# Thorium Reader vs Hoshi Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hoshi Reader at 100% against Thorium Reader's 40%. Hoshi Reader also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Hoshi Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 23 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Thorium Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hoshi Reader's.

Thorium Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, Hoshi Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thorium Reader | Hoshi Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thorium-reader/id6745025189/reviews) | **[5.0 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoshi-reader/id6758244332/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **23** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 46 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readium](https://appshunter.io/developer/1232183924) | [Manh-Hao Steffen Pham](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871502447) |

## What reviewers say

### Thorium Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thorium-reader/id6745025189)

Organize all your ebooks, comics, and manga in a single app. Customize your reading experience with adjustable text, fonts, and themes. Listen to audiobooks and zoom into visual content with ease.

**Highlights:** Unified bookshelf for all content, Adjustable text size and spacing, Multiple font options, Text-to-speech audio playback, Zoom for comics and manga, Offline dictionary and translation, Import EPUB, PDF, CBZ files

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hoshi Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoshi-reader/id6758244332)

This app is a lightweight Japanese EPUB reader designed for immersion learning. It features a pop-up dictionary with deinflection and supports Anki integration for vocabulary mining. Organize your library with bookshelves and track your reading progress.

**Highlights:** Vertical and horizontal reading modes, Yomitan-like pop-up dictionary, Anki mining support, Customizable Anki card format, Reading statistics, Bookshelves for library organization, Customizable themes and fonts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thorium Reader free?

Thorium Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hoshi Reader free?

Hoshi Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Thorium Reader or Hoshi Reader?

Hoshi Reader is rated higher. Thorium Reader averages 3.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Hoshi Reader averages 5.0 from 23 ratings.

### Do Thorium Reader or Hoshi Reader have ads?

Neither Thorium Reader nor Hoshi Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Thorium Reader or Hoshi Reader?

Thorium Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hoshi Reader weekly. Most recently, Thorium Reader was updated on October 30, 2026 and Hoshi Reader on October 25, 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.*