# CHMate vs MapleRead CX

The clearest difference is rating: CHMate at 3.9 against MapleRead CX's 3.4. CHMate also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). MapleRead CX's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CHMate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MapleRead CX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

CHMate holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 24 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of CHMate's written reviews are positive against 62% of MapleRead CX's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, MapleRead CX every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CHMate | MapleRead CX |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929/reviews)** | [3.4 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapleread-cx/id1128582526/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **24** |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | **61.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 51 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [贤安 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/318015371) | [Maplepop LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/798017700) |

## What reviewers say

### CHMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929)

This app offers a robust reading experience for EPUB and CHM eBooks. Organize your library, add bookmarks and notes, and customize your reading environment. Share passages and easily search within your books.

**Highlights:** Organize eBooks into collections, Add bookmarks and notes, Customizable fonts and line height, Fast scrolling and pagination, Highlight favorite passages, Built-in search functionality, Share quotes with friends

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CHMate+ | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent UI/UX design and interface
- 📖 Best CHM file reader available
- ⚡ Fast and smooth performance
- 🎨 Customizable text formatting and fonts
- 🔍 Powerful search functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⚠️ iCloud sync deletes files irreversibly
- 💰 Expensive pricing for functionality
- 🔄 Highlighting and annotations don't persist
- 📱 Compatibility issues with iOS updates

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when searching CHM files
- Crashes when using tap-hold for bookmarking
- Highlighting functionality broken after iOS updates
- Notes and bookmarks not saving properly
- Highlights disappear or move between chapters

**Requested features**

- Dark mode and additional color themes (Sepia)
- Book cover display instead of text-only library view
- PDF support
- Text-to-speech functionality
- Better pagination options


### MapleRead CX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapleread-cx/id1128582526)

This app offers a unique audio-visual reading experience for EPUB ebooks. Customize book styles, generate pseudo audiobooks with various voices, and enjoy immersive reading with synchronized audio and text. It also functions as a powerful library management tool with extensive customization options.

**Highlights:** Audio-visual EPUB reader, Pseudo audiobook generation, Immersion reading (sync audio/text), Customizable book styles and themes, Word lookup and translation, Library management and organization, User-defined fonts and highlight colors

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Upgrade | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CHMate free?

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

### Is MapleRead CX free?

MapleRead CX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, CHMate or MapleRead CX?

CHMate is rated higher. CHMate averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while MapleRead CX averages 3.4 from 24 ratings.

### Do CHMate or MapleRead CX have ads?

Neither CHMate nor MapleRead CX shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CHMate or MapleRead CX?

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, and MapleRead CX every 5 weeks. Most recently, CHMate was updated on October 17, 2026 and MapleRead CX on October 13, 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.*