# 起点读书 vs 掌閱iReader

The clearest difference is rating: 起点读书 at 3.8 against 掌閱iReader's 3.3. 起点读书 also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (43% vs 28%). 掌閱iReader's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 起点读书 sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and 掌閱iReader sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

起点读书 holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 起点读书 has 2.1K ratings behind it against 180, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of 起点读书's written reviews are positive against 28% of 掌閱iReader's.

起点读书 ships an update weekly, 掌閱iReader every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | 起点读书 | 掌閱iReader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.8 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id534174796/reviews)** | [3.3 (180 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ireader/id1050576032/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 180 |
| Positive reviews | **43.1% of reviews** | 28.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#38** | — |
| Size | 241 MB | 132 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [起点中文网](https://appshunter.io/developer/514238850) | [HK IReader Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1110639431) |

## What reviewers say

### 起点读书

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id534174796)

**Currently charting:** #38 Top Grossing · Book, #153 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access a vast library of original Chinese web novels, audiobooks, and comics. Engage with authors, discover curated book lists, and enjoy a seamless reading experience with smart recommendations and cloud synchronization.

**Highlights:** Vast library of original web novels, Audiobook and comic collection, Author interaction and community, Curated book lists, Personalized recommendations, Cloud synchronization, Free new releases

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 起点会员卡 - 连续包月 | $1.49 | per month |
| 起点会员卡·连续包月 | $2.99 | per month |
| 100点 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 600点 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1200点 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 900点 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2500点 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 3000点 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 5000点 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 176.4万字 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 9800点 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 29800点 | $44.99 | one-time |
| 64800点 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient reading experience
- 📚 Wide selection of books
- 🎧 Good audio narration
- 💰 Frequent free content and promotions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Expensive subscription and content
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find books
- 🔌 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Restrictive DRM and account management
- 🤖 Poor quality of machine-translated books

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Login and account issues
- Syncing and progress tracking problems
- Unreliable in-app purchases and billing

**Requested features**

- Add English translation option
- Improve search and discovery features
- Provide more transparency on content ownership
- Optimize app performance and battery life


### 掌閱iReader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ireader/id1050576032)

This app offers a comfortable reading experience with a vast library of authorized novels. Explore diverse genres and popular titles, with personalized settings and timely updates. Discover new stories and connect with fellow readers.

**Highlights:** Massive library of authorized novels, Diverse genres including romance, fantasy, and sci-fi, Personalized reading settings (font, background, night mode), Timely updates and notifications for new chapters, Popular novel rankings and recommendations, User-friendly interface with smooth page turning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 600 iCoins | $0.99 | one-time |
| VIP of 1 month | $3.99 | one-time |
| 3000 iCoins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 6000 iCoins | $9.99 | one-time |
| VIP of 3 months | $10.99 | one-time |
| 12000 Coins | $19.99 | one-time |
| 18000 iCoins | $29.99 | one-time |
| VIP of 12 months | $39.99 | one-time |
| 30000iCons | $49.99 | one-time |
| 60000閲餠 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Extensive free book resources available
- ⬆️ File upload feature from PC to phone
- 👁️ Eye-care reading modes
- 🎨 User-friendly interface (in older versions)
- 🔊 Text-to-speech/audio reading functionality (previously)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive advertisements throughout app
- 🐛 App crashes and won't open
- 🌐 Forced traditional Chinese characters only
- 🗑️ Removed text-to-speech audio reading feature
- ❌ Missing simplified Chinese language option

**Reported bugs**

- App won't open or displays blank page
- PDF documents cannot be opened
- TXT file import errors
- iOS 13 compatibility crashes
- Automatic forced updates to traditional Chinese

**Requested features**

- Full-screen page turning functionality
- Landscape view mode
- Simplified Chinese language support
- Text translation/lookup feature
- Automatic scrolling reading mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 起点读书 free?

起点读书 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 掌閱iReader free?

掌閱iReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 起点读书 or 掌閱iReader?

起点读书 is rated higher. 起点读书 averages 3.8 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while 掌閱iReader averages 3.3 from 180 ratings.

### Do 起点读书 or 掌閱iReader have ads?

Both 起点读书 and 掌閱iReader show ads.

### Which is updated more often, 起点读书 or 掌閱iReader?

起点读书 ships an update weekly, and 掌閱iReader every 3 weeks. Most recently, 起点读书 was updated on October 26, 2026 and 掌閱iReader on October 26, 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.*