# InkShelf vs Cinder Reader

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: InkShelf at 13.0 against Cinder Reader's 16.4. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. InkShelf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Cinder Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

InkShelf ships an update monthly, Cinder Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | InkShelf | Cinder Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cinder-reader/id6761286580/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **8** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Yoshinn CO., LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1856072122) | [JESSE LAMAR MARTIN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888667782) |

## What reviewers say

### InkShelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inkshelf/id6755747348)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inkshelf Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Inkshelf Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |


### Cinder Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cinder-reader/id6761286580)

A modern, ad-free app for reading ebooks, comics, manga, and PDFs. Organize your personal library, import files from various sources, and customize your reading experience with flexible tools and appearance settings.

**Highlights:** Read ebooks, comics, manga, and PDFs, Import and manage personal library, Connect to content sources, Customize reader appearance, Track reading progress, Create highlights and notes, Organize with folders and filters

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cinder Pro Lifetime | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is InkShelf free?

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

### Is Cinder Reader free?

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

### Do InkShelf or Cinder Reader have ads?

Neither InkShelf nor Cinder Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, InkShelf or Cinder Reader?

InkShelf ships an update monthly, and Cinder Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, InkShelf was updated on October 4, 2026 and Cinder Reader on October 8, 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.*