Comparison

Parallel Texts Reader vs Parallel Books

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

Head to head
About

Parallel Texts Reader

Read books with instant, sentence-by-sentence translations in multiple languages. Listen to translations and tap words for more options like transcription and pronunciation. Features a growing library of over 370 books across various language pairs.

Highlights
  • Parallel text translation
  • Listen to sentence translations
  • Tap for word details
  • Extensive book library
  • Multiple language pairs
  • Reverse translation mode
Features
Read full description

Application for reading books with parallel translation. Allows you to listen and see the translation of any sentence while reading. Constantly updated library of books - we are adding books every month. Now the library has more then 370 books: - English - Russian - English - French - English - German - English - Italian - English - Spanish - English - Ukrainian - English - Polish - English - Chinese - Russian - English - Russian - French - French - Russian - French - English - French - Ukrainian - French - Polish - Spanish - Russian - Spanish - English - Spanish - Ukrainian - German - Russian - German - Ukrainian - German - English - Danish - English - Norwegian - English - Hebrew - Russian - Estonian - Russian Touch any part of the text to see the translation. To memorize, transcribe, translate or listen the word, tap and hold your finger on it. Reverse mode allows you to change the primary language into the translated language, that is, for example from English-Spanish to Spanish-English.

About

Parallel Books

Learn a new language by reading books with side-by-side translations. This app keeps translations synchronized as you read, allowing for full immersion. Easily switch between display modes and add notes for a personalized learning experience.

Highlights
  • Dual language display
  • Synchronized translations
  • Adjustable display modes
  • Searchable notes
  • Day/night themes
  • Highlighting
Features
Read full description

Become fluent in a new language. Read a book in your new tongue while having a parallel copy in your native language handy for reference. Now thanks to Parallel Books, this technique is available on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Translations will automatically stay in sync, leaving you free to be immersed in the words on the page. Reading a book in two different languages at the same time has never been easier! - Designed for people learning a new language. - Displays a book simultaneously in two different languages. - Translations stay in sync as you read. - Stretchy, “chewing gum" overlay visually connects parallel content. - Chewing gum overlay can be hidden. - Translations can be displayed in two columns on the screen, or each translation can fill an entire screen. - Continuously scrolls or pages through content without needing to change mode. - Tapping on a paragraph shows the translation of that paragraph. - Double tapping hides tool bars, giving more space. - Multicolored highlights and searchable notes can be added. - Includes day and night themes. - Currently books are available in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Korean, Chinese, Arabic plus more. - Some books include multiple translations in the same language; ideal for literature and translation students. - Parallel Books is in development for other platforms. - New books are being added all the time. - All books are currently FREE.

Screenshots

Parallel Texts Reader4 screens
Parallel Books4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Parallel Texts Reader at 54% against Parallel Books's 40%. Parallel Texts Reader also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Parallel Texts Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, Parallel Books every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 1, 2026 and August 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Parallel Texts Reader versus Parallel Books: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterParallel Texts ReaderParallel Books
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews54.3% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB2 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperIvan SavchenkoHigh Tea IT Limited

Customer experience

Parallel Texts Reader

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral20.0%
Negative25.7%

Parallel Books

All ratings77 ratings
Positive75.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative24.7%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative56.7%

In-app purchases

None

Parallel Texts Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Parallel Books

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Parallel Texts Reader free?
Parallel Texts Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Parallel Books free?
Parallel Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Parallel Texts Reader or Parallel Books have ads?
Neither Parallel Texts Reader nor Parallel Books shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Parallel Texts Reader or Parallel Books?
Parallel Texts Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, and Parallel Books every 3 months. Most recently, Parallel Texts Reader was updated on September 1, 2026 and Parallel Books on August 28, 2026.

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