Comparison

Readlate vs Close Reader

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

Head to head
About

Readlate

Translate entire documents and switch between original and translated versions for context. Supports various file types and offers offline translation with downloaded language packs. Organize and export translated content.

Highlights
  • Translate entire documents
  • Switch between original and translated text
  • Supports EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, and more
  • Offline translation with downloaded language packs
  • Organized recent documents library
  • Export translated files
  • Adjustable reader tools
Features
Read full description

Readlate is a private document reader for people who read books, articles, notes, and handouts in another language. Open a file, translate the whole document with Apple Translation, then switch between the original and translated version whenever you need context. READ FOREIGN DOCUMENTS MORE COMFORTABLY Readlate is built for foreign-language reading, not quick phrase lookup. Keep your place, return to recent documents, and continue reading after translation without rebuilding your library. SUPPORTED FILE TYPES Open EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, HTML, and JSON files from the Files app, iCloud Drive, email attachments, or any document source available on iOS. WHOLE-DOCUMENT TRANSLATION Translate full documents with Apple's Translation framework. Language packs can be downloaded from iOS, so supported language pairs can work offline after the required packs are installed. ORIGINAL / TRANSLATED READING Switch between the original document and the translated version while keeping your reading position. This is useful when you want to check wording, compare meaning, or continue reading in the language that feels easiest. RECENT DOCUMENTS THAT STAY ORGANIZED Return to your current books and documents from the recent library. Format badges, translated-language labels, and reading progress help you pick up where you left off. READER TOOLS • Page and continuous scroll reading modes • Adjustable font size and font family • Table of contents navigation • Full-text search • Bookmarks • Custom tap-zone actions • Chapter and paragraph re-translation tools EXPORT TRANSLATED FILES Save translated results back to the Files app. EPUB and DOCX exports keep their document-oriented workflow so translated material is easier to review or reuse. PRIVACY-FIRST BY DESIGN Files are imported and read on your device. Standard translation uses Apple Translation and can work offline with the required language packs. When you choose Premium Translation, the text to be translated is sent through Readlate's server to a cloud AI translation provider; an internet connection is required. Readlate does not require you to create an account. SUPPORTED INTERFACE LANGUAGES Readlate is localized in English, Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese (Brazil). READLATE PRO — ONE-TIME PURCHASE The free experience includes ads and parallel original/translation reading. A one-time Readlate Pro purchase removes ads and reward gates and unlocks bilingual export. Cloud translation is subject to usage limits; Pro does not include unlimited cloud translation. PREMIUM TRANSLATION — AUTO-RENEWING SUBSCRIPTION Premium Translation adds high-quality cloud AI translation for long books and includes every Readlate Pro feature. Two plans are offered: Premium Translation Monthly (1 month) and Premium Translation Yearly (1 year). The price of each plan is shown in the app before you purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it any time in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://readlate-aefa3.web.app/privacy.html

About

Close Reader

Features
Read full description

Close Reader is an e-book reader for iPhone and iPad that helps you read any book, in a foreign language or in your own. Press and hold a word for a translation that fits the sentence, and save it to flashcards. Forgot where you left off? Get a recap of what you’ve read so far. Ask the AI who a character is, what a passage means or what lies behind an event, even where the book has no footnote. It knows the book only up to your page, so there are no spoilers. At a glance • Your own books: EPUB, FB2, MOBI, AZW3, PDF and TXT (DRM-free), from Files, Mail or a messenger, or from your OPDS library (Calibre, Kavita, Komga). No store, no sign-up. • Books in any language; translations into more than 40 languages; the app itself speaks 20. • Free to download and read. AI help is free for your first 7 days (1,500 energy, no account), then runs on a plan or energy you buy; Medium starts with a 7-day free trial. • iPhone and iPad, in sync if you sign in. • No ads. Your text isn’t stored or used to train AI models. Help right where you stumble • Hold a word: the translation fits this very sentence. Reading in your own language? You get a plain definition. • Drag the handles to take in a phrase, or translate the whole sentence or paragraph. • Select a name: “Who’s this?” reminds you who that character or place is, from the pages you’ve read, and where they first appeared. • “Explain” gives the background of a passage: history, allusions, idioms and old-fashioned phrasing. • Questions about real history or the author get answers from the web, with sources. No spoilers Every answer comes from what you’ve read, up to the last line on your screen. In “No spoilers” mode we don’t even tell the AI which book it is, so it can’t fill in the plot from memory. Rereading? Switch to “Whole book”. Talk the book over • Ask for a recap, who’s who, or why a character did what they did. “Detailed answer” goes deeper. • Ask where something happened: the answer lists the places, and a tap opens the book there. • Answers link to the passages they rely on. Keep several chats per book; your notes can come along. • Chapters you’ve read have recaps, and rings in the contents show how much of each you’ve read. Learn the words you meet • “Save word” keeps a word with its translation and the sentence where you met it. • Flashcards adapt to your memory, with a daily reminder. Vocabulary exports to CSV. Find your way, keep what matters • The slider is a map of the book: chapters, bookmarks, notes and the time left in the chapter. • Jump anywhere to look around: your reading place stays put, and one tap takes you back. • Search the book. Footnotes open over the page, pictures full screen. • Highlights, notes, quotes shared as pictures, saved AI answers, bookmarks and “I’m here”. Notes export to Markdown. Easy on the eyes Four themes, fonts, text size and line spacing; pages or scrolling; portrait or landscape, with a two-page spread on a wide screen. Energy and plans AI help runs on energy: translating a word costs 1, and bigger requests show their price first. Reading, notes and flashcards are always free. Every feature is on every plan: Light, Medium and Max give 15,000, 40,000 and 80,000 energy a month, enough for everyday help plus about 25, 70 or 150 detailed answers. Extra energy you buy never expires. Subscriptions Light, Medium and Max are auto-renewing subscriptions, billed monthly or yearly. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://closereader.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://closereader.app/privacy

Screenshots

Readlate4 screens
Close Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Readlate at every 5 days against Close Reader's every 3 weeks. Close Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). 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. Readlate sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Close Reader sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readlate ships an update every 5 days, Close Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Readlate versus Close Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadlateClose Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB61 MB
Age rating+49+
DeveloperDongkyu LeeIlia Ilinskii

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Readlate

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Translation Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Premium Translation Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time3
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • Readlate Pro Upgrade$6.99
  • Readlate Pro$9.99
8 purchases

Close Reader

Subscriptions6
  • Light – monthly$4.991 Month
  • Medium – monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Max – monthly$19.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Light – yearly$39.991 Year
  • Medium – yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Max – yearly$149.991 Year
One-time2
  • 10,000 energy$2.99
  • 30,000 energy$6.99

Questions

Is Readlate free?
Readlate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Close Reader free?
Close Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Readlate or Close Reader have ads?
Both Readlate and Close Reader show ads.
Which is updated more often, Readlate or Close Reader?
Readlate ships an update every 5 days, and Close Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Readlate was updated on November 9, 2026 and Close Reader on November 10, 2026.

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