Comparison

CHMate vs Lazy FB2 Reader

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

Head to head
About

CHMate

Transform your personal ebook files into a comfortable reading experience with a customizable virtual bookshelf. Enjoy tailored typography, import your own fonts, and organize your collection with decorative elements and personal photos. Read EPUB and CHM files offline with powerful search and annotation tools.

Highlights
  • Customizable virtual bookshelf with ambient lighting
  • Decorate shelves with photos, videos, and ornaments
  • Tailored typography with adjustable fonts and page colors
  • Import custom font files
  • Read EPUB and CHM files offline
  • Full-text search and annotation tools
  • Local Wi-Fi file transfer
Features
Read full description

Default ebook formatting does not always suit the way you read. CHMate turns your personal files into a calm, comfortable reading corner. A customizable wooden bookshelf with an ambient lamp and personal decor. Download free. Unlock multiple books with a single one-time purchase. A BOOKSHELF OF YOUR OWN • Wooden shelves and ambient lamp: Display your personal collection with warm bookshelf lighting. • Shelf decor: Arrange animated ornaments, plants, paintings, and shelf-edge figures. • Personal memories: Decorate with photos, Live Photos, or silent looping videos (MP4/MOV). • Custom layout: Freely move, resize, and favorite your decor items. TAILORED TYPOGRAPHY • Page colors: Choose from six page colors independently of your typography theme, with light, dark, or automatic appearance. • Precise reading controls: Adjust font size, line height, page margins, and fonts for body, headings, and code. • Custom font import: Read with built-in fonts or import your own font files. • Horizontal and vertical reading: Switch text orientation where supported for Chinese and Japanese text. • iCloud theme sync: Save your custom typography themes and sync them across your devices. TOOLS & LOCAL IMPORT • Supported formats: Read your own EPUB and CHM files with structured table of contents navigation. • Local Wi-Fi transfer: Send files directly from your computer browser over your local network. • Reading tools: Search full text across chapters, add highlights, and review notes in one place. HONEST PRICING • Free download with complete reading features for your current book. • Unlock multiple books with a single one-time in-app purchase. • No subscriptions and no ads.

About

Lazy FB2 Reader

This app offers a hands-free reading experience for FB2 books, allowing you to turn pages with eye movements. It features a clean interface with customizable fonts, layouts, and page-turning animations, all without intrusive advertisements.

Highlights
  • Hands-free reading with eye control
  • Customizable fonts and text layout
  • Page-turning animations
  • Recent books list
  • Dynamic book and page loading
  • Skins and themes
Features
Read full description

Turn pages with a blink: right eye for the next page, left eye for the previous one. You don't have to move your hands or change your grip on the phone, which is handy when you read lying down. Works on iPhones with Face ID (TrueDepth camera). I read a lot on my phone. At some point I noticed that the good old reader apps were gone from the App Store, and the new ones were either full of ads, missing something I needed, or painfully slow. So I wrote my own, with the features I wanted and no ads. I use it every day. Features: • Page turning by blinking, hands-free • FB2 and ePub, including zipped files • Large books open quickly: the book is loaded in parts • Font and text layout settings. Changes apply quickly because pages are built on the fly • Paged reading or scrolling • Several page-turn animations • Ready-made themes, or your own • Landscape mode • List of recent books • No ads Supported formats: .fb2, .fb2.zip, .epub, .epub.zip

Screenshots

CHMate4 screens
Lazy FB2 Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lazy FB2 Reader at none against CHMate's 1. Lazy FB2 Reader also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 55%) and iOS requirement (15 vs 26.0). CHMate's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. CHMate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Lazy FB2 Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, Lazy FB2 Reader every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
CHMate versus Lazy FB2 Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCHMateLazy FB2 Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (20 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews55.3% of reviews88.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB8 MB
Age rating+44+
Developer贤安 陈Danila Gusev

Customer experience

CHMate

All ratings20 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews197 reviews
Positive55.3%
Neutral12.7%
Negative32.0%

Lazy FB2 Reader

Written reviews68 reviews
Positive88.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative8.8%

Bugs and requests

CHMate

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • 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
Show 8 more
  • App crashes on startup or when opening files
  • Table of contents index expansion broken
  • Custom fonts blocked after iOS 14.5 update
  • Files not accessible via iCloud or Dropbox
  • Missing icons after updates
  • Images display as half-dark or missing
  • Text formatting changes not visible without page reload
  • First line spacing issues

Requested features

12 requests
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • iPad Pro resolution support
  • iOS multi-window support
  • Better bookmark functionality
  • Separate highlighting and annotation tools
  • Support for Cyrillic and Arabic text encoding
  • Collection/folder organization for multiple files
  • Zip file support for documentation sets

Lazy FB2 Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CHMate

One-time1
  • CHMate+$9.99
None

Lazy FB2 Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CHMate free?
CHMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lazy FB2 Reader free?
Lazy FB2 Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CHMate or Lazy FB2 Reader have ads?
Neither CHMate nor Lazy FB2 Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CHMate or Lazy FB2 Reader?
CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, and Lazy FB2 Reader every 4 months. Most recently, CHMate was updated on November 6, 2026 and Lazy FB2 Reader on November 10, 2026.

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