This app is one reader's effort to create the ideal portable experience for taking advantage of Open Library's amazing collection. You'll get the best experience out of this app on an iPad, but you can use it on a smaller screen (if you don't mind squinting). The moment you open the app and log in, any books you've already saved on the Open Library site are laid out on your screen. You can sort them by title, author, publication date, and date saved, see which books are available to read, and open them with a single tap. Once you've opened a book in the familiar reading interface, a tap at the top of the screen will trigger the full screen mode, removing every distraction and expanding the book pages to the limits of your screen for the perfect reading experience. Other features include: - Built-in search: find and add books to your shelves from inside the app. - Shelf management: move books between shelves, remove books, change the edition of a book. - Related title search: choose a book on your shelf and quickly find more books like it. - Checkout tracking: see at a glance how long you have left on limited-access books you've checked out. - Customization: choose which shelves you want to see and manage the size of the books and their titles. This app is essentially an alternative interface to the Open Library site — all of your data is stored there, and the books you read are hosted online, not in the app. As a result, an active internet connection is required when you are using this app. Open Library is an initiative of the Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. The developer of this app has no legal or contractual relationship with Open Library or the Internet Archive, and bears no responsibility for the content found there.

About

Torrossa Reader

Read digital texts in epub format with this application. It's designed for academic study and personal reading, focusing on humanities and social sciences. The app supports both protected and unprotected epub files.

Highlights
  • EPUB format support
  • Readium LCP protection
  • Academic and personal reading
  • Focus on humanities and social sciences
  • Supports unprotected epubs
Read full description

The new Torrossa Reader app for texts in epub format. Torrossa Reader is the new reading app for Torrossa digital bookstore, an essential resource for university research, academic study and personal reading with a focus on the humanities and social sciences. Torrossa Reader is based on Readium LCP, a new open source security technology, and allows you to read epubs that are both Readium LCP protected or without protection.

Screenshots

Open Library Reader1 screens
Torrossa Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Open Library Reader at 26% against Torrossa Reader's 0%. Open Library Reader also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Open Library Reader ships an update every 2 months, Torrossa Reader every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Open Library Reader versus Torrossa Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpen Library ReaderTorrossa Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (51 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews26.2% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings51 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLoomis House, LLCCasalini libri S.p.A.

Customer experience

Open Library Reader

All ratings50 ratings
Positive44.0%
Neutral14.0%
Negative42.0%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive26.2%
Neutral19.0%
Negative54.8%

Torrossa Reader

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Open Library Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Torrossa Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Open Library Reader free?
Open Library Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Torrossa Reader free?
Torrossa Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Open Library Reader or Torrossa Reader have ads?
Neither Open Library Reader nor Torrossa Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Open Library Reader or Torrossa Reader?
Open Library Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Torrossa Reader every 4 months. Most recently, Open Library Reader was updated on October 20, 2026 and Torrossa Reader on September 30, 2026.

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