# CHMate vs Hedgehog reader

The clearest difference is rating: Hedgehog reader at 4.9 against CHMate's 3.9. Hedgehog reader also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (67% vs 55%). CHMate's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CHMate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Hedgehog reader sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hedgehog reader holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of CHMate's written reviews are positive against 67% of Hedgehog reader's.

CHMate ships an update every 2 months, Hedgehog reader fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CHMate | Hedgehog reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929/reviews) | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hedgehog-reader/id6443732880/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 48 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 18.7 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [贤安 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/318015371) | [Anna Diubina](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506918460) |

## 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


### Hedgehog reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hedgehog-reader/id6443732880)

This app allows you to read a wide variety of e-book and audiobook formats, organize your personal library, and even translate text offline. It offers features like full-text search, typo correction, and text-to-speech functionality.

**Highlights:** Supports multiple e-book and audiobook formats, Organize library with shelves, search, and filtering, Offline text translation, Full-text search and notes, Typo correction, Text-to-speech with adjustable speed, Import from local devices and cloud storage

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Advertisement free mode | $5.99 | one-time |
| Book export | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CHMate free?

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

### Is Hedgehog reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CHMate or Hedgehog reader?

Hedgehog reader is rated higher. CHMate averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Hedgehog reader averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.

### Do CHMate or Hedgehog reader have ads?

Hedgehog reader shows ads; CHMate does not.

### Which is updated more often, CHMate or Hedgehog reader?

CHMate ships an update every 2 months, and Hedgehog reader fortnightly. Most recently, CHMate was updated on September 25, 2026 and Hedgehog reader on September 22, 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.*