iBunkoHD vs Namo eBook Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iBunkoHD
Experience reading novels, documents, and comic books with a realistic interface that mimics a physical book. Organize your library with a bookshelf, add notes to bookmarks, and easily transfer files from various cloud services. Enjoy enhanced readability with smart screen design and quick page navigation.
- Realistic paper book interface
- Vertical and horizontal writing support
- Double page spread view
- Built-in Aozora Bunko library access
- Customizable bookshelf organization
- Bookmark with notes and text selection
- Multiple file format support (.txt, .pdf, .zip, .rar, .cbz, .cbr)
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iBunkoHD provides you the best way to read novels, documents and comic books on iPad. Thanks to a realistic interface, you can enjoy reading as you would with a real paper book. Reading on your iPad is now easier than ever! This is a great iPad app for all the book lovers! Won Good Design Award 2010 Ranked #1 in the Japanese App Store in 2010 Read books and comics in vertical setting with comfort ・Support both horizontal (left open) and vertical (right open) writings. ・The app automatically detects the binding direction of a PDF document. Double page spread and page effect ・When viewed landscape mode, the pages switch to the double page spread. The pages containing landscape format images are automatically treated as a double page spread. ・You can "flip" pages just like reading a real paper book. Feature about 230 built-in books and "Aozora Bunko" ・ You can download a book with simple controls from "Aozora Bunko", the Japanese digital library that provides copyright-free Japanese literary works. ・ The app comes with the well-known books from "Aozora Bunko". "Bookshelf" function ・Create a bookshelf as you need. ・You can easily choose a book you'd like to read by browsing the book covers displayed on the shelf. "Bookmark" function ・You can place as many bookmarks as you want and add notes on it. ・Select text as a bookmark in order to highlight the sentence. Supported file formats. iBunkoHD supports the following file formats as books: - .txt .pdf - .zip .rar (containing .txt or .jpg/.png files) - .cbz .cbr Transfer files ・Transfer the files using iTunes 'File Sharing' via the USB cable as well as via Dropbox, SkyDrive, pogoplug, Box, SugarSync. The app also supports both the WebDAV and the FTP servers. Utilize data from PDF ・Support the table of contents or hyperlinks on the file. ・Select and search words (when the data contains text). ・Using our own processing technology, app can select a Japanese words smoothly. Smart screen design removing the white space ・Eliminate unnecessary white space for better readability on the screen. Thumbnails of pages show quick reference for where you'd like to read ・List the page thumbnails at the bottom of the screen or in the full screen. ・The page with bookmarks will be attached a mark. You can also display only the page thumbnails which contain bookmarks. History back pages ・Viewed pages are saved in history so you can easily go back to the previous page. Look up words in the dictionary ・You can use the iPad's built-in dictionary as well as other dictionary apps that support custom URL schemes. ・Just select text and tap the button to look up the word. Support Bluetooth keyboards ・You can read without touching the screen by using the compatible device. Passcode lock ・You can set passcode lock on specific bookshelves or the "folder" screen that stored transferred files. Various page settings ・Available various settings such as enable/disable the flipping effect or change the position of the tap control. ・Customize your iBunkoHD to suit your own preferences! You will find many more convenient functions and settings.
Namo eBook Reader
This application offers a robust and accurate way to view EPUB2 and EPUB3 ebooks. It supports various layout types, advanced styling, and provides a suite of user-friendly reading tools for a customizable experience.
- EPUB2 and EPUB3 support
- Reflowable and fixed-layout ebooks
- HTML5, Javascript, CSS3 rendering
- Table of contents, bookmarks, memos
- Customizable themes and fonts
- Text search and zoom
- File sharing import
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Namo Reader supports both EPUB2 and EPUB3. It is easy to use and intuitive, and expresses e-books fast and accurately. 1. Complies with the IDPF EPUB standard. - Supports both reflowable and fixed-layout e-books. - Expresses HTML5, Javascript, and CSS3 completely. - Check out Namo Reader for e-books (reflowable vertical writing e-books, fixed-layout e-books) that are not properly represented by other readers. 2. Provides a variety of user-friendly features. - Table of contents, bookmarks, memos, highlights - Changing themes and fonts, adjusting font size and line height, and controlling brightness - Screen rotation lock - Text search - Zooming in and out - User library settings - A shortcut and a collection of recently read books - Collection functions based on reading situation - Adding e-books by file sharing feature such as AirDrop, open in, iTunes 3. Provides perfect contents security by viewing without decompressing e-books, and enables efficient use of device storage space.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Namo eBook Reader at Free against iBunkoHD's $6.99. Namo eBook Reader also leads on device support (3 vs 1). iBunkoHD's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 2.0) and review sentiment (58% vs 38%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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
Namo eBook Reader is free to download; iBunkoHD costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
iBunkoHD holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of iBunkoHD's written reviews are positive against 38% of Namo eBook Reader's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iBunkoHD | Namo eBook Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (7 ratings) — better | 2.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews — better | 37.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DWANGO Co., Ltd. | ARASOFT.Co.,Ltd |
Customer experience
iBunkoHD
Namo eBook Reader
In-app purchases
iBunkoHD
No in-app purchases
Namo eBook Reader
No in-app purchases









