# BeFreed vs Reader Alive

The clearest difference is chart position: BeFreed at #122 against Reader Alive's unranked. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BeFreed sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $4.00 per month and Reader Alive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BeFreed ships an update every 9 days, Reader Alive every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BeFreed | Reader Alive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/befreed-get-smarter-daily/id6739747450/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#122** | — |
| Size | 177 MB | 289 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [beFreed, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786839622) | [Nocoly.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/1766222288) |

## What reviewers say

### BeFreed

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/befreed-get-smarter-daily/id6739747450)

**Currently charting:** #122 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

This app creates personalized audio learning plans from books, research, and expert talks to help you develop specific skills like leadership or charisma. It adapts to your progress and offers practice sessions with real-time feedback. Learn in your preferred voice, length, and style, with organized notes to retain key takeaways.

**Highlights:** Personalized audio learning plans, Skill-focused curriculum, Adaptive learning paths, Practice sessions with feedback, Customizable audio length and style, Organized note-taking, Real-world growth tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Discount | $4.00 | per month |
| BeFreed Pro Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium Quarterly | $28.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Quarterly | $28.99 | per 3 months |
| Listening Pass — Yearly | $29.00 | per year |
| Listening Pass — Yearly | $39.00 | per year |
| Premium Yearly Promotion | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Promotion | $69.00 | per year |
| Premium Yearly Plan | $89.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $89.99 | per year |
| Pro Yearly | $89.99 | per year |
| Longlife Premium | $179.99 | one-time |
| Gift Lifelong Membership | $179.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Custom Podcasts
- 👍 Wish I Had This in College
- 👍 Better than Blinkist
- 👍 I like this app sooo much
- 👍 Loving it so far

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Great idea poor execution
- 🤔 Why did all the covers change to AI generated covers and the setting button doesn't work
- 💰 Amazing idea and probably a great app if you want to pay. I do not. I just want something free.
- 🤔 I want to be able to read the entire book not just summaries

**Reported bugs**

- Dont do it.  Took my money.  Terrible customer service

**Requested features**

- Let me highlight and save stuff inside the app!
- Expand the container holding content to fix right side margin cutting off sentences


### Reader Alive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reader-alive/id6766441925)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BeFreed free?

BeFreed is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Reader Alive free?

Reader Alive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do BeFreed or Reader Alive have ads?

Both BeFreed and Reader Alive show ads.

### Which is updated more often, BeFreed or Reader Alive?

BeFreed ships an update every 9 days, and Reader Alive every 5 days. Most recently, BeFreed was updated on October 30, 2026 and Reader Alive on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*