Comparison

iBunkoHD vs SORARI

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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)
Features
Read full description

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.

About

SORARI

Features
Currently charting
Read full description

!!"SORARI - nonAD" is a buy-only version that does not display ads. Other than that, it is exactly the same as "SORARI". ◆Let me present to you SORARI "SORARI" is an application that you can read books published in Aozora Bunko. It corresponds to the latest iPhone · iPad, and layouts ruby and wordwrap beautifully. You can also set font size, color, margin and line spacing. ◆Let's search for your favorite books In Aozora Bunko, new books are added every day. Also, books that were popular every month are ranked. If you use "SORARI", you will surely find a book of your choice. 【Latest information】 We inform you of the latest information at this URL. You can also inquire about points and bug information you care about here. Please do not hesitate to contact us. https://sorariblog.wordpress.com/

Screenshots

SORARI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iBunkoHD at none against SORARI's 1. SORARI's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $6.99) and chart position (#103 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

iBunkoHD costs $6.99 and SORARI $1.99 up front. SORARI sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iBunkoHD asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iBunkoHD ships an update every 2 months, SORARI every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
iBunkoHD versus SORARI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriBunkoHDSORARI
Price$6.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews58.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank—#103 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDWANGO Co., Ltd.satoshi kumagai

In-app purchases

None

iBunkoHD

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SORARI

One-time1
  • Front cover$0.99

Questions

Is iBunkoHD free?
iBunkoHD costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SORARI free?
SORARI costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do iBunkoHD or SORARI have ads?
Neither iBunkoHD nor SORARI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iBunkoHD or SORARI?
iBunkoHD ships an update every 2 months, and SORARI every 4 months. Most recently, iBunkoHD was updated on September 22, 2026 and SORARI on September 9, 2026.

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