# Hearth.fish vs Reader

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hearth.fish | Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearthfish/id6758597734/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 43 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Samuel Ellis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873878822) | [MATTHEW ROBERT FRIEDMAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1881058638) |

## What reviewers say

### Hearth.fish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearthfish/id6758597734)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reader-book-tracker/id6759833105)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reader+ | $4.99 | per month |
| Creator | $12.99 | per month |
| Reader+ Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Creator Annual | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hearth.fish free?

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

### Is Reader free?

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

### Do Hearth.fish or Reader have ads?

Neither Hearth.fish nor Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hearth.fish or Reader?

Hearth.fish ships an update fortnightly, and Reader every 3 days. Most recently, Hearth.fish was updated on October 1, 2026 and Reader on October 3, 2026.

---

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