# ArtScroll Digital Library vs Magnes Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ArtScroll Digital Library at 57% against Magnes Reader's 13%. ArtScroll Digital Library also leads on rating (3.9 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). Magnes Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 23) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ArtScroll Digital Library sells 23 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Magnes Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ArtScroll Digital Library holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArtScroll Digital Library has 144 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of ArtScroll Digital Library's written reviews are positive against 13% of Magnes Reader's.

ArtScroll Digital Library ships an update every 3 weeks, Magnes Reader every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArtScroll Digital Library | Magnes Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artscroll-digital-library/id536661409/reviews)** | [1.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magnes-reader/id1462258983/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **144** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **56.6% of reviews** | 12.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 108 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ArtScroll Mesorah Publications](https://appshunter.io/developer/536661412) | [C.D.I. SYSTEMS (1992) LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1229669584) |

## What reviewers say

### ArtScroll Digital Library

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artscroll-digital-library/id536661409)

Access a vast digital library of religious texts, including Talmud, Chumashim, Mishnah, and Siddurim. Features like page-syncing, floating translations, and customizable views enhance your study and prayer experience. Offline access and flexible purchasing options are available.

**Highlights:** Offline access, Page-syncing, Floating translation, Split screen view, Customizable popovers, Interactive commentaries, Resizable text

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

**In-app purchases (23)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Schottenstein Talmud Digital English Monthly Daf Yomi Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Complete Digital Library | $9.99 | per month |
| All Library Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| RustyBrick Siddur to ArtScroll Smart Siddur Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #15 Succah 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #64 Chullin 4 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #63 Chullin 3 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #62 Chullin 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #61 Chullin 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #57 Zevachim 3 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #56 Zevachim 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #22 Chagigah Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #55 Zevachim 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #53 Avodah Zarah 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #51 Shevuos Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #02 Berachos 2 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #03 Shabbos 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #20 Megillah Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #41 Bava Metzia 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #01 Berachos 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Tanach - Edition | $9.99 | one-time |
| ArtScroll Smart Siddur Wasserman Edition | $9.99 | one-time |
| Talmud English #44 Bava Basra 1 Digital Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Comprehensive digital library with extensive content
- 🔗 Useful hyperlinks and cross-references for studying
- 💡 Innovative popup features for translations and footnotes
- 🎯 Helpful highlighting and note-taking capabilities
- 🔍 Powerful search functionality across texts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐢 Extremely slow performance and loading times
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and app instability
- 😤 Clunky, outdated user interface design
- 🎯 Easy to accidentally click wrong elements
- ❌ No PC/desktop application available

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup
- Password authentication not working despite correct credentials
- App crashes when accessing store
- Crashes in airplane mode
- Crashes when using table of contents links

**Requested features**

- Complete app redesign with modern, minimalistic interface
- Desktop/PC application version
- Faster performance optimization
- One-time purchase option instead of subscription only
- Discount for users who own physical copies


### Magnes Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magnes-reader/id1462258983)

Access and read your purchased e-books from Magnes Press anywhere, even offline. This app synchronizes your reading progress across devices and allows for easy navigation, searching, and note-taking within your digital library.

**Highlights:** Offline reading, Cross-device synchronization, Page and chapter navigation, Word search functionality, Zoom in/out, Bookmarks and notes, PDF support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArtScroll Digital Library free?

ArtScroll Digital Library is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Magnes Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ArtScroll Digital Library or Magnes Reader?

ArtScroll Digital Library is rated higher. ArtScroll Digital Library averages 3.9 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Magnes Reader averages 1.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do ArtScroll Digital Library or Magnes Reader have ads?

Neither ArtScroll Digital Library nor Magnes Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ArtScroll Digital Library or Magnes Reader?

ArtScroll Digital Library ships an update every 3 weeks, and Magnes Reader every 6 months. Most recently, ArtScroll Digital Library was updated on October 12, 2026 and Magnes Reader on September 29, 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.*