Comparison

Readest vs Thorium Reader

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

Head to head
About

Readest

This app is a powerful ebook reader designed for deep thinkers and researchers. It offers advanced annotation tools, seamless device syncing, and robust library management with OPDS and Calibre support. Enjoy a distraction-free reading experience with customizable modes and multi-book viewing for enhanced study and analysis.

Highlights
  • OPDS Online Libraries
  • Calibre Integration
  • Sync Across Devices
  • Bookshelf Management
  • Customizable Reading Modes
  • Multi-Book View
  • Advanced Annotations & Highlights
Features
Read full description

Readest is an ebook reader for people who read a lot, and who want their books, notes and reading position on whatever device is nearest. Open EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, FB2, CBZ, TXT and Markdown in one library. Pull books from OPDS catalogs or from your own Calibre server. Read, annotate, listen, translate. Made for iPhone and iPad • CarPlay, so you can keep listening on the road with playback controls on the dashboard • Download read-aloud voices per book and listen with no connection at all • Add books from Files, Mail or any share sheet, and read them in place instead of copying them into a second library • Open up to four books at once on iPad and arrange them how you like Reading • Paginated or scrolling, with custom fonts, themes, spacing and margins • Vertical text for CJK books • Contrast and refresh tuned for e-ink screens • Full-text search inside a book Your library • Browse, search and download from OPDS catalogs and public libraries • Connect to Calibre or Calibre-Web, covers and metadata included • Organize with bookshelf groups you can rename Notes • Highlights, bookmarks and structured notes • Copy a highlight together with a deep link back to the passage • Export your annotations Listening and languages • Text-to-speech with downloadable offline voices • Translate a sentence, a page, or an entire book • Wikipedia and dictionary lookup without leaving the page Sync • Readest Cloud, or bring your own: iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, WebDAV, S3 • KOReader sync keeps your progress in step with your e-reader • iPhone, iPad, Mac, all other platforms and the web Readest is open source. Support: support@readest.com Privacy Policy: https://readest.com/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Thorium Reader

Organize all your ebooks, comics, and manga in a single app. Customize your reading experience with adjustable text, fonts, and themes. Listen to audiobooks and zoom into visual content with ease.

Highlights
  • Unified bookshelf for all content
  • Adjustable text size and spacing
  • Multiple font options
  • Text-to-speech audio playback
  • Zoom for comics and manga
  • Offline dictionary and translation
  • Import EPUB, PDF, CBZ files
Features
Read full description

Looking for an app where you can bring all your ebooks, comics and manga in one place? That’s what we built Thorium Reader for. Read it your way Everyone’s different, that’s why we want you to be fully in control: • Adjust text size, switch between color schemes with themes and control spacing. • 10+ fonts available, including specialized ones. • You prefer audio? Listen to any ebook, whenever you want. We’ll remember your preference. • Zoom into comics, manga and magazines. • Add bookmarks with notes. • Use the built-in iOS dictionary and translation features, even offline. • Tweak your reading experience with reading options. Bring your own books A single bookshelf and reading application where you can bring all your content: • Download free books, borrow from your library or buy from your favorite retailer. • Support for ebooks, documents, comics and manga. • Import EPUB, PDF and CBZ files. • Support for Readium LCP, used by thousands of libraries and retailers. Thorium Reader is built by EDRLab, a non-profit dedicated to open standards, reading and accessibility.

Screenshots

Readest4 screens
Thorium Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Readest at 4.5 against Thorium Reader's 3.9. Readest also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 60%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Thorium Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price, ads and device support 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. Readest sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Thorium Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Readest holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readest has 178 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Readest's written reviews are positive against 60% of Thorium Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readest ships an update fortnightly, Thorium Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Readest versus Thorium Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadestThorium Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (178 ratings) — better3.9 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews — better60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings178 — better9
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB45 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBilingify LLCReadium

Customer experience

Readest

All ratings178 ratings
Positive86.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews262 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral5.7%
Negative9.2%

Thorium Reader

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Readest

Subscriptions4
  • Subscribe to Plus Plan$4.991 Month
  • Subscribe to Pro Plan$9.991 Month
  • Subscribe to Plus Plan$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Subscribe to Pro Plan$99.991 Year
One-time4
  • 1 GB$9.99
  • 2 GB$14.99
  • 5 GB$29.99
Show 1 more
  • 10 GB$49.99
None

Thorium Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Readest free?
Readest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Thorium Reader free?
Thorium Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Readest or Thorium Reader?
Readest is rated higher. Readest averages 4.5 out of 5 from 178 ratings, while Thorium Reader averages 3.9 from 9 ratings.
Do Readest or Thorium Reader have ads?
Neither Readest nor Thorium Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readest or Thorium Reader?
Readest ships an update fortnightly, and Thorium Reader every 2 months. Most recently, Readest was updated on September 26, 2026 and Thorium Reader on September 10, 2026.

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