Comparison

Margins vs Readr

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Half-star ratings
  • Track recommendations
  • Customizable book covers
  • Fuzzy date tracking
  • Advanced book search
  • Reading goals
  • Reading timer
  • Distraction blocking
Features
Read full description

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

About

Readr

Easily manage your reading life by saving books you want to read, tracking your current progress, and building a history of finished titles. Organize your library, rate and review books, and view your reading activity over time in a clutter-free interface.

Highlights
  • Organize books by reading status
  • Track reading progress
  • Log start and finish dates
  • Rate and review books
  • Favorite books
  • View reading history
  • Explore book details
Features
Read full description

Readr is a simple, beautiful way to keep track of your reading life. Save the books you want to read, keep up with what you’re currently reading, and build a history of everything you’ve finished -- all without the clutter. With Readr, you can: • Organize books into Want to Read, Currently Reading, and Have Read • Track your progress as you make your way through a book • See when you started and finished each book • Rate and review the books you’ve read • Favorite the books you love most • Keep your entire reading history in one place • Explore detailed book information, covers, authors, and more • See your reading activity and progress over time Whether you read a few books a year or always have something on your nightstand, Readr gives you a calm, focused place to keep track of it all. Less clutter. More reading.

Screenshots

Margins4 screens
Readr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Margins at 20K against Readr's 1. Margins also leads on chart position (#50 vs unranked). 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. Margins sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Readr sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Margins against 5.0 for Readr. 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Margins ships an update every 4 days, Readr every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Margins versus Readr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarginsReadr
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (20K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings20K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#50 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size115 MB61 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperParatext Inc.Preston Carlton

Customer experience

Margins

All ratings19,672 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.8%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews3,744 reviews
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.4%

Readr

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Readr

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Margins

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Annual$59.991 Year
1 purchases

Readr

One-time1
  • Readr Plus$19.99

Questions

Is Margins free?
Margins is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Readr free?
Readr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Margins or Readr?
Readr is rated higher. Margins averages 4.9 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while Readr averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Margins or Readr have ads?
Neither Margins nor Readr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Margins or Readr?
Margins ships an update every 4 days, and Readr every 3 days. Most recently, Margins was updated on November 2, 2026 and Readr on October 31, 2026.

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