Comparison

Pubu vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

Pubu

Access a vast library of eBooks and videos from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Subscribe to read unlimited magazines, books, novels, and newspapers across multiple devices and browsers.

Highlights
  • Unlimited eBook and video access
  • Content from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia
  • Read on 4 mobile devices
  • Read on 3 browsers
  • Variety of genres: finance, fashion, leisure, learning
  • High-resolution original copies
Features
Read full description

Choose freely from books, magazines, and audiobooks, enjoy unlimited reading with All You Can Read or borrow from libraries on a per-loan basis—Pubu makes discovering, organizing, and enjoying books feel more personal. .Choose freely: Explore finance, fiction, comics, and everyday reads. Buy individual titles to keep or choose All You Can Read to suit your reading habits. .Read your way: Adjust the font and switch between horizontal and vertical layouts where supported by the EPUB book, making each page fit the way you like to read. .Keep your library organized: Use folders and subfolders for two-level organization. Arrange books by topic or preference so every title has its place. .Find books with less effort: Filter your library by book category, download status, or PDF and EPUB format, making a large collection easier to navigate. .Switch accounts in one tap: After adding a supported library account, switch freely between your personal and library accounts and enjoy their reading services. ■ All You Can Read eBook Subscription Plans: .1 Month USD 4.99 / 3 Months USD 14.99 / 6 Months USD 24.99 / 12 Months USD 44.99 ■ Service Information 1. This service uses automatic renewal. Your subscription renews automatically when the current subscription period ends. You can cancel the next renewal before the current period expires. 2. You can cancel your subscription using the settings and cancellation feature in the app. 3. Your subscription allows shared reading on 6 mobile devices using the same account. If you have already subscribed, you can restore your access to recover your subscription status. ■ Terms of Use https://www.pubu.com.tw/terms

About

Folio

Features
Read full description

Spare minutes, well-read. Folio turns the world's greatest literature into calm, narrated audio you can finish in a single sitting — about eight minutes a piece. A commute, a coffee, the walk home. That's all it takes to spend time with Austen, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Poe, or Homer. ONE CLASSIC FREE, EVERY DAY Pick any book in the library and listen free. A new pick unlocks every day. No account, no sign-up, no clutter — open the app and press play. WHAT'S INSIDE • 546 classics, from Pride and Prejudice to The Odyssey, Dracula to The Great Gatsby • Read-along text that highlights each line as it is spoken • Two narrators — male or female, switch at any time • Adjustable speed, sleep timer, and full lock-screen controls • Keep listening with the screen off, on a walk or a commute • Quiet, distraction-free design in indigo and gold BROWSE BY GENRE OR AUTHOR Russian masters, Victorian novels, Gothic tales, adventure, myth and more — or go straight to Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, or Sherlock Holmes. HONEST ABOUT WHAT THIS IS Naturally short works arrive complete. Longer novels are carefully edited retellings that keep the arc and the finest passages, and every title tells you which it is. The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen for clarity and calm rather than performance. UNLOCK EVERYTHING, ONCE A single purchase opens the entire library — any book, any order, no daily limit, and every title added later. It is not a subscription: nothing renews, and there is nothing to cancel. The classics are waiting. You have eight minutes.

Screenshots

Pubu4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Folio at every 9 days against Pubu's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Pubu sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Folio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pubu ships an update monthly, Folio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Pubu versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPubuFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (201 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews32.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings201 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB65 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperNUAZURE Innovative Technology Co., LtdAkira Takashima

Bugs and requests

Pubu

Reported bugs

24 issues
  • Purchases gone, cannot read
  • Videos not playing after update
  • Login failed after registration
  • Cannot cancel subscriptions
  • Pastes clipboard on opening
Show 19 more
  • Cannot view videos or photos after purchase
  • App crashes when loading videos
  • Photos turn black when viewed individually
  • Downloaded videos not playing
  • Cannot play ePub videos
  • Subscription not recognized
  • Downloads fail frequently
  • Cannot open preview video on some magazines
  • Cannot read purchased magazines, blank pages
  • Video does not play on iPhone
  • App crashes frequently, cannot read purchased books
  • App crashes on startup
  • App exits frequently
  • Cannot download books
  • Cannot use app without internet
  • App crashes immediately after opening
  • App crashes all the time, cannot open books
  • App drains battery
  • Infinite login loop with FB account

Requested features

11 requests
  • Improve dark mode functionality
  • Add English version or translation
  • Support iPhone X display
  • Add more books and magazines
  • Improve search accuracy
Show 6 more
  • Allow horizontal reading on tablets
  • Improve formatting on web version
  • Add more payment options for Japan
  • Allow users to easily re-install purchased books
  • Make purchase history clearer with images
  • Allow users to cancel subscriptions easily

Folio

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Pubu

Subscriptions8
  • All You Can Read for one month$4.991 Month
  • Homer Romance Novels one month$6.991 Month
  • All You Can Read for 3 months$14.993 Months
Show 5 more
  • All You Can Read for 6 months$24.996 Months
  • All You Can Read for one year$44.991 Year
  • Homer Romance Novels one year$69.991 Year
  • Manager Today Channel$75.991 Year
  • Master 60 for one year$84.991 Year
One-time4
  • iGold 360$12.99
  • iGold 530$18.99
  • iGold 1030$36.99
Show 1 more
  • iGold 2090$74.99
1 purchases

Folio

One-time1
  • Complete Library$6.99

Questions

Is Pubu free?
Pubu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pubu or Folio have ads?
Neither Pubu nor Folio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pubu or Folio?
Pubu ships an update monthly, and Folio every 9 days. Most recently, Pubu was updated on November 1, 2026 and Folio on October 31, 2026.

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