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 offers a versatile reading experience for various ebook formats, allowing users to manage their library, take notes, listen to audiobooks, and sync progress across devices. It supports OPDS catalogs, Calibre servers, and multiple cloud storage options for seamless access.

Highlights
  • Supports EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, FB2, CBZ, TXT, Markdown
  • OPDS catalog and Calibre server integration
  • Text-to-speech with offline voices
  • Cross-device sync via cloud services
  • Annotation and note-taking tools
  • Customizable reading settings
  • CarPlay support for audiobooks
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 peaceful reading experience across multiple ebook formats, including EPUB and PDF. It features AI-powered book analysis, cloud synchronization, and a high-performance page-turn engine for a seamless visual experience. Enjoy reading without ads and with advanced library organization tools.

Highlights
  • Supports EPUB, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, PDF
  • AI book analysis and library organization
  • Cloud sync (iCloud, OneDrive, Google Drive)
  • High-performance page-turn engine
  • Built-in text-to-speech
  • Fast full-library search
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 (207 vs 2) and chart position (#185 vs unranked). Common Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 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 207 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Readest's written reviews are positive against 86% of Common Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readest ships an update fortnightly, Common Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Readest versus Common Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadestCommon Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (207 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews84.2% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings207 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#185 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB118 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBilingify LLC天宇 高

Customer experience

Readest

All ratings201 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral6.0%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews298 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral5.7%
Negative10.1%

Common Reader

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

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
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 207 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 3 days. Most recently, Readest was updated on November 14, 2026 and Common Reader on November 15, 2026.

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