# Bluefire Reader vs Books Reader

The clearest difference is price: Books Reader at Free against Bluefire Reader's $4.99. Bluefire Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ratings volume (4.1K vs 22). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Books Reader is free to download; Bluefire Reader costs $4.99 up front. Books Reader sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Bluefire Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Bluefire Reader against 4.7 for Books Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluefire Reader has 4.1K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Bluefire Reader's written reviews are positive against 38% of Books Reader's.

Bluefire Reader ships an update every 2 months, Books Reader every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bluefire Reader | Books Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluefire-reader/id394275498/reviews) | **[4.7 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/books-reader-pocket-library/id1550557954/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | **55.3% of reviews** | 37.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#63** | — |
| Size | 21 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluefire Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/394275501) | [Villow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1550558286) |

## What reviewers say

### Bluefire Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluefire-reader/id394275498)

**Currently charting:** #63 Top Paid · Book (US App Store)

This application allows users to read EPUB and PDF ebooks on their iPhone or iPad. It supports Adobe® Content Server protected content from various retailers, publishers, and libraries, offering features like bookmarking, notes, and search for a customized reading experience.

**Highlights:** Read EPUB and PDF ebooks, Supports Adobe Content Server protected content, Bookmarking and notes, Search functionality, Customizable reading experience, Collections management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Excellent ePub reader
- 🌙 Useful night mode
- 📚 Organizes library well
- 🎨 Customizable font and layout
- 🔍 Convenient search and navigation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 📍 Loses page position when reopening
- 🔍 Inconsistent search and bookmark behavior
- 🔧 Outdated and lacking updates
- 🔒 Adobe DRM integration issues

**Reported bugs**

- Incompatible with latest iOS versions
- Blank pages when opening some books
- Incorrect page numbering and navigation
- Unreliable bookmarking and note-taking

**Requested features**

- Sync reading progress across devices
- Improved highlighting and annotation tools
- Vertical scrolling option
- Customizable highlight colors
- Integrated dictionary/reference lookup


### Books Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/books-reader-pocket-library/id1550557954)

This app provides a seamless e-reading experience, managing your ebook collection and offering customizable reading settings. It supports various formats and includes features like bookmarking, note-taking, and a read/unread tracker.

**Highlights:** Supports multiple ebook formats (epub, fb2, mobi, PDF), Manages and organizes ebook collections, Customizable text size, color, theme, and brightness, Progress tracking and bookmarking, Note-taking and excerpt selection, Read/unread book tracker, Filtering and search functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Regular donation | $1.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $3.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $5.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $9.99 | per month |
| Donation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $3.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $5.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $9.99 | one-time |
| Custom Fonts & Themes | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bluefire Reader free?

Bluefire Reader costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Books Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bluefire Reader or Books Reader?

Books Reader is rated higher. Bluefire Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while Books Reader averages 4.7 from 22 ratings.

### Do Bluefire Reader or Books Reader have ads?

Neither Bluefire Reader nor Books Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bluefire Reader or Books Reader?

Bluefire Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Books Reader every 3 months. Most recently, Bluefire Reader was updated on October 16, 2026 and Books Reader on October 10, 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.*