ZoReads vs Karatu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
ZoReads
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ZoReads is your modern digital reading platform designed for discovering and enjoying books anytime, anywhere. With Zoreads, you can explore a growing collection of titles and access your personal library in one seamless experience. KEY FEATURES: โข Discover Books Browse and explore a wide range of titles available on the platform. โข Personal Library Access all your books in one place after logging in. โข Smooth Reading Experience Enjoy a fast, responsive, and distraction-free ebook reader. โข Sync Across Devices Your library stays with you โ read anytime, anywhere. โข Clean & Minimal Interface Designed to keep your focus on reading. HOW IT WORKS: Zoreads allows users to explore books and access content associated with their account. Once a book is added to your library, you can start reading instantly within the app. IMPORTANT NOTE: Zoreads does not support in-app purchases. Content availability may depend on your account and external access methods. Whether you're a casual reader or a dedicated book lover, Zoreads makes reading simple, accessible, and enjoyable. Start your reading journey with ZoReads today.
Karatu
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Karatu is a native iOS reader where you bring your own sources. The app does not ship with a built-in catalog or library. Instead, you install small JavaScript source plug-ins from public repositories โ exactly the same model as a media-server client like Plex or Jellyfin. The app is the reader; the content backend is up to you. WHAT KARATU GIVES YOU - A native iOS reader. Vertical (webtoon) and horizontal (paged) modes, pinch-zoom, double-tap to reset, tap-to-toggle full-screen, auto-advance to the next chapter. - Per-page bookmarks, grouped by series. - Offline downloads. Background URLSession keeps fetches running when the app is suspended; per-chapter status lives on the manga detail screen with a one-tap "Download all chapters." - A real library. Sort by recently-read, recently-added, title, or chapters-read. Filter by currently-reading, has-downloads, unread-chapters-available, or by source. - Reading history with per-chapter resume. Pick up exactly where you left off. - Reading-time stats. Daily totals, current streak, longest streak, total time. Stored locally; nothing is sent anywhere. - A clean settings screen with storage usage, per-source breakdown, and one-tap reset. WHAT KARATU DOES NOT DO - Ship sources. You provide them. - Send any data anywhere. Karatu has no accounts, no telemetry, no third-party SDKs, no ads. The privacy manifest declares zero data collection. - Verify, host, distribute, or endorse any source or repository. You are solely responsible for the content you choose to load. FOR DEVELOPERS Karatu's source SDK is a tiny JavaScript runtime: fetch, console.log, and registerSource. Sources implement four async methods (getPopular, search, getMangaDetails, getChapterPages) and return ordinary JSON. Anyone can write a source and host the manifest as a public file. See the project documentation for the full SDK contract. PRIVACY All app state โ library, history, bookmarks, downloads, stats โ is stored locally on your device. Karatu makes network requests only to URLs you have explicitly configured. There are no analytics, no tracking pixels, no third-party libraries that phone home. Uninstalling the app removes every byte. REQUIREMENTS iOS 17 or later. iPhone only.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Karatu at daily against ZoReads's every 5 days. ZoReads's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ZoReads ships an update every 5 days, Karatu daily. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ZoReads | Karatu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Daily โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | C Remsangpuia | Umar Rufai |
In-app purchases
ZoReads
No in-app purchases
Karatu
No in-app purchases









