# CHMate vs CHM Reader

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | CHMate | CHM Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chm-reader-read-chm-txt/id6758199572/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **55.3% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 51 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [贤安 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/318015371) | [灿耿 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688324562) |

## What reviewers say

### CHMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929)

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:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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 Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chm-reader-read-chm-txt/id6758199572)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly members | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Annual Subscription | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Membership | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*