SimplyRead vs SharkZip
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SimplyRead
This app allows you to read and listen to your own e-books in various formats. Customize typography, scroll through pages, and bookmark your progress. It also offers natural voice narration and library management features.
- Customizable typography and themes
- Page-by-page or continuous scroll
- Automatic chapter detection
- Natural voice narration with highlighting
- Import from Files app, clipboard, or URL
- Built-in editor with Find & Replace
- iCloud Drive backup and restore
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A book you can read — and listen to. SimplyRead opens TXT, EPUB and Markdown files as real books, with clothbound covers, expressive typography and paper textures. Read at your own pace, or listen with natural iOS voices. READ - Comfortable typography with five paper themes and Light or Dark appearance - Page by page, or one continuous scroll — whichever you prefer - Chapters found automatically, including Chinese numeral titles, with a panel to jump anywhere in the book - Bookmarks, find-in-book with highlighted matches, and a Continue Reading card that puts you back where you stopped - Adjust fonts, text size and line spacing, with layouts for iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad LISTEN - High-quality iOS system voices, at a speed you set - The sentence being spoken is highlighted, and the page follows along - Sleep timer, plus Lock Screen and Control Center controls — keep listening with the screen off BUILD YOUR LIBRARY - Import from the Files app, create a file straight from your clipboard, or download from a URL and watch it arrive - Discover books from public catalogs and open-license sources, with clear labels for downloadable files, online reading and catalog pages - Book covers, clear author labels, folder sorting and destination folders to keep a long shelf tidy EDIT AND KEEP - A built-in editor with Find & Replace, undo for whole-book replacements, recovery after failed saves, and a Fix New Lines tool - iCloud Drive backup and restore for the whole library, reading positions included FREE AND PRO Your own files, the entire reader, themes, chapters, bookmarks and backup are unlimited and free. Pro lifts the daily listening allowance and the download limit. Download availability depends on the source and its access terms. Only import or download content you are entitled to use.
SharkZip
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Protect your files with password-encrypted ZIP compression. SharkZip makes it easy to secure your important files and folders with password protection. Create encrypted ZIP archives in seconds, right from your iPhone or iPad. KEY FEATURES Password Protection – Protect ZIP files with a password Zip Folders & Files – Compress entire folders or individual files Manage Your Archives – View, share, and organize all your zipped files Quick Preview – Preview zip files instantly Share Anywhere – Send protected files via email, Messages, AirDrop, or cloud services Fast Compression – Create zips quickly with real-time progress tracking Privacy First – All files stay on your device, no cloud uploads HOW IT WORKS 1. Select a file or folder from your device 2. Set a password to protect your archive 3. Create your encrypted ZIP file 4. Share or store your protected archive PERFECT FOR - Protecting sensitive documents - Sharing confidential files securely - Compressing large folders for storage - Sending password-protected files to colleagues - Organizing files for archival SECURITY & PRIVACY All compression happens locally on your device. Your files never leave your phone unless you choose to share them.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SimplyRead at Free against SharkZip's $1.99. SimplyRead also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). SharkZip's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads and device support 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
SimplyRead is free to download; SharkZip costs $1.99 up front. SimplyRead sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SharkZip asks for nothing beyond the download.
SimplyRead ships an update weekly, SharkZip every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimplyRead | SharkZip |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 145 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 阳 张 | Dinesh Gurung |
In-app purchases
SimplyRead
- Pro User$1.99
SharkZip
No in-app purchases









