Monocle vs Reads.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Monocle
This app allows readers to connect and discuss books by sharing highlights, notes, and creating visual "book stories." It features an AI companion to answer questions about the text and a discovery feed for new reads and fellow readers.
- Share highlights and notes
- Create book stories with visuals
- AI companion for text analysis
- Discover new books and readers
- Public and private note options
- Context-aware AI questions
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Read Together, Think Deeper. Monocle brings curious readers into one vibrant space to highlight, discuss, and discover books in new ways. What You Can Do 1. Share Highlights & Notes • Mark any passage and add text, images, or GIFs. Make your note public for conversation or keep it private for later. 2. Create Snippets (Book Stories) • Capture a quote, layer on visuals or doodles, and publish a story-style post that sparks instant engagement. 3. Ask Beacon (AI Companion) • Unsure about a theme, reference, or character arc? Want to learn more about a particular topic? Beacon answers context-aware questions right inside the book. 4. Discover New Reads • Follow readers you admire, browse trending notes, and get smart recommendations based on the ideas you love. Reading is richer when it’s social. Download Monocle and bring your books to life—one highlight, question, and conversation at a time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Reads.
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Reads. is a quiet EPUB reader, made for the simple joy of reading. Built for people who love books — the ones who read in bed, in cafés, on commutes, on rainy afternoons. The ones who turn pages slowly, who care about typography, who want their reading time to feel like reading time. — A QUIET PLACE TO READ — No store. No ads. No notifications begging for your attention. Just you and the book. — BEAUTIFUL TYPOGRAPHY — Three carefully chosen serif fonts: Literata, Lora, EB Garamond. Each selected for one purpose — long, comfortable reading. — FOUR THEMES FOR EVERY LIGHT — - Paper — warm and gentle, like an old book - Pure White — crisp and modern - Sepia — easy on the eyes for long sessions - Night — quiet for late hours — THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER — Highlight passages in four colors. Add notes that stay with the page. Bookmark where you left off. Search inside any book. The simple tools, done right. — PDF SUPPORT TOO — Reads. opens PDFs as well — research papers, technical documents, anything you bring. Reading-first, always. — PRIVACY-FIRST, ALWAYS — Your books, your highlights, your notes — they never leave your device. No cloud sync by default. No tracking. No analytics on what you read. Reads. respects that reading is private. — OPEN FORMATS — EPUB (W3C standard) and PDF (ISO 32000) — the formats publishers, libraries, and indie authors actually use. No DRM. Your books are yours. — FREE TO TRY — 14 days of every premium feature, no credit card. Then choose: - Annual: $19.99/year (with Apple's 14-day free trial) - Lifetime: $59.99 once, no recurring Pay once, read forever — for those tired of subscription fatigue. — FOR THE BOOKS YOU BRING — Most reading apps want to sell you books. Reads. just wants to read them with you. The EPUB you've been meaning to start. The one you're halfway through. The one you re-read every winter. They live on your device, not in someone else's cloud. Reads. is for the books you bring, not the books you buy. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6764821898 Privacy Policy: https://ahmetklck.github.io/reads-privacy/privacy-policy.html Support: readsapp.support@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Reads. at daily against Monocle's every 2 days. Reads. also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). 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
Both are free to download. Monocle sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Reads. sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Monocle ships an update every 2 days, Reads. daily. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Monocle | Reads. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 119 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Monocle Group Inc. | Ahmet KILCIK |
In-app purchases
Monocle
- Monocle AI$3.991 Month
- Monocle AI$35.991 Year
Reads.
- Annual14 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Lifetime$59.99









