# CHMate vs EPUB Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: EPUB Reader at 77% against CHMate's 55%. EPUB Reader also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (809 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 EPUB Reader sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

EPUB Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EPUB Reader has 809 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 EPUB Reader's.

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, EPUB Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CHMate | EPUB Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chmate-epub-and-chm-reader/id335157929/reviews) | **[4.2 (809 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epub-reader-reader-for-epub-format/id972654880/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **809** |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | **77.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 51 MB | 129 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [贤安 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/318015371) | [LTD DevelSoftware](https://appshunter.io/developer/717594986) |

## 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


### EPUB Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epub-reader-reader-for-epub-format/id972654880)

This application provides a seamless reading experience for EPUB files, supporting all formatting features. It offers advanced customization options for text, page turning, and display, along with cloud integration and file management tools. Enjoy your favorite books with enhanced productivity and comfort on mobile devices.

**Highlights:** Full EPUB format support, Extensive customization options, Cloud service integration, Speech synthesizer, Multiple page turning animations, Built-in file manager, Wi-Fi and FTP transfer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Thank the Developer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Appearance Customization | $1.99 | one-time |
| Additional Formats | $3.99 | one-time |
| Pro Version | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great reader with customization options
- 📚 Supports various file formats
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔊 Good text-to-speech functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 💸 Excessive ads even in paid version
- 🔒 Suspicious app permissions
- 🤖 Outdated and unsupported features

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to open certain EPUB files
- Inability to access local and cloud-stored files
- Inconsistent behavior when using dictionary lookup
- Last page of EPUB files not shown

**Requested features**

- Add highlighting and note-taking capabilities
- Improve file management and organization
- Provide better integration with cloud storage services
- Implement pagination and chapter navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CHMate free?

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

### Is EPUB Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CHMate or EPUB Reader?

EPUB Reader is rated higher. CHMate averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while EPUB Reader averages 4.2 from 809 ratings.

### Do CHMate or EPUB Reader have ads?

Neither CHMate nor EPUB Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CHMate or EPUB Reader?

CHMate ships an update every 2 weeks, and EPUB Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, CHMate was updated on October 9, 2026 and EPUB Reader on October 7, 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.*