# Smooth Reader vs 読書尚友

The clearest difference is price: 読書尚友 at Free against Smooth Reader's $3.99. 読書尚友 also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Smooth Reader's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On ratings volume, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

読書尚友 holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Smooth Reader's written reviews are positive against 50% of 読書尚友's.

Smooth Reader ships an update every 2 months, 読書尚友 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smooth Reader | 読書尚友 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smooth-reader/id423956172/reviews) | **[4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1579254502/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 34 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Personal Media Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/379885557) | [hishida](https://appshunter.io/developer/314082596) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### 読書尚友

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1579254502)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 広告削除 | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smooth Reader free?

Smooth Reader costs $3.99, and also offers 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, Smooth Reader or 読書尚友?

読書尚友 is rated higher. Smooth Reader averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while 読書尚友 averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Smooth Reader or 読書尚友 have ads?

読書尚友 shows ads; Smooth Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Smooth Reader or 読書尚友?

Smooth Reader ships an update every 2 months, and 読書尚友 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Smooth Reader was updated on June 5, 2026 and 読書尚友 on September 21, 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.*