# Fan Reader vs Trace

Fan Reader and Trace both sit at 4.2 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Fan Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of Trace's. Fan Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Trace's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Trace sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Fan Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Fan Reader against 4.3 for Trace. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 3 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Fan Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of Trace's.

Fan Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, Trace every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fan Reader | Trace |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fan-reader/id6759957355/reviews) | **[4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-fanfiction-tracker/id6761776345/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 4 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [成文 郑](https://appshunter.io/developer/1879737544) | [ZACHARY SAMUEL LAMBERT](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891419670) |

## What reviewers say

### Fan Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fan-reader/id6759957355)

This app offers a streamlined reading experience for web fiction, removing forum clutter to present stories in a clean, book-like format. It allows users to organize their favorite web serials, track reading progress, and search for new content across various platforms.

**Highlights:** Removes forum clutter for focused reading, Organizes web fiction stories on a personal shelf, Displays cover art, synopsis, and chapter lists, Searchable story database, Adjustable font size and themes, Automatic progress saving, Clean chapter navigation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Trace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-fanfiction-tracker/id6761776345)

This app helps you track your fanfiction reading progress and organize your favorite stories. It allows you to save works, add notes, and categorize them for easy retrieval. Keep a private record of what you've read, loved, or dropped across supported archives.

**Highlights:** Track reading progress, Organize fanfiction by status, Add private notes and tags, Search and filter by fandom, Integrates with AO3 and FanFiction.net, Create reading collections

**Features:** Safari Extension

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trace Unlimited Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Trace Unlimited Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fan Reader free?

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

### Is Trace free?

Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Fan Reader or Trace?

Trace is rated higher. Fan Reader averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Trace averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do Fan Reader or Trace have ads?

Neither Fan Reader nor Trace shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fan Reader or Trace?

Fan Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, and Trace every 5 days. Most recently, Fan Reader was updated on October 11, 2026 and Trace on October 11, 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.*