Hearth.fish vs Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hearth.fish
Discover books and connect with readers in your area. Browse virtual shelves, share your library, and find your next favorite read through real people. It also functions as a robust book tracker with ratings, reviews, and reading statistics.
- Explore nearby readers on a map
- Browse friends' book shelves
- Message friends and compare libraries
- Track reading with ratings and reviews
- Import library from Goodreads
- Find books through people
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Hearth puts readers on a map. See who's reading what near you, explore their shelves, and find your next book through people — not algorithms. It's also a seriously good book tracker. A clean, fast library with ratings, reviews, and reading stats. - Explore nearby readers on a map and browse their shelves - Message friends and compare libraries - Beautiful library with ratings, reviews, and stats - Import your existing library from Goodreads - Find your next read through real people
Reader
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Reader is the social book app built for today's readers. Discover trending books, track your reading life, and join creator-led book clubs — all in one place. Whether you're coming from BookTok or switching from Goodreads, Reader makes your reading social, organized, and shareable. DISCOVER WHAT'S TRENDING Swipe through personalized recommendations in The Stack. Add books to your TBR, rate what you finish, and train your feed to match your taste. See what's blowing up this week, explore by mood or genre, follow your favorite series and authors, and scan any barcode to instantly add a book to your shelves. JOIN CREATOR-LED BOOK CLUBS Join book clubs hosted by your favorite BookTok creators. Start your own branded club with custom artwork and exclusive discussion threads. Host monthly reading challenges, lead conversations, and build a community around the stories you love. TRACK YOUR ENTIRE READING LIFE Organize your books with smart shelves: - Currently Reading - Want to Read - Finished - Did Not Finish Log progress page by page, set daily goals, and complete monthly challenges. Use the built-in reading timer to track focus sessions, reading pace, and streaks. MAKE YOUR READING SOCIAL Follow friends to see what they're reading and rating. Share beautifully designed reading cards. Show off your Top 5 books and reading personality. Build a public reading profile that grows with you. SWITCHING FROM GOODREADS? Import your shelves, ratings, and reading history in seconds with a simple CSV upload. No starting over. Reader is a modern alternative to Goodreads — built for social discovery and creator communities. BUILT FOR READERS, NOT ADVERTISERS Reader is free with no ads. Upgrade to Reader+ for unlimited swipes, advanced stats, and deeper insights. Go Creator to launch your own book club and earn through affiliate links. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hearth.fish at none against Reader's 4. Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Hearth.fish asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hearth.fish ships an update fortnightly, Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hearth.fish | Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Samuel Ellis | MATTHEW ROBERT FRIEDMAN |
In-app purchases
Hearth.fish
No in-app purchases
Reader
- Reader+$4.991 Month
- Creator$12.991 Month
- Reader+ Annual$39.991 Year
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- Creator Annual$99.991 Year
