Calibre View vs Project Gutenberg eBook Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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Calibre View lets you browse and search 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 16,000-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 • Fast loading, even for huge libraries (a 16,000-book library opens in about 4 seconds) • Advanced search with AND, OR, NOT, exact phrases, and column searches like authors:austen or tags:"science fiction" • Customize which columns appear in the book list, similar to Calibre's desktop view, saved separately for each library • 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 see every matching book, sorted just like your library • Long-press to copy titles, authors, tags, and summaries • 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 • 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 Calibre View is free, with an optional tip jar for anyone who'd like to support development. Calibre View is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Calibre or its developers.
Project Gutenberg eBook Reader
Access over 75,000 public-domain classic books offline. Enjoy a customizable reading experience with themes, adjustable text, and bookmarks. Listen to audiobooks with synchronized text highlighting.
- 75,000+ public-domain classic books
- Offline reading
- Read-along audiobooks
- Customizable reader (themes, text size)
- Bookmarks and table of contents
- Search and browse by subject
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Gutenberg puts one of the largest libraries ever assembled in your pocket. Over 75,000 public-domain classics — every novel, essay, play and poem that time has released — ready to read, to search, and to carry with you offline. And the ones you love most, you can hear read aloud, with the words lighting up on the page as the narrator speaks. No account. No clutter. Just the whole library, beautifully made. READ EVERYTHING • 75,000+ complete books from Project Gutenberg — fiction, history, philosophy, poetry, drama and more. • A clean, typeset reader that feels like paper, with a real page-curl turn or smooth vertical scrolling — your choice. • Light, sepia and dark themes; adjustable typeface, text size and margins. • Highlight passages, keep bookmarks, and jump anywhere with a full table of contents. • Every book downloads for offline reading — on a plane, on the subway, anywhere. LISTEN, IN SYNC • A growing collection of read-along audiobooks: classics narrated aloud, aligned to the page. • Words highlight as they're read, so you can read and listen at the same time — or just close your eyes and listen. • Background playback, lock-screen controls, adjustable speed, and skip-forward / skip-back. • Pick up exactly where you left off, whether you were reading or listening. FIND ANYTHING • Search 75,000+ titles by book or by author in an instant. • Browse by subject — Literature, History, Science, Poetry and dozens more — each thousands of books deep. • Sort by most downloaded, recently added, title, or reading ease. • Explore curated shelves, popular authors, and picks based on what you're reading. BUILT FOR READERS • Warm, considered design that gets out of the way of the words. • Set the app to Light, Dark, or follow your system. • Fast, offline-first, and respectful of your attention. GUTENBERG PREMIUM Gutenberg Premium removes ads and lifts all limits so you can open every book and every audiobook without interruption. • Premium is offered as a Weekly or Yearly auto-renewable subscription, or a one-time Lifetime unlock. • Prices are shown in the app and may vary by region. • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. • A subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. • You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. • Any unused portion of a trial period, where offered, is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. All books are sourced from Project Gutenberg and are in the public domain. Gutenberg is an independent reader and is not affiliated with the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Privacy Policy: https://burakkose.me/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Calibre View and Project Gutenberg eBook Reader both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of Calibre View's written reviews are positive against 0% of Project Gutenberg eBook Reader's. Calibre View also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Project Gutenberg eBook Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.1). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Calibre View sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Project Gutenberg eBook Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Calibre View against 5.0 for Project Gutenberg eBook Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Calibre View's written reviews are positive against 0% of Project Gutenberg eBook Reader's.
Calibre View ships an update every 6 weeks, Project Gutenberg eBook Reader every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Calibre View | Project Gutenberg eBook Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DANIEL EDWARD LAMSON | Burak Kose |
Customer experience
Calibre View
Project Gutenberg eBook Reader
In-app purchases
Calibre View
- Small Tip$1.99
- Medium Tip$4.99
- Large Tip$9.99
Project Gutenberg eBook Reader
- Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
- Yearly Subscription$24.991 Year
- Lifetime Access$29.99
Questions
Is Calibre View free?
Is Project Gutenberg eBook Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Calibre View or Project Gutenberg eBook Reader?
Do Calibre View or Project Gutenberg eBook Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Calibre View or Project Gutenberg eBook Reader?
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