UniBook vs Gloss
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
UniBook
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Tired of subscriptions? UniBook is a one-time-purchase reader for the EPUB, PDF, M4B, and MP3 files you own. Read and listen offline, keep your library organized, and pick up exactly where you left off. β WHY READERS CHOOSE UNIBOOK β PAY ONCE, READ FOR LIFE A single in-app purchase unlocks the full reader. No monthly plan and no automatic renewal. YOUR LIBRARY STAYS YOURS Import compatible DRM-free files through Files, iCloud Drive, or the Share extension. Your imported books remain on your device, UniBook does not upload your library, and no account is required. β FEATURES β EPUB READER β’ Adjustable text size and reading themes β’ Light, sepia, and dark reading themes β’ Save highlights and quotes β’ Share quotes as polished images β’ Resume from your saved position β’ See reading progress in the reader and your library PDF READER β’ Native PDF viewing β’ Page and progress tracking β’ Saved position for reliable resume β’ Progress visible alongside your other books AUDIOBOOK PLAYER β’ M4B and MP3 audiobooks β’ Single-file and multi-file books β’ Playback speed from 0.5x to 2x β’ Sleep timer β’ Background playback and lock-screen controls β’ Resume from your last position β’ Chapter navigation LIBRARY MANAGEMENT β’ Custom shelves and favorites β’ Dedicated Reading and Finished shelves β’ Active books stay easy to reach; completed books move to the end β’ Import several compatible files from Files β’ Add books and audiobooks from other apps with the Share extension β’ Share or remove your own files at any time READING STATISTICS β’ Daily reading and listening time β’ Reading streaks and daily goals β’ Yearly activity graph β’ Year in Review SIRI β’ Resume your last audiobook with the βPlay Last Audiobookβ shortcut Supported formats: EPUB, PDF, M4B, MP3 UniBook is built for readers who manage their own digital library and want a focused, private reading experience without a recurring subscription. Note: UniBook is a reader app. It does not sell, distribute, or provide book content. You are responsible for ensuring that you have the right to use every file you import. DRM-protected files are not supported.
Gloss
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Gloss turns anything you read into a conversation with its author. Highlight any passage β in a book, a PDF, an article you saved, or your own notes β and a margin note appears, explaining it more deeply in a voice informed by the author's style (or a thoughtful guide when there's no single author). Ask a follow-up and the note answers, staying right beside the text. The AI lives in the margins, never as a chat window β it reads like a thoughtful annotation, beside the text. Read anything: β’ EPUB books (DRM-free) β your files, Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, author-direct. (Kindle and Apple Books DRM files aren't supported.) β’ PDFs β papers, manuals, anything you've saved. β’ Articles β paste a link and Gloss pulls the readable text to annotate. β’ Your notes β write or paste text and gloss it like a book. β’ Select text β Gloss, Go deeper, Define, or Ask β the note streams into the margin (a side column on iPad, an anchored card on iPhone). β’ Distraction-free reading β three themes (light, sepia, dark), adjustable font, size, spacing, and margins. β’ Your highlights and notes are saved on your device and travel with each document. Reading is free forever. Your first 10 glosses are free; Gloss Unlimited ($5.99/month or $49.99/year) unlocks unlimited notes. Your files stay on your device β only the highlighted passage and a small amount of surrounding text are sent to generate a note. Author "voices" are an AI interpretation, not the real author, and may be inaccurate. Gloss Unlimited is an auto-renewable subscription: $5.99/month or $49.99/year. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at purchase confirmation. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://gloss.nyrai.ai/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://gloss.nyrai.ai/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Gloss at 17.0 against UniBook's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. UniBook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Gloss sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | UniBook | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | β |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 17+ |
| Developer | Denis Tronin | NYRAI LLC |
In-app purchases
UniBook
- UniBook Premium$49.99
Gloss
- Gloss Monthly$5.991 Month
- Gloss Yearly$49.991 Year









