Comparison

Readest vs Common 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
Currently charting
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

Common Reader

This app offers a unified reading and AI-powered analysis experience for various ebook formats. It allows users to ask questions about book content, automatically organize their library, and sync across multiple devices. Privacy is a core focus, with no proactive data collection.

Highlights
  • Supports multiple ebook formats (epub, azw3, mobi, txt, md, pdf)
  • AI-powered questions about book content
  • Automatic library organization with generative AI
  • Cloud sync (iCloud, OneDrive, WebDAV)
  • Fast full-library search
  • Unified cross-platform interface
Features
Read full description

- UI and interactions follow a carefully unified cross-platform logic and are built with native technologies for iOS and iPadOS. - Supports many ebook formats, including epub, azw3, mobi, txt, markdown, and pdf. - Supports nearly every ebook rendering feature, including vertical writing and RTL. - Listen with built-in system voices or AI voice models. - A high-performance, Metal-powered simulated page-turn engine offers an unparalleled visual experience. - Deeply integrates AI features for asking questions about books and automatically organizing your library with generative AI. - Supports cloud sync through iCloud, OneDrive, Google Drive, WebDAV, and more. - Provides fast full-library search across books, authors, tags, notes, highlights, and original text. - The app does not proactively collect any of your information. Your data is only processed by the model and cloud storage providers you trust.

Screenshots

Readest4 screens
Common Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Readest at 4.5 against Common Reader's 3.0. Readest also leads on ratings volume (197 vs 2) and chart position (#178 vs unranked). Common Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Common Reader sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Readest holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readest has 197 ratings behind it against 2, 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 80% of Common Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readest ships an update fortnightly, Common Reader every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Readest versus Common Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadestCommon Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (197 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews84.0% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings197 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#178 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB119 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBilingify LLC天宇 高

Customer experience

Readest

All ratings191 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative10.4%

Common Reader

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

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
5 purchases

Common Reader

One-time5
  • 1 Cup of Coffee$4.00
  • 2 Cups of Coffee$8.00
  • Lifetime Unlock$9.99
Show 2 more
  • 4 Cups of Coffee$16.00
  • Many coffees$32.00

Questions

Is Readest free?
Readest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Common Reader free?
Common Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Readest or Common Reader?
Readest is rated higher. Readest averages 4.5 out of 5 from 197 ratings, while Common Reader averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Readest or Common Reader have ads?
Neither Readest nor Common Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readest or Common Reader?
Readest ships an update fortnightly, and Common Reader every 2 days. Most recently, Readest was updated on October 30, 2026 and Common Reader on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons