# De Speld vs Read Lotus

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: De Speld at none against Read Lotus's 3. Read Lotus's advantage is iOS requirement (10.3 vs 15.5). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Read Lotus sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. De Speld asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for De Speld against 5.0 for Read Lotus. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

De Speld ships an update every 17 months, Read Lotus every 26 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | De Speld | Read Lotus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/de-speld/id592223490/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-lotus/id1441103711/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 17 months** | Every 26 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 182 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **10.3** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [De Speld](https://appshunter.io/developer/592223493) | [Immer Systems B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/766557160) |

## What reviewers say

### De Speld

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/de-speld/id592223490)

Access news from the Netherlands' most trusted source and receive push notifications for the latest updates. Watch the newest videos directly within the app.

**Highlights:** Trusted Dutch news source, Push notifications for latest news, Latest video content, Free to download

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Read Lotus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-lotus/id1441103711)

Experience a meditative novella with immersive sound, color, and animations. This narrative journey follows a programmer's experiences and is enhanced by unique reading inventions. Enjoy a feature-length story with additional short tales.

**Highlights:** Meditative novella experience, Enriched with sound, color, and animations, Interactive narrative journey, Unique reading inventions (progress ring), Feature-length story (approx. 90 min reading time), Includes three short stories, Available in English and Dutch

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Short story: Tunnels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Short story: Lens | $0.99 | one-time |
| The full story | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is De Speld free?

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

### Is Read Lotus free?

Read Lotus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, De Speld or Read Lotus?

De Speld and Read Lotus are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do De Speld or Read Lotus have ads?

Neither De Speld nor Read Lotus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, De Speld or Read Lotus?

De Speld ships an update every 17 months, and Read Lotus every 26 months. Most recently, De Speld was updated on October 23, 2026 and Read Lotus on October 15, 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.*