Comparison

EpubReader vs iRead

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

Head to head
About

EpubReader

Read EPUB books offline with a customizable reader. Listen to your books with built-in text-to-speech and sync your library across devices. Organize your collection with custom collections and smart sorting.

Highlights
  • Offline EPUB reading
  • Built-in text-to-speech (TTS)
  • iCloud library sync
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Organize books into collections
  • Multiple import methods
Features
Read full description

EpubReader is a clean, powerful ebook reader built exclusively for iPhone and iPad. Read EPUB books offline, listen with built-in text-to-speech, and sync your entire library across devices with iCloud. Import DRM-free EPUB books in seconds, organize them into custom collections, customize every detail of your reading experience — fonts, themes, dark mode — and pick up right where you left off on any device. Effortless Book Import • Import EPUB files from Files or iCloud Drive • WiFi Transfer – drag and drop books from Mac or PC • Open in from Safari • AirDrop support Fully Customizable Reading • Light, Sepia, Dark Mode & True Black (OLED) night mode themes • Adjust font size, line height, margins, and spacing • Choose from premium, highly readable fonts • Page curl animation or smooth vertical scrolling • Bookmarks with notes and color highlights Built-in Text-to-Speech (TTS) — Read Aloud • Listen to your ebooks hands-free like an audiobook • Real-time sentence highlighting • Automatic page turning • Great for multitasking or resting your eyes Automatic iCloud Sync • Sync books across iPhone and iPad • Reading progress, bookmarks & highlights stay updated • Secure and private — powered by your personal iCloud Smart Library & Collections • Organize your books into custom collections • Create multiple bookshelves for different genres, authors, or projects • Quickly add or move books between collections • Smart sorting by recent reads so your current book is always easy to find • Full Table of Contents navigation Privacy First • EpubReader never tracks your reading habits. • No analytics tracking. • No data selling. • No mandatory sign-ups. • All books stay on your device or securely in your personal iCloud. Download EpubReader today and enjoy a distraction-free reading experience. Note: EpubReader supports DRM-free EPUB files only. DRM-protected books are not supported.

About

iRead

Listen to your EPUB, TXT, and MOBI books with natural-sounding voices, completely offline. Import your existing library and enjoy background playback with lock screen controls. A Pro version unlocks premium voices with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Listen to EPUB, TXT, MOBI aloud
  • Natural neural voices
  • Fully offline operation
  • Background playback
  • Import from Files/Share Sheet
  • Light/dark themes
  • Library management
Features
Read full description

iRead reads the books you already own out loud — natural voices, fully offline, no subscription. LISTEN TO YOUR OWN BOOKS • Natural neural voices read EPUB, TXT and MOBI aloud • Keeps playing in the background, with the screen locked • Lock screen and headphone controls, like a podcast • Voices in nine languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean — each chapter is read in its own language automatically • Runs entirely on your phone — your text is never uploaded READ THEM TOO • Import from Files, the share sheet, or your computer over Wi-Fi • Light and dark themes, adjustable size and spacing • Shelf with covers, categories and reading progress • One backup file carries your library, progress and settings between devices GOOD TO KNOW • PDF opens for reading but cannot be read aloud — convert it to EPUB first (free converter at iread.gaiya.cc) • DRM-protected books, including Kindle and Apple Books purchases, cannot be opened • There is no store inside iRead. It never sells or ships books; it opens the ones you already have FREE AND PRO • Free: the whole reader, plus your device's built-in system voice • Pro: unlocks the natural neural voices. One-time purchase, yours forever • No subscription, no account, no ads, no tracking

Screenshots

EpubReader4 screens
iRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EpubReader at none against iRead's 1. EpubReader also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). iRead's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. iRead sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. EpubReader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iRead holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EpubReader ships an update every 3 months, iRead every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
EpubReader versus iRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEpubReaderiRead
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPenghui ZhaoShuhui Sheng

Customer experience

EpubReader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

iRead

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

EpubReader

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

iRead

One-time1
  • iRead Pro$11.99

Questions

Is EpubReader free?
EpubReader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iRead free?
iRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, EpubReader or iRead?
iRead is rated higher. EpubReader averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while iRead averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do EpubReader or iRead have ads?
Neither EpubReader nor iRead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EpubReader or iRead?
EpubReader ships an update every 3 months, and iRead every 2 days. Most recently, EpubReader was updated on October 28, 2026 and iRead on October 29, 2026.

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