# EPUB Reader vs Afterglow

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Afterglow at none against EPUB Reader's 7. Afterglow also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). EPUB Reader's advantage is ratings volume (36 vs 1) and iOS requirement (18.1 vs 26.4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. EPUB Reader sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Afterglow asks for nothing beyond the download.

Afterglow holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EPUB Reader has 36 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

EPUB Reader ships an update every 5 days, Afterglow every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | EPUB Reader | Afterglow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epub-reader-justread/id6757948605/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afterglow-epub-reader/id6767642581/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **36** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 6 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 124 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.1** | 26.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PETR JAHODA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869867188) | [Mohammad Qureshi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1856351525) |

## What reviewers say

### EPUB Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epub-reader-justread/id6757948605)

Customize your reading experience with extensive font and layout options. Effortlessly manage your library, track reading habits, and enjoy eye-care features. Sync your books across devices via cloud storage without proprietary lock-in.

**Highlights:** 200+ built-in fonts and custom font import, Adjustable text and layout settings, Smart dark mode with intelligent image inversion, 20-20-20 eye health reminders, Library management for 5,000+ books, Cloud sync via iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Highlighting, notes, and bookmarking, Reading progress tracking and goal setting

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly: Read Aloud Offline | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly – Launch Price | $12.49 | per year |
| Yearly Premium | $24.99 | per year |
| Yearly: Highlights & Notes | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime – Launch Price | $29.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime: Library & Kindle | $79.99 | one-time |


### Afterglow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afterglow-epub-reader/id6767642581)

Experience ebooks with a personalized ambiance. This reader intelligently creates unique themes from book cover art, offering a clean interface with customizable typography and layout for comfortable reading.

**Highlights:** Ebook reading interface, Cover Tone themes, Custom ambiance per book, Typography controls, Layout controls, Light and dark modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is EPUB Reader free?

EPUB Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Afterglow free?

Afterglow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, EPUB Reader or Afterglow?

Afterglow is rated higher. EPUB Reader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Afterglow averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do EPUB Reader or Afterglow have ads?

Neither EPUB Reader nor Afterglow shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, EPUB Reader or Afterglow?

EPUB Reader ships an update every 5 days, and Afterglow every 6 days. Most recently, EPUB Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and Afterglow on September 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*