Comparison

Frateca vs Sandbook

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Frateca

Transform documents, articles, and web pages into natural-sounding audio. Listen at accelerated speeds with real-time word highlighting to absorb information faster. Ideal for professionals, students, and individuals with reading challenges.

Highlights
  • Convert PDFs, articles, and web pages to speech
  • Natural-sounding AI voices
  • Adjustable listening speed up to 3.5x
  • Real-time word highlighting
  • Cloud synchronization across devices
  • Supports multiple import methods
Features
Read full description

Turn any text into natural audio - and reclaim hours of your day. Frateca transforms PDFs, articles, eBooks, and web pages into crystal-clear speech with AI voices so natural, you'll forget you're listening to an app. - 3.5x SPEED - absorb content faster than reading - REAL-TIME HIGHLIGHTING - follow along word by word - ANY FORMAT - PDFs, web articles, eBooks, documents - CLOUD SYNC - start on iPhone, continue on iPad - NATURAL AI VOICES - not robotic, actually enjoyable - - - - - - - - - - WHO USES FRATECA? - Busy professionals who turn commutes into learning sessions - Students tackling massive reading lists before exams - Language learners improving pronunciation and comprehension - People with dyslexia, ADHD, or low vision who deserve equal access to written content - - - - - - - - - - HOW IT WORKS 1. Import - paste a link, upload a PDF, or share from any app 2. Listen - choose your voice, set your speed, hit play 3. Learn - follow real-time highlighting and save to your cloud library - - - - - - - - - - FRATECA PREMIUM Unlock unlimited listening, all AI voices, and cloud sync: - Monthly: $8.99/month - Yearly: $89.00/year (save 17%) Start with the free version - upgrade when you're ready. Download now and turn your reading list into a playlist. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Apple Terms of use (EULA)

About

Sandbook

This app reads books, documents, and articles aloud using natural-sounding voices. It offers offline functionality, supports various file formats, and allows customization of reading speed and appearance. Save web pages and printed text for later listening.

Highlights
  • Natural offline voices
  • Supports EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, and more
  • Save web pages for later
  • Adjustable reading speed
  • Highlighting of spoken words
  • CarPlay integration
  • Export audio files
Features
Read full description

Sandbook reads books, documents and articles aloud in natural voices, entirely on your iPhone or iPad. Nothing you read is uploaded, and there is no account, no subscription and no ads. Press play, lock your screen, and Sandbook keeps reading, in your pocket or in the car with CarPlay. Found an article in Safari, Chrome or another app? Tap Save to Sandbook and it waits in your Listen Later queue. NATURAL VOICES, OFFLINE - 41 voices in American and British English, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and Hindi - A book in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese or Hindi opens with a voice in its language - Powered by the open-source Kokoro model, running locally; no internet connection needed - Follow along as each spoken word is highlighted - Speed from 0.5x to 2.5x; each book remembers its voice and speed - Pronunciations: tell Sandbook how to say a name or word, in every book or just one READ ALMOST ANYTHING - Import EPUB, PDF, Word (.docx), TXT, RTF, Markdown and HTML files - Add a web page by pasting a link, or save it from Safari, Chrome and other apps with Save to Sandbook in the share sheet - Scan printed pages with the camera, or pick a photo, and listen - Send files or selected text from any app with the share sheet, or type and paste your own - Open a document straight from the Files app with Open With, or set Sandbook as its default app - Browse a shelf of public-domain classics in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Hindi, and play a short sample before you download one LISTEN THE WAY YOU READ - Opens at the paragraph where you stopped - Keep listening when you leave the book, with a mini player at the bottom of the screen - Bookmarks, and search inside a book - Sleep timer: stop after a set time or at the end of the chapter - Passages you've already heard play back instantly - In a PDF, the sentence being read is highlighted on the page; tap any sentence to read from there - Reading options: light, sepia and dark themes, fonts, text size and line spacing - Appearance: light, dark or matching your system - See each book's length, listening time and the time left in the chapter - Keep listening with the screen locked or while you use other apps; the lock screen shows the chapter's progress, with 15-second skips - Listen Later: web pages and text you save wait at the top of your library and play one after another - CarPlay: continue your book, or pick one from your library or Listen Later, and change the speed from the car's screen - Widgets for the Home Screen and Lock Screen, and a Play Sandbook control for Control Center and the Action button - Continue Reading with Siri or the Shortcuts app - Export a chapter or a whole book as one M4A audio file with chapter markers, or any text you type ACCESSIBILITY - VoiceOver, Voice Control, Switch Control, larger text and contrast improvements - The app is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Hindi PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your books, text and voices stay on your device. Sandbook never sends what you read to a server. GOOD TO KNOW - Voices require iPhone 12 or later, or an iPad with an A14 or M1 chip or later. Sandbook also needs iOS 18.2 or later. Questions or ideas: support@sandbook.app

Screenshots

Frateca4 screens
Sandbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sandbook at 4.6 against Frateca's 3.9. Sandbook also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (148 vs 33). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Frateca sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Sandbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sandbook holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 148 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Frateca's written reviews are positive against 81% of Sandbook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Frateca ships an update every 9 days, Sandbook weekly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Frateca versus Sandbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFratecaSandbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (33 ratings)4.6 (148 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews80.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33148 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB126 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperAndrey NovikovSmashMelon LLC

Customer experience

Frateca

All ratings33 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative27.3%

Sandbook

All ratings148 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral6.1%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral12.9%
Negative6.5%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Frateca

Subscriptions2
  • Premium monthly3 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Premium yearly3 Days trial$44.991 Year
None

Sandbook

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Frateca free?
Frateca is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sandbook free?
Sandbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Frateca or Sandbook?
Sandbook is rated higher. Frateca averages 3.9 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Sandbook averages 4.6 from 148 ratings.
Do Frateca or Sandbook have ads?
Neither Frateca nor Sandbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Frateca or Sandbook?
Frateca ships an update every 9 days, and Sandbook weekly. Most recently, Frateca was updated on October 30, 2026 and Sandbook on October 30, 2026.

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