# CHMate vs EPUB Reader

The clearest difference is rating: CHMate at 3.9 against EPUB Reader's 3.0. CHMate also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). EPUB Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 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 EPUB Reader sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

CHMate holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 11 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 55% and 55% positive.

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, EPUB Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CHMate | EPUB Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929/reviews)** | [3.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epub-reader-neat/id1447589941/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **55.3% of reviews** | 54.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 51 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [贤安 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/318015371) | [NeatReader](https://appshunter.io/developer/1300929329) |

## 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


### EPUB Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epub-reader-neat/id1447589941)

This app allows you to easily import, read, and manage EPUB e-books across multiple devices. It offers features like highlighting, note-taking, and customizable reading settings for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Import EPUB files easily, Highlight and annotate book content, Customize font size and themes, Cloud storage and multi-device sync, Organize books into categories, Search within EPUB books

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Premium Member - Sale | $8.99 | one-time |
| Annual Premium Member | $11.99 | one-time |
| Annual Premium Member - Sale | $13.99 | one-time |
| Annual Premium Member | $19.99 | one-time |
| Lifelong Premium Member - Sale | $27.99 | one-time |
| Lifelong Premium Member - Sale | $34.99 | one-time |
| Lifelong Premium Member | $41.99 | one-time |
| Lifelong Premium Member | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CHMate free?

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

### Is EPUB Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CHMate or EPUB Reader?

CHMate is rated higher. CHMate averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while EPUB Reader averages 3.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do CHMate or EPUB Reader have ads?

Neither CHMate nor EPUB Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CHMate or EPUB Reader?

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, and EPUB Reader every 2 months. Most recently, CHMate was updated on October 21, 2026 and EPUB Reader on October 19, 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.*