# Amethyst vs Sakura Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sakura Reader at 100% against Amethyst's 0%. Sakura Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). Amethyst's advantage is device support (5 vs 3) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On price, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Amethyst sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sakura Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Amethyst ships an update monthly, Sakura Reader every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Amethyst | Sakura Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sakura-reader/id6759867397/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 52 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MBRKHRDT LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492913322) | [Justin Xin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1423154796) |

## What reviewers say

### Amethyst

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amethyst-rss-and-news-reader/id6758023629)

A streamlined RSS reader designed for Apple devices, offering customizable feed organization, real-time notifications, and article bookmarking. It supports RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds, syncing seamlessly across your Apple ecosystem.

**Highlights:** RSS, Atom, JSON feed support, Feed grouping and sorting, Real-time push notifications, Article bookmarking, iCloud sync across Apple devices, OPML import/export

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amethyst Plus - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Amethyst Plus - Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Amethyst Plus - Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


### Sakura Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sakura-reader/id6759867397)

A modern RSS reader offering multiple display styles for news, blogs, and podcasts. Features on-device AI summaries, content grouping, and easy feed discovery. Read offline with cached content and built-in translation.

**Highlights:** Multiple display styles for content consumption, On-device AI-generated article summaries, Automatic content grouping by topic, Easy feed discovery via Share Sheet, Offline reading with cached content, Built-in podcast player with background audio, Customizable feed presentation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Amethyst free?

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

### Is Sakura Reader free?

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

### Do Amethyst or Sakura Reader have ads?

Neither Amethyst nor Sakura Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Amethyst or Sakura Reader?

Amethyst ships an update monthly, and Sakura Reader every 4 days. Most recently, Amethyst was updated on September 14, 2026 and Sakura Reader on September 21, 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.*