Ember vs EPUB Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ember
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Read real books in your target language — with instant translation, audio-assisted reading, vocabulary saving, built-in review, and synced bookmarks. Ember Reader is designed for people who want to learn languages through real reading, not through isolated exercises alone. Import your own EPUB, FB2, and TXT books, tap any word or phrase for instant translation, save vocabulary from real context, and review it later with built-in spaced repetition. Use audio-assisted reading with live highlighting, speed controls, and Read from Here. When you want to stay in flow, Meaning-First Reading gives you paragraph and full-page translation views. Your books, saved items, bookmarks, and reading progress stay in sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Read. Listen. Understand. Remember. ------ What You Can Do • Read real books in your target language • Import your own EPUB, FB2, and TXT books • Tap any word or phrase for instant translation • Get AI-powered explanations when needed • Listen while reading with live sentence and word highlighting • Control playback speed and start from any sentence with Read from Here • Use paragraph and full-page translation views to stay in flow • Save words and phrases directly from real context • Review with built-in spaced repetition (SRS) • Save synced bookmarks and return anytime • Sync your books, saved items, bookmarks, and progress across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Optionally enable Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) for expanded AI translation ------ Private by Default Translation and AI explanations run locally using Apple’s on-device models whenever available. Your reading stays private. If you want expanded AI capabilities, you can optionally connect your own API provider in Settings. ------ Designed for Focused Language Learning No distractions. No gamification. No streak manipulation. Just deep reading that helps you build vocabulary naturally. ------ Who It’s For • Self-learners • Students • Polyglots • Serious readers building vocabulary through real books ------ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
EPUB Reader
This app helps you learn languages by reading books. It offers sentence-by-sentence translation, vocabulary building, and the ability to import your own texts. Enjoy a customizable reading experience with various themes and fonts.
- Sentence-by-sentence translation
- Vocabulary saving with context
- Import EPUB and TXT files
- Customizable reading themes and fonts
- Offline translation after initial download
- Built-in library of classic texts
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Duotext translates whole sentences while you read. Keep the original in view and reveal a sentence’s translation with a tap, or keep translations visible with Pro. Read on iPhone and iPad. 24 CLASSIC READS IN YOUR LIBRARY • Three complete starter texts, free to read. • The English language setting starts with three French fables by Jean de La Fontaine, with ready-to-read English translations. • Other language settings start with English stories by Kate Chopin, O. Henry and Oscar Wilde. • Twenty-one more texts with Pro: French stories by Maupassant and fables by La Fontaine for the English language setting; English stories, including stories by Saki, for other settings. TRANSLATION THE WAY YOU WANT IT • Tap to translate — free, in every book: touch the mark after a sentence and its translation appears • Always-on translation under the text, with no tapping at all — with Pro • Choose how the text is split: by line, by sentence, or by paragraph — with Pro • Tap a single word to see what it means in that exact sentence BUILD VOCABULARY FROM REAL BOOKS • Press and hold a sentence to save a word together with the context you met it in • Free: up to 20 saved words. Pro: an unlimited dictionary BRING YOUR OWN BOOKS — WITH PRO • Import EPUB and TXT files • Paste any text • Save an article from the web by link A READER FIRST • Six reading themes, serif, sans serif and rounded fonts, adjustable type size — all free • Covers, reading progress, and your place in the book • Your books stay on your device HOW TRANSLATION WORKS Duotext uses the translation built into iOS, so text is translated on your iPhone. The first time you use a language pair, iOS downloads that language model, which needs an internet connection; after that, translation runs on your device. You can translate into the languages your device supports for translation. No account, no sign-up. WHAT IS FREE AND WHAT IS PRO Free: 3 complete stories, tap to translate in any book, up to 20 saved words, and every theme, font and type size. Duotext Pro adds: 21 more stories, always-on translation under every line, the by line / by sentence / by paragraph layouts, importing your own EPUB and TXT files, pasted text and links, and an unlimited dictionary. SUBSCRIPTION AND PURCHASE Duotext Pro is available as a yearly subscription with a free trial, or as a one-time Lifetime purchase. • Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple Account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. • You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your Apple Account settings. • Any unused portion of a free trial period is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy Policy: https://artsaverin-star.github.io/legal/duotext/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: EPUB Reader at every 3 days against Ember's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Ember sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year and EPUB Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Ember ships an update fortnightly, EPUB Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ember | EPUB Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Alexei Vinidiktov | Iaroslav Saverin |
In-app purchases
Ember
- Ember Reader Premium$29.991 Year
EPUB Reader
- Monthly$1.991 Month
- Yearly3 Days trial$13.991 Year
- Lifetime$39.99








