Comparison

ToRead vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

ToRead

This app helps you focus on reading by providing a distraction-free environment. It quietly tracks your reading time, offers ambient sounds for relaxation, and displays your progress on your lock screen and home screen.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free reading sessions
  • Ambient soundscapes
  • Live Activity and Dynamic Island support
  • Session history and editing
  • Home Screen widget
  • Minimalist interface
  • Optional one-time tips
Features
Read full description

ToRead is free to use, with no ads. The timer, your reading history and weekly reflection are free for everyone. It’s designed to help you spend more time reading, without pressure, goals, or distractions. Start a reading session, put your phone down, and just read. ToRead quietly tracks your reading time, so you can build awareness of your habits without gamification, streaks, or competition. Designed for calm focus • One tap to start reading • Ambient sounds to help you relax: rain and ocean waves, with more in ToRead Plus • Your reading time on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island (ToRead Plus) • Auto-end sessions, in case you forget • Session history with editing and manual entries • A Books page to rename, finish, archive or bring back a book • A weekly widget for the Home and Lock Screen (ToRead Plus) • Minimal interface that stays out of the way Your reading time, simply recorded ToRead focuses on time, not speed or performance. Whether you read for 2 minutes or 2 hours, every session counts. Your reading history helps you reflect on how reading fits into your life — without judging it. Built with intention • Designed for iPhone • Light and dark themes designed for comfort • iCloud sync (when enabled) to keep your data across devices • Privacy-friendly: your data stays yours For readers who just want to read ToRead is for anyone who wants a quieter relationship with reading: • No social feeds • No challenges • No productivity pressure Just reading, at your own pace. Read when you want. Stop when you want. ToRead. ToRead Plus ToRead Plus adds a few comforts: your reading time on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, the weekly Home Screen widget, every ambient sound, and each new sound pack as it arrives. Pay once, keep it forever. If you used ToRead before Plus existed, everything it had then stays yours, with nothing to do. Legal • Privacy Policy: https://horchatastudio.com/toread/privacy/ • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Folio

Features
Read full description

Remember the reading life behind every finished—or unfinished—book. Folio is a private reading log for iPhone that keeps your library, timed sessions, page progress, notes, goals, and statistics together without adding a social feed. YOUR PERSONAL LIBRARY • Find books through search or add them manually • Organize reading, finished, want-to-read, and did-not-finish shelves • Keep the title, author, cover, page count, dates, rating, and review together • Start with up to 10 books for free TRACK EVERY READING SESSION Start a timer when you sit down with a book, then save how long you read and where you stopped. Page and percentage progress make long books and partial sessions visible—not only the finish. KEEP THE THOUGHTS THAT MATTER Save private notes, quotations, and page references beside the book that inspired them. Write one sentence or many; Folio does not turn your journal into a public performance. SEE YOUR READING PATTERNS Review reading time, pages, streaks, monthly activity, and annual-goal progress. Use the record to understand the habit rather than race through a leaderboard. MORE WAYS TO READ Use ambient sounds during a session, keep a current book on your Home Screen widget, create optional share cards, and export your library as CSV. PRIVACY-MINDED No account is required. Journal data stays on your device and can be exported as CSV with Folio Pro. There are no followers and no social feed. FOLIO PRO Folio is free to download and supports a library of up to 10 books before upgrading. Optional annual and lifetime purchases unlock unlimited books and the complete experience. Prices vary by storefront. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ToRead4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ToRead at every 4 weeks against Folio's every 4 months. On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ToRead sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Folio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ToRead ships an update every 4 weeks, Folio every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ToRead versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterToReadFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrancisco Martinez远锋 叶

In-app purchases

4 purchases

ToRead

One-time4
  • Small tip$0.99
  • Medium tip$2.99
  • Large tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • ToRead Plus$9.99
2 purchases

Folio

Subscriptions1
  • Folio Pro - Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Folio Pro - Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is ToRead free?
ToRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ToRead or Folio have ads?
Neither ToRead nor Folio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ToRead or Folio?
ToRead ships an update every 4 weeks, and Folio every 4 months. Most recently, ToRead was updated on November 9, 2026 and Folio on November 13, 2026.

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