Comparison

Reader vs GutenbergListen

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Reader

Features
Read full description

Reader is the social book app built for today's readers. Discover trending books, track your reading life, and join creator-led book clubs β€” 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 β€” 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/

About

GutenbergListen

Features
Read full description

GutenbergListen's raison d'Γͺtre is to provide simple access to the Project Gutenberg website of 70,000 plus books to blind user or to anyone using a screen reader to by providing a succinct browsing experience (declutered, to use the vernacular) to speed navigation. Everyone is, of course, welcome to use it. It is provided without out charge under the agpl-3.0 license. Selected eBooks and audio books are downloaded to the user's phone or tablet and remain until deleted by the user. Downloaded books can be accessed on or offline. eBooks are spoken in a user select-able voice that can be managed by speed, pitch and other basic controls including a sleep timer. Audio books are played at a user select-able speed and the basic controls also include a sleep timer. No personal data is collected, no account creation is required, no location or device information is collected, your location is not tracked and there are no analytics used.

Screenshots

Reader4 screens
GutenbergListen3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GutenbergListen at none against Reader's 4. Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. GutenbergListen asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reader ships an update every 3 days, GutenbergListen every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Reader versus GutenbergListen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReaderGutenbergListen
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days β€” betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better18.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size40 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMATTHEW ROBERT FRIEDMANFrank D Ducrest

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Reader

Subscriptions4
  • Reader+$4.991 Month
  • Creator$12.991 Month
  • Reader+ Annual$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Creator Annual$99.991 Year
None

GutenbergListen

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Reader free?
Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GutenbergListen free?
GutenbergListen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Reader or GutenbergListen have ads?
Neither Reader nor GutenbergListen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reader or GutenbergListen?
Reader ships an update every 3 days, and GutenbergListen every 6 weeks. Most recently, Reader was updated on October 3, 2026 and GutenbergListen on October 6, 2026.

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