ZRead vs Reader Alive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ZRead
A versatile reader for ebooks, PDFs, and comics. Supports numerous file formats including EPUB, MOBI, and CBZ. Offers a clean reading experience with privacy in mind.
- EPUB, PDF, TXT, FB2, MOBI, AZW support
- CBZ, CBR, CB7 comic format support
- Custom source integration
- Privacy-focused design
- Clean reading interface
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Read ebooks, PDFs, and comics with ZRead. ZRead supports EPUB, PDF, TXT, FB2, MOBI, AZW, and comic formats including CBZ, CBR, and CB7. Privacy: https://zread.app/privacy Terms: https://zread.app/terms
Reader Alive
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Reader Alive is an AI-powered ebook reader for iPhone and iPad. Import EPUB, PDF, AZW3, and MOBI books from Files, Finder, AirDrop, Wi-Fi transfer, or iCloud Drive. Read in paged or continuous scrolling modes, tune fonts and themes, adjust size and spacing, and keep your library and reading position in sync with iCloud. Reader Alive helps books feel alive: • Translate selected text or full chapters • Listen with natural text-to-speech • Chat with a book and ask questions grounded in its content • Generate chapter summaries • Explore key ideas, characters, timelines, arguments, and action lists • Sync your library and reading progress across devices with iCloud Full translation, listening, and AI chat features require a subscription. Reader Alive is built for deep reading, foreign-language reading, study, research, and faster understanding of long books. Privacy Policy: https://readeralive.pages.dev/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: ZRead at none against Reader Alive's shown. Reader Alive's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 9 days). On price, in-app purchases, 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. ZRead sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Reader Alive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ZRead ships an update every 9 days, Reader Alive every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ZRead | Reader Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 289 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 光泽 赖 | Nocoly.com Limited |
In-app purchases
ZRead
- ZRead Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
- ZRead Pro Yearly$6.991 Year
- Founding Member$6.99
- ZRead Pro Lifetime$12.99
Reader Alive
- Premium Monthly$7.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$59.991 Year
