Comparison

UniBook vs Gloss

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

Head to head
About

UniBook

Features
Read full description

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 β€œPlay Last Audiobook” 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.

About

Gloss

Features
Read full description

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

UniBook4 screens
Gloss4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
UniBook versus Gloss: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniBookGloss
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size15 MB13 MB
Age rating+417+
DeveloperDenis TroninNYRAI LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

UniBook

One-time1
  • UniBook Premium$49.99
2 purchases

Gloss

Subscriptions2
  • Gloss Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Gloss Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is UniBook free?
UniBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gloss free?
Gloss is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do UniBook or Gloss have ads?
Neither UniBook nor Gloss shows ads.

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