Novels Stories & Books Reader vs Actually Read
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Novels Stories & Books Reader
Access a vast library of over 100 public domain books and novels in English, featuring diverse genres. Enjoy offline reading with a fast, responsive interface and easily bookmark your favorites. Discover timeless classics and new additions regularly.
- Offline reading
- Vast library of public domain books
- Diverse genres
- Fast and responsive interface
- Bookmark favorites
- Share books with friends
- Organized library
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Discover a Vast Library of Public Domain Books and Novels in English - No Internet Required! Unlock the world of classic literature with this app, featuring a comprehensive collection of over 100 timeless public domain books and novels. Enjoy an extensive selection of genres, from adventure and romance to mystery and fantasy. With an easy-to-use interface, you can read your favorite stories anytime, anywhere – even offline. Key Features: Offline Reading: Fully functional without an internet connection, perfect for reading on the go, even in airplane mode. Wide Range of Categories: Dive into classic novels from diverse genres, including adventure, romance, mystery, and more. Fast & Responsive Interface: Enjoy seamless navigation with a user-friendly design that makes reading enjoyable. Bookmark Your Favorites: Keep track of your favorite novels and easily pick up where you left off. Share with Friends: Share your favorite books with friends and family through built-in sharing options. Organized Library: Effortlessly browse through categories and discover your next great read. Top Categories Include: Adventure: Treasure Island, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Kidnapped, The Hound of the Baskervilles Romance: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography Classics: The Odyssey, Mansfield Park, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations Fairy Tales & Fantasy: The Secret Garden, English Fairy Tales, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Grimm’s Fairy Tales Mystery & Thriller: Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Yellow Wallpaper Historical Fiction: A Tale of Two Cities, Around the World in Eighty Days, The Picture of Dorian Gray Popular Novels & Books: The Picture of Dorian Gray Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus The Great Gatsby Oliver Twist The Adventures of Tom Sawyer A Princess of Mars The Wind in the Willows The Time Machine The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare A Tale of a Tub And many more! Why You’ll Love This App: Offline Accessibility: No internet? No problem! Enjoy uninterrupted reading wherever you are. Endless Variety: With over 100 public domain books, you'll never run out of captivating stories to explore. Easy Navigation: The app is designed for effortless browsing and quick access to your favorite books. Stay Updated: New titles and categories are added regularly, expanding your reading options. Whether you're a fan of classic novels or just looking to explore timeless literature, this app is your perfect companion. Download now and dive into the world of free, classic novels and books in English! This application is subject to Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Actually Read
Enhance your reading experience by tracking books, blocking distractions, and engaging with content using AI. This app helps you focus on your current read, whether it's an EPUB, PDF, or physical book, and offers AI-powered summaries and context.
- Book tracking and progress logging
- Deep Focus app and website blocking
- EPUB and PDF import
- AI-powered book engagement and summaries
- Customizable reading space
- On-device AI processing
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Actually Read helps you track your books, protect your reading time, and actually read—whether you’re reading an EPUB, a PDF, or a physical book. • Focus on the book you chose. Start a reading session, set a timer, and use Deep Focus to block the apps, categories, and websites you choose with Screen Time. • See your reading add up. Track books and focus sessions, create custom reading lists, review your reading history, and return to a calm, customizable reading space built around your current book. • Read your way. Import EPUBs and PDFs, discover free public-domain books, search within books, save bookmarks, highlight passages, and pick up where you left off. • Ask better questions with grounded AI. Actually Read uses retrieval-based AI to help you engage with a book, not replace it with an AI digest. Ask about a theme, scene, or passage, get a Story So Far recap, or request a chapter summary when you’re ready. • Stay grounded in the text. Actually Read retrieves relevant passages from your book and uses them as context for each answer. Responses prioritize cited supporting passages you can open directly in the reader and can respect your reading progress to help avoid spoilers. • Keep your content close. Book indexing, embeddings, and retrieval happen on-device. On devices with Apple Intelligence enabled, on-device AI can answer questions without sending your questions or book content to the cloud. • Choose Advanced AI when you want it. Only your question and the relevant excerpts retrieved to answer it are sent to the cloud—never the full book. Actually Read is for reading with more attention, more context, and fewer distractions. Some features require compatible hardware, Apple Intelligence, Screen Time permission, or an internet connection. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Actually Read at every 3 days against Novels Stories & Books Reader's every 4 months. Actually Read also leads on chart position (#135 vs unranked) and ratings volume (75 vs 14). Novels Stories & Books Reader's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.2). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Novels Stories & Books Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Actually Read sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Novels Stories & Books Reader against 4.9 for Actually Read. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Actually Read has 75 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Novels Stories & Books Reader's written reviews are positive against 80% of Actually Read's.
Novels Stories & Books Reader ships an update every 4 months, Actually Read every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Novels Stories & Books Reader | Actually Read |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (14 ratings) | 4.9 (75 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 80.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 75 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | #135 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mohit Agarwal | Prism32 LLC |
Customer experience
Novels Stories & Books Reader
Actually Read
In-app purchases
Novels Stories & Books Reader
- Premium Plan - Remove Ads$1.991 Month
- Premium Plan - Remove Ads$9.996 Months
- Premium Plan - Remove Ads$14.991 Year
Actually Read
- Actually Read Plus$3.997 Days
- Actually Read Plus3 Days trial$9.991 Month
Questions
Is Novels Stories & Books Reader free?
Is Actually Read free?
Which has better reviews, Novels Stories & Books Reader or Actually Read?
Do Novels Stories & Books Reader or Actually Read have ads?
Which is updated more often, Novels Stories & Books Reader or Actually Read?
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