Comparison

SideBooks vs iPublishCentral Reader

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

Head to head
About

SideBooks

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
Read full description

SideBooks is a high performance, high speed PDF viewer that allows you to enjoy reading with the feel of actual paper. =Features= Curl animation that simulates the actual turning of paper pages has been added to the standard page slide function. Supports viewing from 3 directions, documents that open left to right, right to left and vertically. It provides the optimal environment for viewing any book. All zoom rates have been optimized providing high speed, dynamic screen display. An infinite hierarchy of folders can be created, moved, deleted, renamed, etc. using the enhanced bookshelf management function. Real visual bookshelf function that corresponds to back cover style display. Files can be imported by 3 methods, Network transfer through Dropbox, USB transfer through iTunes and direct transfer from other applications. Books can be protected so others cannot view them by using the password protected locking function. This is a universal application that operates on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. =Functions= Overall: *Brightness Adjustment *Screen rotates to match the orientation of the device *Screen Rotation Lock *Password Protected Start-up Lock Viewer: *Support PDF,ZIP,CBZ,RAR and CBR format *Page Turning: Choose from slide or curl *Viewing Directions: Choose from opening left to right / right to left / vertically *Page Spacing: Choose form wide / narrow / none *Facing Pages: Choose the pair of facing pages by setting the cover to on or off *Trim function within the range of page display *Cache pre-read function for the previous and next pages *Set the display for each book and remember the page number of the last page read *Text search function (list display type) *Contents function (also supports hierarchy type) *Bookmark function (with editable memos) *Edit handwritten notes *Send to other applications (Open-In) *Send by email *Printing function (Air Print) *In-page link function *Link to outside URL function (built-in browser / Safari / Printing) *Display / Don't Display link buttons *Page turning function using tap or swipe *Expansion / Contraction function using pinch and double tap (1-1024x zoom) *Viewing of encrypted PDF files with password protection *Display / non-display of statusbar when reading Bookshelf: *Display form: Choose form list bookshelf / visual bookshelf *Function to set theme of visual bookshelf with each folder *Bookshelf thema extension pack (Add-On) *Cover editing function (corresponds to the trim) *File editing function: create, move, delete, setting for all books in folder *Bookmark list *Reading history list *Unread list *Edit of mark choose form already read / unread *Book name search function *Network transfer through Dropbox *USB transfer through iTunes *Direct transfer from other applications Special thanks to, "Give My Regards to Black Jack" SHUHO SATO Manga on Web http://mangaonweb.com

About

iPublishCentral Reader

Read and manage your digital library with this app. It supports PDF and EPUB formats, allowing you to organize books, customize your reading experience with notes and highlights, and sync progress across devices. Download content from various sources, including cloud storage and email.

Highlights
  • Read PDF and EPUB ebooks
  • Organize books into shelves
  • Add notes and highlights
  • Bookmark pages
  • Sync reading progress across devices
  • Download content from Dropbox and email
  • Customize font, margins, and background
Features
Read full description

With the iPublishCentral Reader App you can read ebooks and content in PDF and EPUB format on your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. You can organize books in to shelves, customize your reading experience, add notes or highlights to specific passages, bookmark a page, and download content from your Dropbox account and e-mails. Your last read page, notes, highlights, and bookmarks are synchronized across devices when network connectivity is available. This synchronizations enables you to pick a book from where you left off on another device. Download ebooks: · From various ebookstores hosted on the iPublishCentral platform · Non-DRM PDF and EPUB content from your e-mails, and Dropbox Customize your reading experience: · Add notes or highlights to specific passages, bookmark pages/locations · Select among four typefaces and adjust font size, set margins · Set background color of the Reader · Switch between horizontal swipe and vertical scroll · Set brightness level Organize: · Organize your ebooks/content by creating shelves Navigation: · Search for specific keywords and navigate to a specific passage by picking a search result · Swipe or scroll to go to previous or next page · Use the page slider to quickly navigate across · Go to specific passages from the table listing the personalizations · Table of contents Formats supported: · Ebooks in PDF format hosted on the iPublishCentral platform · Ebooks in EPUB2 and EPUB3 format hosted on the iPublishCentral platform · Interactive ebooks and audio (read aloud) ebooks hosted on the iPublishCentral platform · Non-DRM PDFs · Non-DRM EPUBs Hope you enjoy reading your ebooks on the iPublishCentral Reader App iPublishCentral Team

Screenshots

SideBooks4 screens
iPublishCentral Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SideBooks at 74% against iPublishCentral Reader's 19%. SideBooks also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). iPublishCentral Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. SideBooks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iPublishCentral Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SideBooks holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 97 and 156 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of SideBooks's written reviews are positive against 19% of iPublishCentral Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, iPublishCentral Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SideBooks versus iPublishCentral Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSideBooksiPublishCentral Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (97 ratings) — better3.7 (156 ratings)
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews — better19.0% of reviews
Number of ratings97156 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.09.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB178 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTatsumi-system Co., Ltd.iPublishCentral

Customer experience

SideBooks

All ratings97 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews518 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative17.2%

iPublishCentral Reader

All ratings156 ratings
Positive65.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative28.2%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive19.0%
Neutral11.9%
Negative69.0%

User reviews

SideBooks

From 97 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

iPublishCentral Reader

From 156 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Nice design, works well
  • 🚀 Swiftly updated
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Nice App, easy to download and read
  • 👍 Keeps notes updated across devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App constantly crashes
  • 🐛 Notes/highlights not synced
  • 🐛 Poorly built app
  • 🐛 No way of writing notes
  • 🐛 Deletes written notes

Bugs and requests

SideBooks

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Implement a more intuitive file management system

iPublishCentral Reader

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • App constantly crashes
  • Notes/highlights not synced between devices
  • Highlighting and note-taking disappears after closing books
  • Vertical scrolling resets to default every time the book is left
  • App crashes every second after last update
Show 14 more
  • Speech to text only works if the app is open
  • Tables in BCSC do not display correctly
  • Highlighting does not work
  • Apple pen support is scarce
  • App consistently fails to 'see' new books
  • App crashes every time a book is attempted to be added
  • App crashes every time the textbook is opened
  • App fails to work more often than not
  • iPad does not recognize password
  • App crashes after highlighting or noting
  • App takes user out to bookshelf upon closing
  • Image quality of radiological pictures is poor
  • Update has made the app worse, does not open
  • Cannot open any downloaded books

Requested features

7 requests
  • Direct link to Bible scripture
  • More colors for underlining
  • Set vertical scrolling preference permanently
  • Support split screen on iPad
  • Improve highlighting function to avoid squares
Show 2 more
  • Allow search and TOC selection
  • Improve image quality for radiological pictures

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SideBooks

One-time1
  • Thema extension Add-On$0.99
None

iPublishCentral Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SideBooks free?
SideBooks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is iPublishCentral Reader free?
iPublishCentral Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SideBooks or iPublishCentral Reader?
SideBooks is rated higher. SideBooks averages 4.6 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while iPublishCentral Reader averages 3.7 from 156 ratings.
Do SideBooks or iPublishCentral Reader have ads?
Neither SideBooks nor iPublishCentral Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SideBooks or iPublishCentral Reader?
SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, and iPublishCentral Reader every 2 months. Most recently, SideBooks was updated on October 13, 2026 and iPublishCentral Reader on October 5, 2026.

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