# BookThoughts vs Bare Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookThoughts at none against Bare Reader's 1. BookThoughts also leads on iOS requirement (13.4 vs 16.6). Bare Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bare Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BookThoughts asks for nothing beyond the download.

BookThoughts ships an update every 6 weeks, Bare Reader every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookThoughts | Bare Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Size | 46 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.4** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [婷雅 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1729964855) | [Nathaniel Rayestu Abdulrachman](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785020837) |

## What reviewers say

### BookThoughts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookthoughts/id6478048154)

**In-app purchases:** none


### Bare Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bare-reader/id6787130680)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support Development | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookThoughts free?

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

### Is Bare Reader free?

Bare Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do BookThoughts or Bare Reader have ads?

Neither BookThoughts nor Bare Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookThoughts or Bare Reader?

BookThoughts ships an update every 6 weeks, and Bare Reader every 5 days. Most recently, BookThoughts was updated on September 15, 2026 and Bare Reader on September 23, 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.*