Fan Reader vs AO3 Companion
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fan Reader
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.
- 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
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Fan Reader is a clean reading app for web fiction fans. If you read stories on SpaceBattles, Sufficient Velocity, Archive of Our Own, Royal Road, FanFiction.Net, or Wildbow's serials, Fan Reader strips away the forum clutter and gives you a focused, book-like reading experience. WHAT IT DOES - Unified library — Add stories from SB, SV, Royal Road, AO3, and FFN to one bookshelf - Beautiful reading — Dark, Light, and Eye Care themes with adjustable font, size, and line spacing - Smart search — Find stories across SB, SV, RR, and AO3 with one search, or browse AO3's full catalog with filters - Full FFN support — Paste any FanFiction.Net URL for a clean, ad-free reading experience on the platform's worst-designed mobile site - Chapter navigation — Quick chapter list, next/prev buttons, reading progress tracking - Paste any URL — Drop a story link from any supported platform and start reading instantly - Chapter preloading — Faster page turns on all platforms - No account required — Everything stored locally on your device Fan Reader doesn't store or cache story content on any server. Stories load directly from their original platforms through your device.
AO3 Companion
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Keep your reading in one place with AO3 Companion, an independent reader for Archive of Our Own. FIND YOUR NEXT READ Search public works by title, author, fandom and tags. Filter by content rating and completion, and sort by kudos, update date or length. YOUR LIBRARY Save works, return to recent reads and keep your chapter and scroll position on this device. READ YOUR WAY Adjust font size, line spacing and typeface. Choose White, Paper or Night mode and move between chapters from the contents menu. COMPANION PLUS Browse and read the first chapter for free. Companion Plus unlocks subsequent chapters in the app, offline downloads and the Rose reading theme. Original works remain freely available on the AO3 website. Prices, renewal periods and any eligible free trial are shown before purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled through your App Store account. No AO3 account is required for public works. Restricted works may require access on AO3 itself. Kudos, comments and author interactions open the original AO3 website. AO3 Companion is not affiliated with Archive of Our Own or the Organization for Transformative Works. Fanworks belong to their authors. Apple standard license: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://ao3-companion-reader.web.app/support.html Privacy: https://ao3-companion-reader.web.app/privacy.html Browse public AO3 works across all ratings. Choose ratings, archive warnings and tags with search filters.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fan Reader at none against AO3 Companion's 2. AO3 Companion's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. AO3 Companion sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Fan Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Fan Reader | AO3 Companion |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | 成文 郑 | ilyas inajjar |
In-app purchases
Fan Reader
No in-app purchases
AO3 Companion
- Companion Plus Weekly$4.997 Days
- Companion Plus Annual3 Days trial$49.991 Year









