Comparison

Cinder Reader vs Leaf

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

Leaf

Organize and read your DRM-free EPUB books with customizable reading settings and smart library management. Sync your progress across devices using iCloud and discover new titles through integrated sources.

Highlights
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Smart library organization
  • iCloud sync for progress and settings
  • Offline reading support
  • Import from various sources
  • Public domain classics included
Read full description

Give your books a home of their own. Leaf brings beautiful EPUB reading and thoughtful library management together on iPhone and iPad. Import the DRM-free books you already own, make yourself comfortable, and pick up where you left off. READ YOUR WAY Choose from carefully selected fonts, including accessibility-friendly options. Adjust your reading theme and font size, or use Leaf Pro to import your own fonts and fine-tune typography and book formatting. Give individual books their own settings. On iPad, choose one column, two columns, or an automatic layout that adapts to the space available. Customize the reader's header and footer to keep the book and progress details you care about in view. KEEP THE PLACES THAT MATTER Save bookmarks as you read and return to them from the book's contents. See the surrounding text to remind yourself why you saved a place. With Leaf Pro, add personal notes to your bookmarks. A LIBRARY THAT FEELS LIKE YOURS Browse by author, series, and genre; search and sort your collection; and edit titles, authors, covers, descriptions, and more. Smart Shelves gather books by reading status and download availability. Leaf Pro adds custom shelves for your own collections. Rate books, mark favorites, and write down your thoughts when you finish. Leaf remembers reading time, completion dates, and the books you have finished this year, then helps you choose what comes next. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Optional iCloud sync keeps your books, library details, and reading progress available across your iPhone and iPad using your own Apple Account. Keep a local library if you prefer. No Leaf account is required to import and read your books. Download books for offline reading, remove local copies when you need space, and return to your current book from the Home Screen widget. Read on an e-ink device too? With Leaf Pro, exchange reading positions for matching EPUBs with a compatible KOReader Sync server. Compare chapter titles and text previews before choosing a position. FIND YOUR NEXT BOOK Import EPUBs from Files or send them to Leaf from another app's share sheet. Browse and download public-domain books from the built-in Project Gutenberg Source, or start with the included classics from Standard Ebooks. Connect your own OPDS, Grimmory, or BookOrbit Sources and browse your libraries in Leaf. Downloading from your own Sources requires Leaf Pro. START READING FOR FREE Import and read your DRM-free EPUBs, save bookmarks, and use iCloud sync without a subscription. Leaf Pro adds bookmark note creation, custom shelves, downloads from your own Sources, KOReader progress sync, premium themes, custom font imports, and advanced reading controls. Leaf Pro is an optional annual subscription. Leaf currently supports DRM-free EPUB books. TERMS OF USE https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cinder Reader4 screens
Leaf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Leaf at 5.0 against Cinder Reader's 4.6. Leaf also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). Cinder Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Cinder Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Leaf sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Leaf holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cinder Reader ships an update monthly, Leaf every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 15, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cinder Reader versus Leaf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCinder ReaderLeaf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (10 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better6
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB56 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperJESSE LAMAR MARTINDeadpan, LLC

Customer experience

Cinder Reader

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Leaf

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cinder Reader

One-time1
  • Cinder Pro Lifetime$8.99
1 purchases

Leaf

Subscriptions1
  • Leaf Pro Annual7 Days trial$4.991 Year

Questions

Is Cinder Reader free?
Cinder Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Leaf free?
Leaf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cinder Reader or Leaf?
Leaf is rated higher. Cinder Reader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Leaf averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Cinder Reader or Leaf have ads?
Neither Cinder Reader nor Leaf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cinder Reader or Leaf?
Cinder Reader ships an update monthly, and Leaf every 10 days. Most recently, Cinder Reader was updated on November 15, 2026 and Leaf on November 15, 2026.

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