Comparison

Stanza Redux vs Thorium Reader

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

Head to head
About

Stanza Redux

This app is a free, open-source EPUB reader that allows you to browse online catalogs and manage your own digital library. Customize your reading experience with various text and color options, and navigate easily with bookmarks and a table of contents.

Highlights
  • EPUB reader
  • OPDS catalog browsing
  • Library management
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Offline reading
  • Multiple layout options
Features
Read full description

Read a chapter on the train, find your next book in an online catalog, or settle into a two-page spread at your desk. Stanza Redux is a free, open-source EPUB reader for phones, tablets, and computers. Bring your own EPUB files or browse OPDS catalogs, including Standard Ebooks, Project Gutenberg, and Ebooks Gratuits. Explore authors and subjects, see book details and covers, and download books into your library. You can add, validate, rename, and reorder your own catalogs. Browse your library by title, author, or genre. Search your books, return to recently opened titles, and keep reading without an internet connection. Your reading position is saved on this device. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is included to get you started; you can remove it at any time. Make the page comfortable: choose a typeface and text size, adjust margins and line and paragraph spacing, and switch between light, sepia, dark, or custom colors. Use a single column or a two-column layout on wide screens. Turn pages with taps, swipes, or keyboard arrows. Save bookmarks, search the table of contents, and jump within a chapter without losing your previous position. No ads, purchases, subscriptions, or account required. Your library stays on your device; browsing a catalog contacts that catalog’s server. Supports unencrypted EPUB files up to 64 MB. DRM-protected books, PDF, audiobooks, and cloud synchronization are not supported. Version 2 uses the Day framework with native controls on each platform. The interface is available in 13 languages. Source code: github.com/Stanza-Redux/Stanza-Redux

About

Thorium Reader

Organize all your ebooks, comics, and manga in a single app. Customize your reading experience with adjustable text, fonts, and themes. Listen to audiobooks and zoom into visual content with ease.

Highlights
  • Unified bookshelf for all content
  • Adjustable text size and spacing
  • Multiple font options
  • Text-to-speech audio playback
  • Zoom for comics and manga
  • Offline dictionary and translation
  • Import EPUB, PDF, CBZ files
Features
Read full description

Looking for an app where you can bring all your ebooks, comics and manga in one place? That’s what we built Thorium Reader for. Read it your way Everyone’s different, that’s why we want you to be fully in control: • Adjust text size, switch between color schemes with themes and control spacing. • 10+ fonts available, including specialized ones. • You prefer audio? Listen to any ebook, whenever you want. We’ll remember your preference. • Zoom into comics, manga and magazines. • Add bookmarks with notes. • Use the built-in iOS dictionary and translation features, even offline. • Tweak your reading experience with reading options. Bring your own books A single bookshelf and reading application where you can bring all your content: • Download free books, borrow from your library or buy from your favorite retailer. • Support for ebooks, documents, comics and manga. • Import EPUB, PDF and CBZ files. • Support for Readium LCP, used by thousands of libraries and retailers. Thorium Reader is built by EDRLab, a non-profit dedicated to open standards, reading and accessibility.

Screenshots

Stanza Redux4 screens
Thorium Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Stanza Redux at 100% against Thorium Reader's 40%. Stanza Redux also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (3.8 vs 3.5). Thorium Reader's advantage is ratings volume (13 vs 4). 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stanza Redux holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Stanza Redux's written reviews are positive against 40% of Thorium Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stanza Redux ships an update every 5 days, Thorium Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Stanza Redux versus Thorium Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStanza ReduxThorium Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (4 ratings) — better3.5 (13 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings413 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB46 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperThe App Fair Project IncReadium

Customer experience

Stanza Redux

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Thorium Reader

All ratings12 ratings
Positive58.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Stanza Redux

No in-app purchases

None

Thorium Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stanza Redux free?
Stanza Redux is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thorium Reader free?
Thorium Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stanza Redux or Thorium Reader?
Stanza Redux is rated higher. Stanza Redux averages 3.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Thorium Reader averages 3.5 from 13 ratings.
Do Stanza Redux or Thorium Reader have ads?
Neither Stanza Redux nor Thorium Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stanza Redux or Thorium Reader?
Stanza Redux ships an update every 5 days, and Thorium Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Stanza Redux was updated on November 7, 2026 and Thorium Reader on November 8, 2026.

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