# Noctua vs Dear Reader

The clearest difference is ads: Noctua at none against Dear Reader's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Noctua ships an update every 5 days, Dear Reader every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Noctua | Dear Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 9 days |
| Size | 37 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Leonardo Melegari](https://appshunter.io/developer/1859398420) | [Moonsun Yang](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779434903) |

## What reviewers say

### Noctua

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noctua-personal-library/id6758920123)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Dear Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dear-reader-reading-journal/id6779434901)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Noctua free?

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

### Is Dear Reader free?

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

### Do Noctua or Dear Reader have ads?

Dear Reader shows ads; Noctua does not.

### Which is updated more often, Noctua or Dear Reader?

Noctua ships an update every 5 days, and Dear Reader every 9 days. Most recently, Noctua was updated on October 7, 2026 and Dear Reader on October 19, 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.*