Comparison

Readest vs Softcover

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

Softcover

Track your reading progress, manage book lists, and connect with a community of readers. Discover new titles, follow friends, and engage in discussions. Features include detailed statistics, release notifications, and home screen widgets.

Highlights
  • Track reading progress (page/percentage/time)
  • Manage reading lists (Currently Reading, Want to Read, Finished)
  • Follow friends and explore trending titles
  • Community book discussions and curated lists
  • Detailed reading statistics and annual goals
  • Release notifications for anticipated books
  • Home screen widgets for reading progress
Features
Read full description

Your favorite book tracking companion is here! Softcover brings the power of Hardcover to your iPhone with a beautifully designed, native iOS experience. Track Everything You Read Manage your Currently Reading, Want to Read, and Finished lists with ease. Update your progress by page, percentage, or time—perfect for both books and audiobooks. Stay Connected Follow friends, explore trending titles, discover curated community lists, and engage with book discussions. Join a vibrant community of passionate readers. Beautiful Home Screen Widgets Keep your reading progress at your fingertips with elegant widgets showing your current books and reading goals. Smart Features • Detailed reading statistics and annual goals • Release notifications for anticipated titles • Comprehensive book search with ratings and reviews • Edition selection Seamlessly Syncs with Hardcover All your reading data stays perfectly in sync with your Hardcover.app account across all your devices. Requires a free Hardcover.app account.

Screenshots

Readest4 screens
Softcover4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Readest at 84% against Softcover's 33%. Readest also leads on ratings volume (191 vs 3) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Softcover's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9). On price, ads, monetization model 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 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Softcover asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Readest holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readest has 191 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Readest's written reviews are positive against 33% of Softcover's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readest ships an update fortnightly, Softcover every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Readest versus Softcover: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadestSoftcover
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (191 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews84.2% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings191 — better3
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB7 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBilingify LLCRobin Bolinsson

Customer experience

Readest

All ratings191 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews285 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative10.5%

Softcover

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

9 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-time5
  • 1 GB$9.99
  • 2 GB$14.99
  • Full Customization$19.99
Show 2 more
  • 5 GB$29.99
  • 10 GB$49.99
None

Softcover

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Readest free?
Readest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Softcover free?
Softcover is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Readest or Softcover?
Readest is rated higher. Readest averages 4.5 out of 5 from 191 ratings, while Softcover averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Readest or Softcover have ads?
Neither Readest nor Softcover shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readest or Softcover?
Readest ships an update fortnightly, and Softcover every 2 months. Most recently, Readest was updated on October 19, 2026 and Softcover on October 4, 2026.

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