Comparison

eBhandara vs Éist

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

eBhandara

Features
Read full description

The City Central Library has established a digital library that caters to the need of the library user community. The digital library functions on an access methodology within the library and remotely for new-generation users. The city central digital library remains open on all working days. The digital library has collections of e-books, e-journals, and all types of e-resources. It contains resources from various disciplines. The City central library provides services such as a web library, reprographic facilities, and bibliographic reference and information to the public.

About

Éist

Transform your EPUB and PDF files into natural-sounding audiobooks with on-device AI voices. Enjoy offline listening, read-along features, and a private experience with no tracking or ads. Access a vast library of public-domain books.

Highlights
  • Convert EPUB/PDF to audiobook
  • Offline AI voice narration
  • Read-along word highlighting
  • Adjustable playback speed
  • Sleep timer
  • Background playback
  • Import from device
  • Browse Project Gutenberg
Features
Read full description

Unlimited books and unlimited listening, free. No ads, no account, no catch. Éist turns any EPUB or PDF into a natural-sounding audiobook — offline once a voice is downloaded, with Read-along that lights up each word exactly as you hear it. Éist (pronounced "esht", Irish for "listen") uses on-device AI voices to read your ebooks aloud. Import a file, pick a voice, press play. Your library stays on your device and works with no internet once a voice is downloaded. No ads, ever. READ ALONG AS YOU LISTEN As the voice narrates, each word appears one at a time, perfectly in sync with the audio, with the focal letter highlighted — so your eyes stay on the page and your focus stays on the story. Tap the bolt icon while listening to switch it on, and use the sync dial to fine-tune the timing. Great for focus, following along, and language learning. LISTEN TO ANY BOOK Import any EPUB or PDF from your device and Éist reads it aloud with remarkably natural AI voices. Perfect for commutes, workouts, chores, or winding down at the end of the day. EXPRESSIVE AI VOICES Choose from a curated selection of on-device voice engines — Kokoro, Piper and Supertonic. Each has a distinct character and accent, across dozens of languages. Preview before you commit, and switch any time mid-book. SMART AHEAD-OF-PLAYBACK SYNTHESIS Éist pre-generates audio ahead of where you're listening, so playback is seamless. Chapters you've already heard replay instantly from your local cache. FULL PLAYBACK CONTROLS - Adjustable speed (0.5x-3.0x) - Sleep timer - Background playback with lock-screen and Control Centre controls - Chapter navigation, skip forward / back WORKS OFFLINE, CLOUD OPTIONAL Download a voice once and listen with no connection. Your books, your progress and your synthesised audio live on your device. New on iPhone: Cloud Assist starts our best voice, Kokoro, straight away, before it has downloaded, and can help with your own books on Wi-Fi. It keeps no book text and no audio, and you can turn it off any time in Settings. DISCOVER FREE BOOKS Browse and download thousands of free public-domain books from Project Gutenberg, right inside the app. PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST No account required. No ads. We never sell your data. Usage and diagnostic data help us improve Éist; you can turn off analytics in Settings. Email is entirely optional: we only ask if you'd like a reminder before your trial ends, or if you choose to join our newsletter. Your book files, saved position and synthesised audio stay on your device. With Cloud Assist on, upcoming text excerpts are sent to prepare speech. It keeps no book text or audio, just an app-generated installation ID, daily usage counts and short-lived technical records. ÉIST PREMIUM Unlimited books and listening are free, forever. No credits, no per-book cost. The free plan includes 3 voices. Éist Premium unlocks all 60+ voices, unlimited read-along and more, with a 7-day free trial on the annual plan. - Every AI voice engine and voice - Unlimited read-along - Premium themes and font families - Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase - Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends - Manage or cancel any time in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions Privacy Policy: https://eist.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://eist.app/terms

Screenshots

eBhandara4 screens
Éist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: eBhandara at none against Éist's 5. eBhandara also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Éist sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. eBhandara asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
eBhandara versus Éist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametereBhandaraÉist
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—82.4% of reviews
Number of ratings—28 — better
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB246 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInformatics Publishing LimitedWilliam O'Meara

In-app purchases

None

eBhandara

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Éist

Subscriptions5
  • Eist Premium1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Eist Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$33.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Eist Premium (Annual)1 Month trial$33.991 Year
  • Premium Annual$33.991 Year

Questions

Is eBhandara free?
eBhandara is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Éist free?
Éist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do eBhandara or Éist have ads?
Neither eBhandara nor Éist shows ads.

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