Comparison

iBunkoS vs 読書尚友

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

読書尚友

This app is a Japanese vertical text viewer for iOS, offering access to over 10,000 works from Aozora Bunko and supporting local files. It handles various formats and provides customization options for a comfortable reading experience.

Highlights
  • Supports various file formats (text, HTML, PDF, ePub, images, etc.)
  • Automatic character code detection
  • Browse Aozora Bunko by author, title, genre, and ranking
  • Download books directly from Aozora Bunko
  • Customizable font, size, background, and page direction
  • In-app search and bookmarking
Features
Read full description

読書尚友」はiOS 用の日本語縦書きファイルビューアです。青空文庫で公開されている一万冊以上の作品を快適に読書できます。ローカルファイルのビューアとしても利用できます。 ・テキスト、html、PDF、OOXML(.docx)、ODF(.odt)、ePub、htmlz、画像(jpeg, png,bmp)、zip(書庫内のテキストファイルを表示)に対応 ・文字コード自動判定(Shift_JIS,UTF-8,UTF-16) ・作家別・作品別・分野別(NDC)、公開年別の作品リスト、新規公開作品、アクセスランキング ・書き出しの表示 ・青空文庫からのダウンロード ・本棚 ・マーカー ・ローカルファイルの表示 ・作品名の検索 ・青空文庫の主要な注記に対応 ・目次(青空文庫の見出し注記から作成) ・文書内の文字列検索 ・フォントサイズ、フォントの変更 ・背景色・背景画像 ・ページ方向(縦書き・横書き) ・行頭・行末禁則、自動縦中横

Screenshots

iBunkoS4 screens
読書尚友4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 読書尚友 at Free against iBunkoS's $2.99. 読書尚友 also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). iBunkoS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

読書尚友 is free to download; iBunkoS costs $2.99 up front. 読書尚友 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iBunkoS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iBunkoS holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iBunkoS has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of iBunkoS's written reviews are positive against 50% of 読書尚友's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iBunkoS ships an update every 2 months, 読書尚友 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
iBunkoS versus 読書尚友: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriBunkoS読書尚友
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (9 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews58.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#169 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDWANGO Co., Ltd.hishida

Customer experience

iBunkoS

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral14.6%
Negative27.1%

読書尚友

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral27.8%
Negative22.2%

In-app purchases

None

iBunkoS

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

読書尚友

One-time1
  • 広告削除$1.99

Questions

Is iBunkoS free?
iBunkoS costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is 読書尚友 free?
読書尚友 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iBunkoS or 読書尚友?
iBunkoS is rated higher. iBunkoS averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while 読書尚友 averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do iBunkoS or 読書尚友 have ads?
読書尚友 shows ads; iBunkoS does not.
Which is updated more often, iBunkoS or 読書尚友?
iBunkoS ships an update every 2 months, and 読書尚友 every 2 weeks. Most recently, iBunkoS was updated on September 22, 2026 and 読書尚友 on September 21, 2026.

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