# Royal Road vs LiterallyForBooks

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LiterallyForBooks at none against Royal Road's 4. LiterallyForBooks also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). Royal Road's advantage is ratings volume (5.4K vs 2) and chart position (#122 vs unranked). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Royal Road sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. LiterallyForBooks asks for nothing beyond the download.

LiterallyForBooks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Royal Road has 5.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Royal Road ships an update every 6 days, LiterallyForBooks every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Royal Road | LiterallyForBooks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (5.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royal-road-read-stories/id6456945333/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/literallyforbooks/id6792498521/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.4K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 69.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#122** | — |
| Size | 185 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Not Yet Media LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1700691322) | [Matthew Dornbos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1744023864) |

## What reviewers say

### Royal Road

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royal-road-read-stories/id6456945333)

**Currently charting:** #122 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

Discover a vast library of web novels across popular genres like fantasy and sci-fi. Explore over 50,000 titles and find your next captivating read. Premium features offer an ad-free experience, offline reading, and enhanced profile customization.

**Highlights:** Vast web novel library, Multiple fantasy and sci-fi genres, Over 50,000 novels, Ad-free reading (Premium), Offline chapter downloads (Premium), Customizable profile (Premium)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $3.49 | per month |
| Author Premium (Monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| Premium (Annual) | $34.99 | per year |
| Author Premium (annual) | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable reading experience
- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
- 💡 Personalized recommendations
- 👍 Convenient for mobile reading
- 👍 Supports a wide range of stories

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🔊 Intrusive audio ads
- 🔘 Lack of font/theme customization
- 🔘 Ads not respecting dark mode
- 🔘 Offline reading locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent dark mode behavior
- Downloaded stories not available offline
- Navigational issues with chapter buttons

**Requested features**

- Add text-to-speech functionality
- Improve sorting/filtering of reading history
- Allow more control over ad placement
- Implement screen rotation support
- Provide in-app support/feedback options


### LiterallyForBooks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/literallyforbooks/id6792498521)

This app helps you track your reading progress, manage your book lists, and connect with other readers. Organize your library, set reading goals, and discover new books through social features and book clubs.

**Highlights:** Track reading progress, Multiple goal formats, Half-star review scale, Keyword labeling, Prioritize want-to-read list, Book club feeds, Spoiler-protected posts

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Royal Road free?

Royal Road is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is LiterallyForBooks free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Royal Road or LiterallyForBooks?

LiterallyForBooks is rated higher. Royal Road averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.4K ratings, while LiterallyForBooks averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Royal Road or LiterallyForBooks have ads?

Royal Road shows ads; LiterallyForBooks does not.

### Which is updated more often, Royal Road or LiterallyForBooks?

Royal Road ships an update every 6 days, and LiterallyForBooks every 2 days. Most recently, Royal Road was updated on November 4, 2026 and LiterallyForBooks on October 31, 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.*