Margins vs Aya Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Margins
This app helps you discover, track, and share your reading journey. It offers detailed tracking options, customizable features, and powerful search capabilities. Stay focused on your reading goals with built-in tools to minimize distractions.
- Half-star ratings
- Track recommendations
- Customizable book covers
- Fuzzy date tracking
- Advanced book search
- Reading goals
- Reading timer
- Distraction blocking
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Margins is a beautifully designed app for people who love books. - App of the Day in 20+ countries - 4.9 rating (40,000+ reviews) - Featured in USA Today, BookRiot, and more TRACK YOUR READING - Log books, series, authors, recommendations, and more - Track Strava-style goals, stats, and streaks - Curate lists of books you care about SEARCH BOOKS BY VIBES - Search books by mood, plot, setting, vibe, and more - Try things like “books like 1920s Paris,” “thriller with a love triangle,” or “indie romantasy” - You can even turn images from Pinterest or your camera roll into book recommendations BLOCK DISTRACTING APPS - Block social media, notifications, and other apps while you read - Use meditation reading timer for soothing rain sounds CHOOSE YOUR COVERS - Pick the cover that matches your version of the book - Curate covers to fit your aesthetic - Sort your library by color CUSTOMIZE YOUR PROFILE - Turn your picture into a sketched portrait you’d see in a book - Show off your favorite books SEE WHAT FRIENDS ARE READING - Find and follow other book lovers - See what they’re reading in Stories - Enjoy gorgeous, hand-illustrated monthly recaps INVITE YOUR BOOK CLUB - Schedule gatherings - Suggest and vote on books - Log your club’s history LEAVE GOODREADS FOR GOOD - Import from Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Fable - Half-star ratings - Support a small, indie team WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING “LOVE this app! so easy to import data from goodreads. it excels where others fail. like letterboxd for books. Really glad there’s finally a good book app out there, i’ve been waiting for something like this!” — scruffythejanitor01 “I love the UI of this app, easy to use and aesthetically pleasing. Also, I've been struggling getting back into reading and the screentime feature has helped me loads. I haven't been able to read this much since 4 years ago. Thank you Margins” — mitakaluvr “The search by vibes is so cool. I am a WWII buff, but this search popped up a two-book WWII saga I had never even heard of, much less read. It ended up being my top read of 2025.” —Michigancolt FREE TO USE Almost all features are free to use. An optional subscription unlocks premium features and priority support. FOLLOW US Instagram: @readwithmargins TikTok: @margins TERMS OF USE Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Margins Terms of Service: https://margins.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://margins.app/privacy “Without the margins, writing is just words on a page. But with them, each of us is invited to leave our mark in the endless conversation between books and the people that love them.” — Excerpt from the Margins manifesto
Aya Reader
This app breaks down language barriers in reading by offering instant translations and natural-sounding text-to-speech narration. It supports multiple file formats and integrates seamlessly with your device for a focused reading experience.
- Cross-language translation
- Text-to-speech narration
- EPUB, PDF, TXT support
- Background audio playback
- System file integration
- Adjustable speech rate
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Aya Reader: A Cross-Language Swiss Army Knife for ReadersAya Reader: The Cross-Language "Swiss Army Knife" for Readers In an era of information equity, great ideas should not be constrained by language barriers. As e-readers become increasingly bloated and digital bookshelves grow more ornate, Aya Reader chooses to step back. We offer no flamboyant flourishes or crowded decorations. Aya is a pure "Swiss Army Knife" built for a singular purpose: removing the two biggest obstacles in reading—language boundaries and eye fatigue. 1. Global Original Works, Rendered in Your Native Tongue We believe translation should not be an interruption; it should be an extension of cognition. Bridge the Language Gap: No matter the source language, Aya Reader brings it into your native tongue with translation that is always within reach. Full-Chapter Semantic Flow: Leave fragmented word lookups behind. Our deep, full-chapter processing preserves paragraph logic and reading rhythm, allowing you to absorb global knowledge as fluently as a native text. 2. Natural, Life-like Narration (TTS) To liberate your eyes, we have refined the Text-to-Speech experience with obsessive care. Top-Tier Voice Engines: Integrated with EdgeTTS and native iOS voices, Aya provides a natural, "breathable" listening experience that remains stable and pleasant over long sessions. Viewport-Level Precision: A unique "Non-Auto-Flip" logic and a "Return to Current Position" button ensure your eyes always stay in perfect sync with the audio. True Background Playback: With deep support for Audio and AirPlay, your reading continues seamlessly during commutes or moments of rest, even with the screen off. 3. A Pure Tooling Foundation Universal Format Support: Gracefully handles EPUB, PDF, and TXT to cover your primary reading workflow. System-Level Integration: Forget heavy file shuffling. Aya respects your storage and instincts—simply tap a file in any app to launch it directly via the system "Open" action. The Beauty of Detail: From panel translucency to precise speech-rate increments and sleep timers, every UI adjustment exists to make the tool disappear and let the text emerge. Product Manifesto Aya Reader does not want to change how you read. It simply wants to smooth out the boundaries of language and stay with you through those hours of deep, uninterrupted focus. If you are tired of complex setups and redundant features—if you only want to finish a book with undivided attention or quietly listen through a translated chapter—then this "Swiss Army Knife" was made for you.If you are tired of complex setup and redundant features, and you only want to finish a book with undivided attention or quietly read through a translated chapter, then this Swiss Army knife was made for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Aya Reader at none against Margins's 3. Margins's advantage is ratings volume (20K vs 1) and chart position (#72 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Margins sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Aya Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Margins against 5.0 for Aya Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Margins has 20K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Margins's written reviews are positive against 100% of Aya Reader's.
Margins ships an update every 4 days, Aya Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Margins | Aya Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (20K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 95.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #72 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 115 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paratext Inc. | 晓阳 陈 |
Customer experience
Margins
Aya Reader
Bugs and requests
Margins
Reported bugs
3 issues- Reading time not saving correctly
- Inability to delete or edit books from lists
- Inconsistent behavior when importing data from Goodreads
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to track page progress and percentage read
- Implement a profile system with custom avatars and bios
- Introduce a social feed to share reading activity with friends
- Add more advanced statistics and reading analytics
Aya Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Margins
- Monthly$5.991 Month
- Monthly$9.991 Month
- Annual$59.991 Year
Aya Reader
No in-app purchases









