# SideBooks vs iPublishCentral Reader

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.

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

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.

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, iPublishCentral Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SideBooks | iPublishCentral Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidebooks/id409777225/reviews)** | [3.7 (156 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipublishcentral-reader/id510322929/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 97 | **156** |
| Positive reviews | **73.7% of reviews** | 19.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 32 MB | 178 MB |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tatsumi-system Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/409777230) | [iPublishCentral](https://appshunter.io/developer/419606382) |

## 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


### iPublishCentral Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipublishcentral-reader/id510322929)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 15, 2026 and iPublishCentral Reader on October 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.*