Comparison

iBunkoS vs SORARI

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

Head to head
About

iBunkoS

This app offers a realistic paper book reading experience on your iPhone, supporting various file formats like TXT, PDF, and comics. It includes features like a digital bookshelf, bookmarking with notes, and dictionary lookups.

Highlights
  • Realistic paper book interface
  • Supports TXT, PDF, CBZ, CBR files
  • 230+ built-in books and Aozora Bunko access
  • Customizable bookshelf and bookmarks
  • File transfer via USB, cloud, and servers
  • Dictionary lookup integration
  • Passcode lock for privacy
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

iBunkoS provides you the best way to read novels, documents and comic books on iPhone. Thanks to a realistic interface, you can enjoy reading as you would with a real paper book. Reading on your iPhone is now easier than ever! This is a great iPhone app for all the book lovers! Read books and comics in vertical setting with comfort ・Support both horizontal (left open) and vertical (right open) writings. ・The app automatically detects the binding direction of a PDF document. Double page spread and page effect ・When viewed landscape mode, the pages switch to the double page spread. The pages containing landscape format images are automatically treated as a double page spread. ・You can "flip" pages just like reading a real paper book. Feature about 230 built-in books and "Aozora Bunko" ・ You can download a book with simple controls from "Aozora Bunko", the Japanese digital library that provides copyright-free Japanese literary works. ・ The app comes with the well-known books from "Aozora Bunko". "Bookshelf" function ・Create a bookshelf as you need. ・You can easily choose a book you'd like to read by browsing the book covers displayed on the shelf. "Bookmark" function ・You can place as many bookmarks as you want and add notes on it. ・Select text as a bookmark in order to highlight the sentence. Supported file formats. iBunkoS supports the following file formats as books: - .txt, .pdf - .zip, .rar (containing .txt or .jpg/.png files) - .cbz, .cbr Transfer files ・Transfer the files using iTunes 'File Sharing' via the USB cable as well as via Dropbox, SkyDrive, pogoplug, Box, SugarSync. The app also supports both the WebDAV and the FTP servers. Utilize data from PDF ・Support the table of contents or hyperlinks on the file. ・Select and search words (when the data contains text). ・Using our own processing technology, app can select a Japanese words smoothly. Smart screen design removing the white space ・Eliminate unnecessary white space for better readability on the screen. Thumbnails of pages show quick reference for where you'd like to read ・List the page thumbnails at the bottom of the screen or in the full screen. ・The page with bookmarks will be attached a mark. You can also display only the page thumbnails which contain bookmarks. History back pages ・Viewed pages are saved in history so you can easily go back to the previous page. Look up words in the dictionary ・You can use the iPhone's built-in dictionary as well as other dictionary apps that support custom URL schemes. ・Just select text and tap the button to look up the word. Passcode lock ・You can set passcode lock on specific bookshelves or the "folder" screen that stored transferred files. Various page settings ・Available various settings such as enable/disable the flipping effect or change the position of the tap control. ・Customize your iBunkoS to suit your own preferences! You will find many more convenient functions and settings.

About

SORARI

Access and read Japanese literature from Aozora Bunko. Customize font size, color, and layout for a comfortable reading experience. Discover new and popular books with daily updates and monthly rankings.

Highlights
  • Access Aozora Bunko library
  • Customizable font size and color
  • Adjustable margins and line spacing
  • Beautiful ruby and wordwrap layout
  • Daily book additions
  • Monthly popular book rankings
Features
Read full description

◆Let me present to you SORARI "SORARI" is an application that you can read books published in Aozora Bunko. It corresponds to the latest iPhone · iPad, and layouts ruby and wordwrap beautifully. You can also set font size, color, margin and line spacing. ◆Let's search for your favorite books In Aozora Bunko, new books are added every day. Also, books that were popular every month are ranked. If you use "SORARI", you will surely find a book of your choice. ◆About advertisement We will display advertisements in each part of the application. Please understand that development and administration are covered by advertisement revenue. In addition, it is also possible to delete advertisements in in-app billing. 【Latest information】 We inform you of the latest information at this URL. You can also inquire about points and bug information you care about here. Please do not hesitate to contact us. https://sorariblog.wordpress.com/

Screenshots

iBunkoS4 screens
SORARI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SORARI at Free against iBunkoS's $2.99. SORARI also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (71% vs 51%). iBunkoS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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

SORARI is free to download; iBunkoS costs $2.99 up front. SORARI sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. iBunkoS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SORARI holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 39 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of iBunkoS's written reviews are positive against 71% of SORARI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
iBunkoS versus SORARI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriBunkoSSORARI
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (9 ratings)4.8 (39 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.2% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings939 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#63 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDWANGO Co., Ltd.satoshi kumagai

Customer experience

iBunkoS

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews86 reviews
Positive51.2%
Neutral15.1%
Negative33.7%

SORARI

All ratings39 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

None

iBunkoS

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

SORARI

One-time2
  • Front cover$0.99
  • DeleteAds$1.99

Questions

Is iBunkoS free?
iBunkoS costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SORARI free?
SORARI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iBunkoS or SORARI?
SORARI is rated higher. iBunkoS averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while SORARI averages 4.8 from 39 ratings.
Do iBunkoS or SORARI have ads?
SORARI shows ads; iBunkoS does not.
Which is updated more often, iBunkoS or SORARI?
iBunkoS ships an update every 2 months, and SORARI every 2 months. Most recently, iBunkoS was updated on October 14, 2026 and SORARI on October 15, 2026.

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