Comparison

Libris Reader vs Dear Reader

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

Head to head
About

Libris Reader

Features
Read full description

Libris Reader is a thinking-first reading app for people who want to understand what they read, not just collect highlights. Import EPUB books into a focused personal library, read with a calm and intentional interface, highlight important passages, and write book-scoped notes that stay tied to the source. When you need help unpacking a difficult section, Libris offers in-context AI explanations inside the book you’re reading, so clarification stays grounded in the text instead of drifting into generic chat. Libris is built for deep reading, re-engagement, and memory by choice. Notes remain user-authored. AI supports understanding, but your ideas stay your own. Features: Import and organize EPUB books in a personal library Read in a clean, distraction-aware reader Highlight passages and revisit them later Write notes scoped to each book Ask for AI explanations in the context of the current book Search your reading and return to important material over time

About

Dear Reader

Read full description

Dear Reader is a quiet reading reflection journal for people who want to remember books by what they made them think, not by how many pages they finished. You do not need to complete a book to keep something meaningful from it. One sentence that stopped you, and one thought in your own words, can be enough. Dear Reader helps you save that moment as a discovery and revisit it later. β–  One sentence, one thought Save a sentence from a book and add the thought it sparked. The original sentence and your reflection stay together on one discovery card. β–  Reading without completion pressure Dear Reader is not built around finished books, page counts, timers, or productivity goals. It is built around the small moments when a book makes you pause. β–  Prompts when the blank page feels hard Gentle prompts and quick reaction chips help you begin your reflection. You can write a sentence, a paragraph, or just enough to remember why the moment mattered. β–  Revisit what you saved A saved sentence can meet you again later. Return to past discoveries and notice how the same words feel different with time. β–  A bookshelf shaped by discoveries Your bookshelf is not only a list of books. It quietly shows the thoughts and discoveries each book left behind. β–  Connect reflections across books Use tags to find discoveries that share a theme, even when they came from different books. Over time, scattered sentences begin to show the shape of your thinking. β–  A private, local-first space Dear Reader starts without an app account. Your sentences, thoughts, books, and settings are stored primarily on your device. There is no public feed, follower count, or reading competition. Dear Reader is for readers who: - save good sentences but rarely return to them - want a reading journal without writing long entries every day - care more about reflection than finishing more books - want to keep book sentences and personal thoughts together - prefer a calm private space over a social reading feed Keep what books made you think. One sentence and one thought can become a reading habit that lasts.

Screenshots

Libris Reader4 screens
Dear Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Libris Reader at none against Dear Reader's shown. Dear Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Libris Reader versus Dear Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLibris ReaderDear Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 9 days
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size18 MB51 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperVignesh IyerMoonsun Yang

In-app purchases

None

Libris Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Dear Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Libris Reader free?
Libris Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dear Reader free?
Dear Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Libris Reader or Dear Reader have ads?
Dear Reader shows ads; Libris Reader does not.

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