iBOOKLIGHT vs Freading
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iBOOKLIGHT
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a convenient book light for nighttime reading. This app offers a simple, clean interface to illuminate your pages without disturbing others. Position it upright or on a pillow for a fuss-free reading experience.
- Turns device into a book light
- Simple and clean interface
- Adjustable positioning
- Stays on indefinitely
- No fussy controls
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Turn your iPHONE or iPAD into a book light. iBOOKLIGHT is now simple & clean. It will illuminate your reading while the rest of the world sleeps. Stand it upright or rest it on the pillow, on yourself or behind your shoulder. Goodbye fussy book lights that awake your partner. Stays on indefinitely We appreciate simple, clean design. This is the answer, you can read your book without fussing with too many controls. GET IT NOW FOR FREE! Support development with in app purchase. BY: www.nomadcandy.com GREAT Reading Light for your favorite fiction and non fiction: Freakonomics, An Innocent Client, Where the Crawdads Sing, Pachinko, Before We Were Yours, Circe, Defending Jacob, We Were The Lucky Ones, Everything I Never Told you, Becoming, Educated, The Matriarch, The Right Side of History, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Commander in Cheat, Ladies Who Punch, Doing Justice and Bad Blood. Anything you read to fall asleep this is for you.
Freading
This app allows users to read EPUB and PDF books downloaded from participating libraries. It supports Adobe DRM and offers a comfortable reading experience with features like page turning and adjustable text size.
- Read EPUB and PDF books
- Adobe DRM support
- Tap or swipe page turning
- Remembers last page read
- Selectable text size
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The Freading application is for reading EPUB books and PDF books. The application was developed for users of the Freading Ebook Service. The Freading (free reading) Ebook Service was developed by Library Ideas, LLC and is sold to libraries of all types around the world. End users are registered cardholders of participating libraries. Check with your local library for participation. The end user should use their browser to navigate the library website, then download the book from a library website into this application. Once in the application, the EPUB or PDF book can be explored and read. The Freading application is designed to lend full support for Adobe DRM and uses Adobe ID for Authentication. The Freading application includes many features that you would expect for a good reading experience such as tap or swipe to turn pages, remembering the last page read, and selectable text size.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Freading at 4.6 against iBOOKLIGHT's 3.5. Freading also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 41). iBOOKLIGHT's advantage is review sentiment (46% vs 17%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). 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. iBOOKLIGHT sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Freading asks for nothing beyond the download.
Freading holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freading has 2.9K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of iBOOKLIGHT's written reviews are positive against 17% of Freading's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iBOOKLIGHT ships an update every 12 months, Freading every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iBOOKLIGHT | Freading |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (41 ratings) | 4.6 (2.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.0% of reviews — better | 16.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 41 | 2.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 9 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | jami becker | Library Ideas, LLC |
Customer experience
iBOOKLIGHT
Freading
User reviews
iBOOKLIGHT
From 41 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Simple and straightforward design
- 📖 Perfect for bedtime reading without disturbing others
- 🔆 Adjustable brightness for comfortable reading
- ⏱️ Stays on indefinitely when configured properly
- 🆓 Free app with no mandatory payments
Room to improve
- 🐛 Screen turns off after 30 seconds to a few minutes without proper settings
- 📱 Just adjusts phone brightness - limited functionality
- 💰 In-app purchases for hue changes that don't work properly
- 📢 Intrusive ads that pop up frequently
- 🔊 Ads with sound can wake sleeping partners
Freading
From 2.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📚 Wide selection of books
- 🕰 No late fees
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📱 Difficult to navigate and use
- 🔍 Poor search and discovery
- 📚 Limited book selection
- 🔒 Login and authentication issues
Bugs and requests
iBOOKLIGHT
Reported bugs
10 issues- Screen goes dark after 30 seconds despite claims of indefinite operation
- In-app hue purchase feature non-functional
- Page number saves don't persist after closing app
- Settings button does nothing or is non-functional
- Brightness changes affect phone's system brightness permanently
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- App causes excessive battery drain in some cases
- Ads block portions of the light display
- Incompatibility issues with iPhone 6 and newer models
- Auto-lock setting gets overridden by app
- Porn ads appearing in some versions
Requested features
8 requests- Built-in brightness adjustment within app without phone settings
- Auto-lock settings integrated into app
- Multiple color/hue options that actually work
- Clear in-app instructions for first-time users
- Dark mode or warmer light options for eye comfort
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- Swipe-based brightness adjustment
- Different light bulb shapes or designs
- Remove or customize ad placement and type
Freading
Reported bugs
3 issues- Books fail to download or open
- App crashes when trying to access downloaded books
- Login process is unreliable and inconsistent
Requested features
4 requests- Improve app stability and reliability
- Enhance user interface and navigation
- Expand book selection and search capabilities
- Streamline login and authentication process
In-app purchases
iBOOKLIGHT
- Remove Logo on Light Screen$0.99
- Change light screen color hue$0.99
Freading
No in-app purchases
