Comparison

CHMate vs CHM 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

CHM Reader

This app provides a streamlined and efficient way to read CHM and TXT documents. It offers features like smart table of contents navigation, full-text search, adjustable font sizes, and night mode for a comfortable reading experience.

Highlights
  • Professional CHM format support
  • Smart Table of Contents navigation
  • Full-text search
  • Adjustable font size
  • Night mode
  • Bookmark collection
Features
Read full description

CHM Reader & Viewer - Professional CHM Document Reader A streamlined and efficient CHM document reader that provides you with a smooth and comfortable reading experience. Key Features: • Professional CHM Format Support - Perfect compatibility with various CHM documents, supporting multiple encoding formats • Smart Table of Contents Navigation - One-tap jump, quick content positioning • Powerful Search Function - Full-text search, instantly find the information you need • Personalized Reading - Font size adjustment, night mode • Bookmark Collection - Save important sections, offline access Designed specifically for efficient reading, making your document browsing more convenient. How to Use: After opening the app, click "+" to add CHM files and start reading. Encoding Support: Built-in encoding format toggle button in the reader menu, supports GBK, UTF-8 and other encodings, easily solve garbled text issues. Subscription Options: • Offers weekly and annual memberships, lifetime membership • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account • Auto-renewal occurs within 24 hours before subscription expires • Manage or cancel subscriptions anytime in account settings Designed specifically for efficient reading, making your document browsing more convenient. Terms of Service: https://chmreader.xzonesoft.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://chmreader.xzonesoft.com/privacy.html Contact Us: support@xzonesoft.com

Screenshots

CHMate4 screens
CHM Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CHM Reader at 5.0 against CHMate's 3.9. CHM Reader also leads on iOS requirement (16 vs 26.0). CHMate's advantage is ratings volume (20 vs 2) and review sentiment (55% vs 43%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and CHM Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CHM Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. 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 43% of CHM Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, CHM Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
CHMate versus CHM Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCHMateCHM Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (20 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.3% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings20 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.016 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB19 MB
Age rating+44+
Developer贤安 陈灿耿 陈

Customer experience

CHMate

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

CHM Reader

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

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

CHM Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CHMate

One-time1
  • CHMate+$9.99
3 purchases

CHM Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly members$1.997 Days
  • Annual Subscription$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Membership$6.99

Questions

Is CHMate free?
CHMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CHM Reader free?
CHM Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CHMate or CHM Reader?
CHM Reader is rated higher. CHMate averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while CHM Reader averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do CHMate or CHM Reader have ads?
Neither CHMate nor CHM Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CHMate or CHM Reader?
CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, and CHM Reader monthly. Most recently, CHMate was updated on November 6, 2026 and CHM Reader on October 31, 2026.

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