Cinder Reader vs ArcReader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cinder Reader
A modern, ad-free app for reading ebooks, comics, manga, and PDFs. Organize your personal library, import files from various sources, and customize your reading experience with flexible tools and appearance settings.
- Read ebooks, comics, manga, and PDFs
- Import and manage personal library
- Connect to content sources
- Customize reader appearance
- Track reading progress
- Create highlights and notes
- Organize with folders and filters
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Cinder is a modern, ad-free reading app for ebooks, comics, manga, PDFs, web novels, and more. Build a library that fits the way you read. Import your own files, connect your preferred catalogs and personal content sources, organize everything in one place, and enjoy a clean, customizable reading experience across multiple formats. Features Read ebooks, comics, manga, and PDFs in one app Import your own files and manage your personal library Add and browse compatible catalogs and personal content sources Customize fonts, themes, spacing, alignment, and reader appearance Track reading progress and pick up where you left off Create highlights and notes Organize books with folders, filters, and library tools Discover new titles with built-in discovery features Sync with your Hardcover account to track reading progress and discover new books Designed for phones, tablets, and larger screens Built for readers Cinder focuses on a polished, distraction-light reading experience with flexible library management and deep reader customization. Whether you’re reading novels, graphic novels, manga, or documents, Cinder gives you one place to keep everything organized. Privacy-first by design Your library and reading setup stay centered around your own content, your own sources, and your own reading workflow.
ArcReader
Download and read web novels offline with customizable themes, fonts, and scroll modes. Convert novels to audiobooks with on-device narration and build vocabulary with an integrated dictionary. Sync progress across devices and import EPUB files.
- Download and read web novels offline
- Customizable reader themes and fonts
- On-device text-to-speech narration
- EPUB file import
- Integrated dictionary with flashcards
- Cross-device reading progress sync
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Paste any web novel link. Download every chapter. Read offline anywhere — no account, no subscription required to start. ArcReader is the offline-first reader for Royal Road, WTR-Lab, NovelFire, and dozens more sources. Bring your own link, we handle the rest — whether it's progression fantasy, xianxia, cultivation fiction, LitRPG, isekai, romance, or any English web novel and light novel. Loved by readers who wanted something quieter: no crowded feeds, no coin walls, just your books. Built for readers who want full control: pick your theme, your font, your scroll mode, and read offline whenever you want. POPULAR GENRES ON ARCREADER Progression Fantasy · Cultivation · Xianxia · Wuxia · Xuanhuan · LitRPG · GameLit · Isekai · Reincarnation · Fantasy · Romance · Sci-Fi · Fanfiction · Thriller · Horror · Slice of Life · Harem · Adventure WHY READERS LOVE ARCREADER A reader designed for long sessions Choose between four themes (Light, Dark, Sepia, Black AMOLED). Adjust font size, line spacing, font family, and margins to find your perfect setup. Switch between paginated mode with page-turn animation, or smooth continuous scroll. Listen with on-device narration Built-in neural text-to-speech turns any novel into an audiobook — runs entirely on your device. No internet required, no data costs, no monthly fees for the core feature. Adjustable speed from 0.75x to 2x, lock-screen controls, sleep timer, and auto-advance between chapters. Offline-first reading Downloaded content stays on your device in a local library — not a temporary cache. Read on airplanes, in tunnels, or anywhere connectivity is unreliable. Import your own EPUB files Already have books saved as EPUB? Import them straight into your library and read them with the same themes, fonts, and narration as everything else. Look up words and build vocabulary Tap any word for an instant dictionary definition, then save it as a flashcard. Review your flashcards later to lock in new vocabulary as you read. Highlights and notes Long-press to highlight passages in four colors with optional notes. Review all your highlights for any title in one place. Reading position sync Auto-saves your position every few seconds. Open a book on another device and continue exactly where you left off, after signing in. No sign-up wall Open the app and start reading. Account creation is optional — only needed if you want to sync between devices. EVERYTHING ARCREADER OFFERS - Customizable reader (themes, fonts, layout, scroll modes) - On-device neural text-to-speech with voice selection - Background audio with lock-screen controls and sleep timer - Highlights and notes with color coding - Import your own EPUB files into your library - Built-in dictionary with tap-to-define - Vocabulary flashcards to review and remember new words - Reading progress auto-save and cross-device sync - Daily reading goals and streaks - Reading statistics and history ARCREADER PRO (OPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION) ArcReader Pro adds: - Premium cloud voices for high-quality narration - Unlimited chapter downloads - Ad-free reading experience ArcReader Pro is available as a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The exact price in your local currency is shown in the app and on the App Store before you confirm. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at purchase confirmation. Subscriptions auto-renew unless turned off in iOS Settings at least 24 hours before the current period ends; renewal is charged within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. PRIVACY ArcReader stores your reading data on your device. Optional account sync uses encrypted cloud storage. We do not sell your data. Full privacy policy available below. Terms of Service: https://arcreaders.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://arcreaders.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Cinder Reader at none against ArcReader's shown. ArcReader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (40 vs 8). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. Cinder Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ArcReader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Cinder Reader against 4.9 for ArcReader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcReader has 40 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Cinder Reader's written reviews are positive against 94% of ArcReader's.
Cinder Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, ArcReader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cinder Reader | ArcReader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better | 4.9 (40 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 93.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 40 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 137 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | JESSE LAMAR MARTIN | Thien Le |
Customer experience
Cinder Reader
ArcReader
In-app purchases
Cinder Reader
- Cinder Pro Lifetime$8.99
ArcReader
- ArcReader VIP — Monthly$5.991 Month
- ArcReader VIP — Annual$44.991 Year
- ArcReader VIP - Lifetime$79.99





