Aura Reads vs Widget Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aura Reads
Read full descriptionHide full description
Most reading trackers treat audiobooks as an afterthought, inflate your reading stats, and lock your data behind walled gardens. Aura is different. Designed specifically for power readers and audiobook listeners, Aura is a premium, offline-first tracking dashboard that actually understands how you read. Built on a stunning "OLED Deep Sea" aesthetic, Aura transforms your reading history into high-fidelity data visualizations. No ads. No social feed clutter. Just your library, your stats, and your data. FEATURES DESIGNED FOR POWER USERS: • True-Time Audiobook Math If you finish a 20-hour audiobook at 2x speed, you didn't read for 20 hours. Aura calculates your actual real-life listening time based on your playback speed, ensuring your daily stats and graphs are physically accurate. • Audiobookshelf & Plex Sync Connect your self-hosted Audiobookshelf or Plex (Prologue) server. Aura automatically fetches your listening progress. If you forget to open the app for a few days, Aura’s "Time Travel" feature lets you cleanly distribute your missed listening hours across the calendar so your activity heatmap stays flawless. • Deep Analytics & Data Viz Visualize your reading life. Aura features a GitHub-style activity heatmap, a rolling 6-month reading velocity chart, and a 5-dimension behavioral radar graph to map your specific reading profile. • Bring Your Library Instantly import your CSV exports from Goodreads, StoryGraph, or Hardcover. Aura parses your history, automatically backfills missing book covers, and preserves your past reading streaks. • The Oracle Not sure what to read next? Opt-in to The Oracle, a specialized AI recommendation engine that analyzes your exact taste filters (e.g., Hard Magic, Fast Pacing, Grimdark) and library history to surface the perfect next read. • Total Data Sovereignty We believe in absolute anti-lock-in. Choose "Aura Cloud" for seamless cross-device sync, or select "Local Only" mode to ensure your database never touches the internet. When you're ready, use the One-Click Eject protocol to download your entire library and delete your cloud account instantly. Take back your data and track your reading the right way.
Widget Reader
Read full descriptionHide full description
Bring your own books into a quieter reading space. Widget Reader makes it easy to read a page, listen to a chapter, or enjoy a short passage from your Home Screen. • Import DRM-free EPUB, TXT, text-based PDF, MOBI/AZW, Markdown, HTML and FB2. • Choose files from your device, iCloud Drive or third-party cloud services enabled in Files. • Adjust fonts, text size, spacing, themes and page turns. • Listen with installed offline system voices, sentence highlighting and a sleep timer. • Save bookmarks, highlights and notes. Put your current book in a Home Screen widget. • Pro adds unlimited imports, organization, reading reports, advanced widgets, exports and optional private iCloud sync. Imported files are local copies; changes to the original do not update them. Export Google Docs to a supported format first. Scanned PDFs, OCR and DRM-protected books are not supported. Interactive widgets require iOS 17 or later. iPhone includes up to 10 unique books for free. Reading and library actions on iPad require Pro. Weekly and yearly subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled. Any trial is subject to App Store eligibility; see the purchase screen for current prices and terms. No app account or advertising. Books stay local unless you enable private iCloud sync. https://reader.jameshaoyu.com/privacy https://reader.jameshaoyu.com/subscription-terms https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Widget Reader at 3 against Aura Reads's —. On price, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Aura Reads | Widget Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | — | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | — | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | — | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Ungersbock | 浩宇 黄 |
In-app purchases
Aura Reads
No in-app purchases
Widget Reader
No in-app purchases









