# CHMate vs PureLibro

The clearest difference is rating: PureLibro at 4.6 against CHMate's 3.9. PureLibro also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 55%) and ratings volume (362 vs 20). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CHMate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PureLibro sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PureLibro holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PureLibro has 362 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of CHMate's written reviews are positive against 77% of PureLibro's.

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, PureLibro every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | CHMate | PureLibro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929/reviews) | **[4.6 (362 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purelibro-ebook-reader/id1546612448/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **362** |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | **76.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 51 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [贤安 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/318015371) | [添欢 谢](https://appshunter.io/developer/1497426499) |

## 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


### PureLibro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purelibro-ebook-reader/id1546612448)

This app offers a comprehensive reading experience for various digital book and comic formats. It features AI-powered image enhancement, cloud synchronization, extensive customization options, and robust privacy controls. Enjoy hands-free reading and track your progress with detailed statistics.

**Highlights:** Supports TXT, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, CBZ, CBR and more, AI-powered image enhancement for comics, iCloud sync across devices, Hands-free auto reading mode, Extensive customization of fonts, layout, and appearance, Advanced privacy features with password and Face ID, Detailed reading statistics and library management

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 monthly subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| 3 monthly subscription | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| yearly subscription | $5.99 | per year |
| Pro Special Offer | $12.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Pro Version | $12.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Pro Version | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent rendering and image quality
- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🔒 Supports a variety of file formats
- 💡 Customizable reading experience
- 🚀 Fast and responsive app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Some issues with text formatting and italics
- 💡 Lack of multi-device sync and progress tracking
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or performance issues
- 💡 Limited font and theme customization options
- 🐛 Localization problems with menus and settings

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent behavior when switching between reading modes
- Issues with loading and rendering large books or comics
- Problems with the reliability of the built-in web browser
- Bugs related to the iCloud sync and backup functionality

**Requested features**

- Add support for more text-to-speech options
- Implement bulk import and management of books
- Introduce multi-device sync and reading progress tracking
- Expand font and theme customization capabilities
- Improve localization and translation of the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CHMate free?

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

### Is PureLibro free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CHMate or PureLibro?

PureLibro is rated higher. CHMate averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while PureLibro averages 4.6 from 362 ratings.

### Do CHMate or PureLibro have ads?

Neither CHMate nor PureLibro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CHMate or PureLibro?

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, and PureLibro every 10 days. Most recently, CHMate was updated on October 17, 2026 and PureLibro on October 17, 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.*