Comparison

Synopsia vs Bukai

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

Head to head
About

Synopsia

Access key ideas from top books in audio summaries. Learn new concepts quickly, whether you're commuting or relaxing. Offers a vast library, speed control, and offline listening.

Highlights
  • Extensive library of book summaries
  • Bionic Reading for faster absorption
  • Adjustable font size and speed control
  • Subtitles and automatic video player
  • Offline book summary downloads
  • Learn new words and access key points
Features
Read full description

Synopsia is your ultimate audio book summary app, offering instant access to the key ideas of the best works. Whether you're on the go, cooking, or just taking a break, Synopsia broadens your horizons by allowing you to quickly discover key concepts. Features: Extended Library: Explore a vast selection of book summaries covering various genres, including business, personal development, health, history, and fiction. Bionic Reading: Speed up your reading and absorb information faster with the Bionic Reading feature. Adjustable Font Size: Customize your reading experience by adjusting the font size to your preferences. Subtitles for Full Immersion: Immerse yourself in the story by activating subtitles on the audio player for an immersive experience. Automatic Video Player: Let the story carry you away with the automatic video player for total immersion in the content. Multiple Languages: Access books in a variety of languages, including French, English, Spanish, Hindi, German, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean. Inspiring Quotes: Explore and share inspiring quotes from books to enrich your reading experience. Speed Control: Customize your reading pace by adjusting the speed of audio books to your preferences. Learn New Words: Enrich your vocabulary by discovering new words through our "Learn New Words" feature. Key Points: Quickly access key points of each book for a deeper understanding in less time. Book Downloads: Download your favorite book summaries for offline listening wherever you are. Synopsia accompanies you on your literary journey, allowing you to learn, grow, and be inspired wherever you are. Download now and dive into an unparalleled reading experience. Apple's Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Bukai

Features
Read full description

Bukai is a beautifully simple reader for EPUB and TXT—built for focus and powered by state-of-the-art, on-device AI that keeps every page personal. It uses a high-quality, self-developed parsing, layout, and rendering engine, with no dependency on any web browser. Why readers choose Bukai * EPUB & TXT support – Smooth reading for both formats, including very large TXT files with on-demand loading. * AI Read Aloud – Natural narration with 100+ voices, including American & British female voices and Chinese female & male voices. * AI Summaries – Clear, high-quality overviews of the current chapter or the entire book—great for grasping key ideas fast. * Privacy by design – All intelligence runs locally on the device. No account, no ads, no data collection. * Beautiful typography – Clean, uncluttered layouts that make long reading comfortable. * Sleep timer – Set playback to stop automatically. Made for focused reading * Minimal, elegant interface that puts the text first. * Fast, reliable performance from first page to last. The on-device advantage * Best-in-class AI features without sending content to servers—reading stays personal and secure, even offline. Start the next chapter with Bukai: a reader that respects attention, time, and privacy.

Screenshots

Synopsia4 screens
Bukai4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Synopsia at Free against Bukai's $4.99. Synopsia also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Bukai's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks). On ads 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

Synopsia is free to download; Bukai costs $4.99 up front. Synopsia sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Bukai asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Synopsia ships an update every 2 weeks, Bukai every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Synopsia versus Bukai: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynopsiaBukai
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (291 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews69.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings291 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDevpool社桥 郑

Bugs and requests

Synopsia

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Error when clicking download
  • When I click buy on Amazon it takes me to the French Amazon store
  • Cannot get bookmarked titles off my list
  • Support website oriented toward business partners, not app users
  • There are not any summaries available in this app to listen to
Show 4 more
  • Attention Arnaque : contenu nul et voix française qui change en espagnol pendant l’écoute
  • Attention au bout de quelques minutes l’écoute devient incompréhensible, la voix prononcé en espagnole les mots français, puis lentement, puis on perd le fil du résumé quand il recommence juste après encore à parler en espagnol avec les mots francais
  • This App was supposed to be free for the day (from AppAdvice). This garbage app charged me $10.99 when it should have been free.
  • This app is a scam. It claimed to be a free book reader on X and there is no book inside.

Requested features

12 requests
  • Support for Airplay, Carplay, and Chromecast
  • Ability to copy and paste summaries and share them
  • Requests for books, even in French
  • Offline mode feature
  • Make Amazon link go to U.S. Amazon store
Show 7 more
  • Increase number of free books
  • Ability to remove bookmarked titles
  • Download synopses for offline listening
  • Add Shakespeare works like drama
  • Add more titles and a greater selection of titles
  • Add key points, citations, and AI question feature
  • Add space to write notes

Bukai

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Synopsia

Subscriptions2
  • Synopsia+ Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Synopsia+ Annual Subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time2
  • Buy a book$1.99
  • Synopsia+ Lifetime$99.99
None

Bukai

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Synopsia free?
Synopsia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bukai free?
Bukai costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Synopsia or Bukai have ads?
Neither Synopsia nor Bukai shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Synopsia or Bukai?
Synopsia ships an update every 2 weeks, and Bukai every 6 days. Most recently, Synopsia was updated on November 3, 2026 and Bukai on October 26, 2026.

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