# SideBooks vs Smooth Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SideBooks at 72% against Smooth Reader's 25%. SideBooks also leads on price (Free vs $3.99) and rating (4.6 vs 1.0). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

SideBooks is free to download; Smooth Reader costs $3.99 up front. SideBooks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Smooth Reader sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SideBooks holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SideBooks has 97 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of SideBooks's written reviews are positive against 25% of Smooth Reader's.

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, Smooth Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SideBooks | Smooth Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidebooks/id409777225/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smooth-reader/id423956172/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **97** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **72.4% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 32 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tatsumi-system Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/409777230) | [Personal Media Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/379885557) |

## 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


### Smooth Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smooth-reader/id423956172)

This app offers a fast and smooth PDF reading experience, mimicking the feel of physical books. It features a unique "Home View" for enlarged text reading and a dynamic 3D perspective library for easy book discovery and organization.

**Highlights:** Smooth page turning, Home View for enlarged text, 3D perspective book library, Book categorization with tags, Smart tags for new/recent books, Bookmark management, Table of contents support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TRONWARE VOL.178 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.173 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.176 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.174 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.175 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.172 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.177 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.180 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.179 | $6.99 | one-time |
| TRONWARE VOL.181 | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SideBooks free?

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

### Is Smooth Reader free?

Smooth Reader costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SideBooks or Smooth Reader?

SideBooks is rated higher. SideBooks averages 4.6 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while Smooth Reader averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do SideBooks or Smooth Reader have ads?

Neither SideBooks nor Smooth Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SideBooks or Smooth Reader?

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, and Smooth Reader every 2 months. Most recently, SideBooks was updated on September 29, 2026 and Smooth Reader on June 5, 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.*