Comparison

Readest vs Lelo 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

Lelo Reader

This app allows you to read and listen to imported documents, web articles, and notes using realistic neural voices. It offers offline functionality, customizable reading themes, and the ability to download audio for uninterrupted listening.

Highlights
  • Import EPUB, PDF, web articles, and notes
  • Offline neural voice narration
  • Customizable reading themes and bionic reading
  • Downloadable audio for offline listening
  • Ad-free curated news feed
  • Ambient sound options
Features
Read full description

Lelo Reader is a reader that also reads to you. Import your PDFs, EPUBs, web articles and notes, and a neural voice made on your iPhone narrates them in Latin American Spanish or US English. No internet. No account. No subscription. PUT YOUR PHONE IN AIRPLANE MODE. NOTHING CHANGES. Speech is generated on your device's own chip, faster than real time. Your files, your notes and your audio never leave your phone. The only thing that ever touches the network is an article you asked for. READ • EPUB, PDF, web and plain text, with covers and chapters in order • Web pages come in stripped of ads, pop-ups and images • "Original" mode for PDFs with tables and figures • Light and dark themes, Literata and Atkinson Hyperlegible, bionic reading • Highlights, notes, bookmarks, offline dictionary; export your notes to PDF LISTEN • Four neural voices: Dora and Alex (Latin American Spanish), Heart and Michael (US English) • The sentence lights up as it is spoken and the page follows • Speed from 0.8× to 2×, sleep timer of 15, 30 or 60 minutes • Download a chapter or a whole book as audio to keep listening with the screen locked TODAY'S NEWS • Pick your sources once; one tap builds today's edition, a chapter per story • No ads, no images, no algorithm; every story credited and linked LELO PRO — one purchase, no subscription • Neural-voice narration, every voice • Audio downloads for locked-screen, offline listening • Ambient sounds under the words: rain, café, river, brown noise, lo-fi • Apple Watch app • Your own RSS sources in the paper Everything is unlocked for the first 7 days, no card required. When the trial ends nothing is charged and nothing is taken away: reading, your notes and the curated paper stay free forever. PRIVACY Lelo collects no data. There is nowhere to send it.

Screenshots

Readest4 screens
Lelo Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lelo Reader at 5.0 against Readest's 4.5. Lelo Reader also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). Readest's advantage is ratings volume (191 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Lelo Reader 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

Lelo Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readest has 191 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readest ships an update fortnightly, Lelo Reader every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Readest versus Lelo Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadestLelo Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (191 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings191 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB200 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBilingify LLCBrian Munoz

Customer experience

Readest

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

Lelo Reader

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

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
1 purchases

Lelo Reader

One-time1
  • Lelo Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Readest free?
Readest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lelo Reader free?
Lelo Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Readest or Lelo Reader?
Lelo Reader is rated higher. Readest averages 4.5 out of 5 from 191 ratings, while Lelo Reader averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Readest or Lelo Reader have ads?
Neither Readest nor Lelo Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readest or Lelo Reader?
Readest ships an update fortnightly, and Lelo Reader every 4 days. Most recently, Readest was updated on October 17, 2026 and Lelo Reader on October 2, 2026.

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