Comparison

Wen Reader vs Vellum Reader

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

Head to head
About

Wen Reader

Features
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Built out of a genuine love for learning Chinese, Wen Reader gives intermediate readers a clean, modern way to read native-level books while getting context-aware dictionary definitions with a simple long-press. Import your own EPUBs, read with great typography, and stay fully offline. Features: - EPUB Import & Smooth Reading: open standard EPUB files from Files, with fast pagination powered by Readium and adjustable margins, fonts, and line spacing. - Instant Dictionary Pop-Ups: long-press any Chinese text to see an inline definition panel using offline CC-CEDICT data. - Lightweight On-Device ML: context-aware word boundary segmentation and dictionary definition ranking. - Context & Sharing Tools: quickly copy the selected word, sentence, or paragraph, or send text to Pleco or ChatGPT (when installed) for deeper explanation. - Simple, Focused Navigation: tap the book title to browse the table of contents, and Wen Reader automatically saves your reading position as you go. Who is Wen Reader For? - Readers who can understand native Chinese text with some effort. - Learners who want a modern, clean EPUB reading experience without distractions. - Users who benefit from quick dictionary support but do not need the full ecosystem of flashcards, handwriting input, OCR, etc. Privacy - No analytics, no tracking, and no personal data collection. - No external API calls. - Everything stays on your device. Open Source & Licenses - Wen Reader uses open dictionary, models, and library components. - Full license information is available inside the app under About → Licenses. Support - Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Feel free to contact me at oliverzh2000@gmail.com. Or visit github.com/oliverzh2000/wen-reader to open an issue.

About

Vellum Reader

Read full description

Vellum is a minimalistic and elegant book reader designed for readers who appreciate a classy, distraction-free reading experience on iPhone and iPad. Your Personal Library Import your favorite books and documents with ease. Vellum supports PDF, EPUB, TXT, and RTF files. Smart metadata extraction automatically pulls titles, authors, and cover images from your PDFs. Organize Your Way • Create custom collections to group your reading • Mark favorites for quick access • Search and sort your library effortlessly • Track your reading progress across all documents A Beautiful Reading Experience • Choose from 8 elegant fonts including Georgia, Palatino, and Baskerville • 4 page themes: Light, Sepia, Dark, and Black (OLED) • Adjustable font size, line spacing, margins, and text alignment • Tap edges to turn pages or swipe naturally Thoughtful Features • Search Public Domains like "Project Gutenberg" and "StandardEbooks" for thousands of classics to import to your library • Automatic progress saving — pick up right where you left off • Bookmarks to mark important pages • Keep Screen Awake mode for uninterrupted reading • Visual progress bar and page numbers • Continue Reading section for quick access to current books • Utilize the AI recommendation feature to get book suggestions based on the current works in your library Five Beautiful App Themes Personalize Vellum with Sepia, Midnight, Ocean, Forest, or Lavender accent themes. Privacy First Vellum respects your privacy completely. All your books and reading data stay on your device. No accounts required. No data collection. Just you and your books. Download Vellum and rediscover the joy of reading.

Screenshots

Wen Reader2 screens
Vellum Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

Wen Reader and Vellum Reader are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

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

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Wen Reader versus Vellum Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWen ReaderVellum Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOliver ZhangSUZETTE RENEE COPLEY DE SCHRYVER

In-app purchases

None

Wen Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Vellum Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wen Reader free?
Wen Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vellum Reader free?
Vellum Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Wen Reader or Vellum Reader have ads?
Neither Wen Reader nor Vellum Reader shows ads.

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