# SideBooks vs WhiteBook*

The clearest difference is ads: SideBooks at none against WhiteBook*'s shown. SideBooks also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SideBooks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and WhiteBook* sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, WhiteBook* monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SideBooks | WhiteBook* |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidebooks/id409777225/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **97** | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tatsumi-system Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/409777230) | [Tatsuya Fujisaka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1629171916) |

## What reviewers say

### SideBooks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidebooks/id409777225)

This app offers a high-performance PDF and comic viewer with realistic paper-turning animations. It supports various viewing directions, enhanced bookshelf management, and secure password protection for your documents. Easily import files from multiple sources and enjoy a customizable reading experience.

**Highlights:** Realistic paper curl animation, Multiple viewing directions, Enhanced bookshelf management, Password protection, Dropbox and iTunes file import, Supports PDF, ZIP, CBZ, RAR, CBR

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Thema extension Add-On | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth page turning
- 📚 Great for reading comics and manga
- 🗂️ Excellent folder organization
- 🔍 Useful search and table of contents features
- 💻 Seamless Dropbox integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when loading large files
- 🚫 Limited file format support (no CBZ/CBR)
- 🔍 Difficult to find and delete books
- 🔒 Requires Dropbox access, no local file support
- 🔍 Small thumbnail size makes it hard to browse

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening certain PDF files
- Corrupted files cause repeated crashes
- Dropbox integration issues on some devices

**Requested features**

- Add support for ePub and other popular formats
- Implement iCloud/Google Drive integration
- Allow manual rearrangement of bookshelf
- Add dark mode and customizable background options
- Improve bookmark and annotation features


### WhiteBook*

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whitebook/id1629171914)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WhiteBook* plus | $3.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SideBooks free?

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

### Is WhiteBook* free?

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

### Do SideBooks or WhiteBook* have ads?

WhiteBook* shows ads; SideBooks does not.

### Which is updated more often, SideBooks or WhiteBook*?

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, and WhiteBook* monthly. Most recently, SideBooks was updated on September 25, 2026 and WhiteBook* on September 9, 2026.

---

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