# Freading vs Buks

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Buks at 67% against Freading's 17%. Buks also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). Freading's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Freading holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freading has 2.9K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 17% of Freading's written reviews are positive against 67% of Buks's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Freading ships an update every 9 months, Buks every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Freading | Buks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freading/id485015785/reviews)** | [4.3 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buks-ebooks/id1546737092/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.9K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 16.8% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 20 MB | 259 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Library Ideas, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/485015788) | [Dagda KlG](https://appshunter.io/developer/618184526) |

## What reviewers say

### Freading

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freading/id485015785)

This app allows users to read EPUB and PDF books downloaded from participating libraries. It supports Adobe DRM and offers a comfortable reading experience with features like page turning and adjustable text size.

**Highlights:** Read EPUB and PDF books, Adobe DRM support, Tap or swipe page turning, Remembers last page read, Selectable text size

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📚 Wide selection of books
- 🕰 No late fees

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📱 Difficult to navigate and use
- 🔍 Poor search and discovery
- 📚 Limited book selection
- 🔒 Login and authentication issues

**Reported bugs**

- Books fail to download or open
- App crashes when trying to access downloaded books
- Login process is unreliable and inconsistent

**Requested features**

- Improve app stability and reliability
- Enhance user interface and navigation
- Expand book selection and search capabilities
- Streamline login and authentication process


### Buks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buks-ebooks/id1546737092)

Access over 60,000 free ebooks across many languages. Discover new titles with intuitive search and AI-generated cover art. Send books directly to your Kindle or other readers, or read them within the app.

**Highlights:** 60,000+ free ebooks, AI-generated cover art, Send to Kindle, EPUB and MOBI download, In-app ebook reader, Dark mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Freading free?

Freading is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Buks free?

Buks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Freading or Buks?

Freading is rated higher. Freading averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while Buks averages 4.3 from 10 ratings.

### Do Freading or Buks have ads?

Buks shows ads; Freading does not.

### Which is updated more often, Freading or Buks?

Freading ships an update every 9 months, and Buks every 3 weeks. Most recently, Freading was updated on October 26, 2026 and Buks on October 24, 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.*