# Cinder Reader vs ArcReader

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cinder Reader | ArcReader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cinder-reader/id6761286580/reviews)** | [4.9 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcreader-web-novel-offline/id6762717697/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **40** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 93.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 73 MB | 137 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [JESSE LAMAR MARTIN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888667782) | [Thien Le](https://appshunter.io/developer/1617088747) |

## What reviewers say

### Cinder Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cinder-reader/id6761286580)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cinder Pro Lifetime | $8.99 | one-time |


### ArcReader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcreader-web-novel-offline/id6762717697)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ArcReader VIP — Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| ArcReader VIP — Annual | $44.99 | per year |
| ArcReader VIP - Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cinder Reader free?

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

### Is ArcReader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Cinder Reader or ArcReader?

Cinder Reader is rated higher. Cinder Reader averages 5.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while ArcReader averages 4.9 from 40 ratings.

### Do Cinder Reader or ArcReader have ads?

ArcReader shows ads; Cinder Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cinder Reader or ArcReader?

Cinder Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, and ArcReader weekly. Most recently, Cinder Reader was updated on September 21, 2026 and ArcReader on September 30, 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.*