# CHMate vs CHM+

The clearest difference is rating: CHMate at 3.9 against CHM+'s 3.0. CHMate also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (20 vs 2). CHM+'s advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 55%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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 CHM+ 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 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CHMate has 20 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of CHMate's written reviews are positive against 83% of CHM+'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

CHMate ships an update every 2 months, CHM+ every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CHMate | CHM+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chm-plus-chm-document-reader/id6745147168/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 48 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [贤安 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/318015371) | [俊锋 仝](https://appshunter.io/developer/1209824000) |

## 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


### CHM+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chm-plus-chm-document-reader/id6745147168)

This app provides a streamlined way to read CHM documents on iOS devices. It offers quick import from local storage and iCloud, fast opening of large files, and efficient chapter navigation. Enjoy a smooth reading experience with support for multiple encodings.

**Highlights:** Quick document import (local storage, iCloud), Fast opening of large CHM files, Table of contents chapter switching, Multi-screen collaboration on iPad, Support for multiple encoding types, Smooth reading experience

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CHM Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CHMate free?

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

### Is CHM+ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CHMate or CHM+?

CHMate is rated higher. CHMate averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while CHM+ averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do CHMate or CHM+ have ads?

CHM+ shows ads; CHMate does not.

### Which is updated more often, CHMate or CHM+?

CHMate ships an update every 2 months, and CHM+ every 6 weeks. Most recently, CHMate was updated on September 25, 2026 and CHM+ on September 20, 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.*