Comparison

Readwise Books vs Actually Read

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

Head to head
About

Readwise Books

This reading app allows you to buy, read, and track all your books in one place. It automatically logs your reading sessions and provides detailed metrics to help you improve. Share your reading progress with friends in a low-pressure feed.

Highlights
  • Centralized book library
  • Automatic reading session logging
  • Detailed reading metrics
  • Print book tracking
  • Highlighting and note-taking
  • Optional social feed
  • EPUB audio playback
Currently charting
Read full description

Readwise Books is invite-only for now. You'll need an invite code from a friend to create an account. (If you're an existing Readwise subscriber, you already have early access.) A reading app unlike any other. Buy, read, and track all your books in one beautiful place. ONE PLACE FOR EVERY BOOK Read the ebooks you buy or upload. Track the rest, whether print, audio, or ebooks from elsewhere. Import your shelves from Goodreads and your Kindle library to start. THE STRAVA OF READING Every page flip is logged automatically, the way a pedometer counts steps. Pages roll up into reading sessions. Sessions roll up into weeks, months, and years. METRICS THAT MATTER Visualize rich reading data like words read, time read, pace, depth, immersion, and more. That which is measured is improved. EVERY BOOK COUNTS Reading on paper? Capture your starting and ending page, then save your session. Highlight print books with your camera. READING, ELEVATED Beautiful typography, light and dark modes, pagination or scroll, and best-in-class highlighting, notes, and tags. READING ALONE IS BETTER, TOGETHER Your sessions post to a light feed where friends can see that you're reading. No likes to chase, nothing to perform. More coffee shop than social network. And only if you want to. LISTEN, TOO Upload any DRM-free EPUB and listen with lifelike voices while the text follows along. READWISE ECOSYSTEM One account across Readwise Books, Reader, and Highlights. Every highlight syncs instantly.

About

Actually Read

Enhance your reading experience by tracking books, blocking distractions, and engaging with content through AI-powered summaries and passage retrieval. Import your own EPUBs and PDFs, or discover public-domain books within a customizable reading environment.

Highlights
  • Book tracking and reading lists
  • Deep Focus app and website blocking
  • EPUB and PDF import
  • AI-powered book engagement
  • On-device AI processing
  • Customizable reading space
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Actually Read helps you track your books, protect your reading time, and actually read—whether you’re reading an EPUB, a PDF, or a physical book. • Focus on the book you chose. Start a reading session, set a timer, and use Deep Focus to block the apps, categories, and websites you choose with Screen Time. • See your reading add up. Track books and focus sessions, create custom reading lists, review your reading history, and return to a calm, customizable reading space built around your current book. • Read your way. Import EPUBs and PDFs, discover free public-domain books, search within books, save bookmarks, highlight passages, and pick up where you left off. • Ask better questions with grounded AI. Actually Read uses retrieval-based AI to help you engage with a book, not replace it with an AI digest. Ask about a theme, scene, or passage, get a Story So Far recap, or request a chapter summary when you’re ready. • Stay grounded in the text. Actually Read retrieves relevant passages from your book and uses them as context for each answer. Responses prioritize cited supporting passages you can open directly in the reader and can respect your reading progress to help avoid spoilers. • Keep your content close. Book indexing, embeddings, and retrieval happen on-device. On devices with Apple Intelligence enabled, on-device AI can answer questions without sending your questions or book content to the cloud. • Choose Advanced AI when you want it. Only your question and the relevant excerpts retrieved to answer it are sent to the cloud—never the full book. Actually Read is for reading with more attention, more context, and fewer distractions. Some features require compatible hardware, Apple Intelligence, Screen Time permission, or an internet connection. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Readwise Books4 screens
Actually Read4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Readwise Books at none against Actually Read's 1. Readwise Books also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 91%) and ratings volume (144 vs 47). On price, rating, update cadence and 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

Both are free to download. Actually Read sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Readwise Books asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Readwise Books against 4.9 for Actually Read. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 144 and 47 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Readwise Books's written reviews are positive against 91% of Actually Read's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readwise Books ships an update every 3 days, Actually Read every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Readwise Books versus Actually Read: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadwise BooksActually Read
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (144 ratings) — better4.9 (47 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better90.9% of reviews
Number of ratings144 — better47
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank#123 — better#145
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size133 MB48 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperReadwise, IncPrism32 LLC

Customer experience

Readwise Books

All ratings144 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Actually Read

All ratings47 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

In-app purchases

None

Readwise Books

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Actually Read

Subscriptions1
  • Actually Read Plus3 Days trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is Readwise Books free?
Readwise Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Actually Read free?
Actually Read is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Readwise Books or Actually Read?
Readwise Books is rated higher. Readwise Books averages 5.0 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Actually Read averages 4.9 from 47 ratings.
Do Readwise Books or Actually Read have ads?
Neither Readwise Books nor Actually Read shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readwise Books or Actually Read?
Readwise Books ships an update every 3 days, and Actually Read every 2 days. Most recently, Readwise Books was updated on November 4, 2026 and Actually Read on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Readwise Books or Actually Read?
Readwise Books currently peaks at #123 in the App Store charts, and Actually Read at #145. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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