Comparison

Calibre View vs Sutra

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

Head to head
About

Calibre View

Browse and manage your Calibre ebook library on iOS devices. Connect to cloud storage or local files for fast searching, sorting, and filtering. Optimized for large collections and works offline once downloaded.

Highlights
  • Connect to cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, WebDAV)
  • Browse library with metadata only
  • Optimized for large libraries (15,000+ books)
  • Customizable book list columns and sorting
  • Fast search and filtering by tags, authors, series
  • Download books locally for offline reading
  • Supports multiple libraries and quick switching
Features
Read full description

Calibre View lets you browse and manage your Calibre ebook library on iPhone and iPad using cloud storage or local files on your device. Connect your existing Calibre library and explore your entire collection with fast searching, flexible sorting, and powerful filtering, all in a clean, native iOS and iPadOS interface designed for libraries large and small. (Tested with a 15k book library!) Whether you want to quickly find a specific book or explore your collection by tags, authors, or series, Calibre View is built to stay responsive and organized, even with very large libraries. Key Features • Connect to Calibre libraries stored in Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, WebDAV, iCloud, or the Files app • Optionally upload only your metadata.db file to browse your library without downloading covers or books • Smooth performance with very large libraries, tested with collections of 15,000+ books (slightly longer load times for larger libraries, ~1 second per 1000 books) • Customize which columns appear in the book list, similar to Calibre’s desktop view • Sort by any Calibre column, including custom columns • Filter books instantly using tags, authors, series, and other metadata fields • View detailed book information and customize what appears on the book details screen • Tap a tag or author in detail view to immediately narrow results • Choose a column for Quick Filter to refine search results, authors, or tags • Covers are downloaded on demand only when viewing book details, saving bandwidth and storage • Fast, full-library search with instant results • Download books locally and share or open them in other reading apps in any available format • Support for multiple libraries, with quick switching between them, even across different cloud services • Optimized layouts for both iPhone and iPad, including optional horizontal scrolling for portrait phone use • Works fully offline once a library is downloaded (covers and book downloads require connectivity) • Supports both light mode and dark mode

About

Sutra

Access your entire book collection from various sources in one beautiful app. Enjoy a customizable reading experience with synced progress, bookmarks, and highlights across devices. Organize your library with series info, search, and collections.

Highlights
  • Connect Kavita, Calibre, and OPDS servers
  • EPUB and PDF reading with page-curl effect
  • Rich typography and reading themes
  • iCloud sync for progress, bookmarks, and highlights
  • Offline downloads
  • Highlighting and search functionality
  • Series grouping and collections
Features
Read full description

Sutra is a warm, thoughtful home for every book and comic you love. Bring together your self-hosted library, your manga, your classic EPUBs, and those “just one more chapter” reads in one beautifully calm reader. Connect Kavita, Komga, or Calibre; explore any OPDS catalogue; or discover a new favourite from Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks. READ YOUR WAY • Enjoy EPUB, PDF, CBZ, MOBI, fixed-layout comics, and manga in one place • Move through comics panel by panel, or take in the whole page • Read right-to-left manga and beautiful iPad two-page spreads • Make the page yours with fonts, text size, spacing, themes, auto-scroll, page turns, and Sutra-only brightness control A LIBRARY THAT FEELS LIKE HOME • Browse dedicated Series and Collection views, with Favorites always close by • Sort by Recently Read, Title, Author, or Date Added while staying in a familiar cover grid • Let Sutra recover missing Calibre series details and keep your library beautifully organised • Pick up where you left off with dependable progress and finished-book sync for Kavita and Komga BUILT FOR SELF-HOSTERS • Connect Kavita, Komga, Calibre, Grimmory, or another OPDS server • Stream comic pages from Kavita and Komga when available, or download for offline reading • Keep your highlights and reading progress with you across your Apple devices Sutra is free to enjoy for EPUB and PDF reading, with no ads and no subscription. Unlock unlimited CBZ, MOBI, and Komga reading once, and keep it forever.

Screenshots

Calibre View4 screens
Sutra4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Calibre View at 5.0 against Sutra's 4.4. Calibre View also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4). Sutra's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (85% vs 67%). On price, ads, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sutra sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Calibre View asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calibre View holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 14 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Calibre View's written reviews are positive against 85% of Sutra's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calibre View ships an update every 6 weeks, Sutra weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Calibre View versus Sutra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalibre ViewSutra
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.4 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings414 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDANIEL EDWARD LAMSONKoustav Dasgupta

Customer experience

Calibre View

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Sutra

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%

In-app purchases

None

Calibre View

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Sutra

One-time4
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Sutra Pro$6.99

Questions

Is Calibre View free?
Calibre View is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sutra free?
Sutra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Calibre View or Sutra?
Calibre View is rated higher. Calibre View averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Sutra averages 4.4 from 14 ratings.
Do Calibre View or Sutra have ads?
Neither Calibre View nor Sutra shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calibre View or Sutra?
Calibre View ships an update every 6 weeks, and Sutra weekly. Most recently, Calibre View was updated on October 7, 2026 and Sutra on October 17, 2026.

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