Trace vs ArcReader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Trace
This app helps you track your fanfiction reading progress and organize your favorite stories. It allows you to save works, add notes, and categorize them for easy retrieval. Keep a private record of what you've read, loved, or dropped across supported archives.
- Track reading progress
- Organize fanfiction by status
- Add private notes and tags
- Search and filter by fandom
- Integrates with AO3 and FanFiction.net
- Create reading collections
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Have I read this one? Which chapter did I get to? Did I drop it, or just catch up? Did I like it? Trace remembers, so you don't have to. Read on AO3 and FanFiction.net as you always do, in Safari on your iPhone. Trace keeps every fic you open, and exactly where you stopped. STATUS AT A GLANCE Browse AO3 and FanFiction.net as usual. Trace marks the fics you've already read, finished, paused or dropped, right on the list, with your chapter. One tap on Add to Trace saves the ones you haven't started. AUTOMATIC TRACKING Open a fic and Trace follows along as you read: Chapter 31 of 40, there on the page and in your Library. Pick up again from Trace, or straight from the page. A PERSONALISED LIBRARY Every fic you've opened in one place: reading, saved, caught up, paused, finished or dropped. Filter it, search it, and see what you read each day. Rate a fic, leave yourself a note, add private tags. CLOSE THOSE TABS Import all your open AO3 and FanFiction.net tabs in one go. Trace keeps the stories, with the chapter you're on, so the tabs can finally close. STORY UPDATES Get new chapters from your AO3 subscriptions as notifications on your iPhone, and see what's new in one place. You set it up once: verify your email in Trace, then forward AO3's update emails to Trace with a Gmail filter, made in Gmail on a computer. Titles stay off your Lock Screen unless you turn them on. Story updates works with AO3 subscription emails; FanFiction.net isn't supported yet. COLLECTIONS Gather the fics you love, rank them, add notes, and send a link. STATS AND RECAP See your words, chapters, finishes and longest reading run, with a Recap each month. ON YOUR HOME SCREEN Add the widget to see what you're reading and jump back in. FREE AND UNLIMITED Trace is free for up to 100 stories, then a small monthly or yearly subscription (2.99/m or 25/year in most regions) unlocks unlimited space. All features are included in free except for advanced stats since fewer than 100 stories can't make use of them. STORIES STAY WHERE THEY BELONG You always read on AO3 or FanFiction.net, so authors keep their hits and kudos. The Safari extension only asks for access to AO3 and FanFiction.net, and it stays off their sign-in pages. I'll never ask for your AO3 or FanFiction.net password. I don't sell your reading or show you ads. READ AO3 EPUBS? Check out Trace Reader, another app I've made. It's an accessible offline reader built around AO3 EPUBS that can connect to your trace account to sync both your online and offline reading. Trace is made by one person. If something isn't right, or you have an idea, I'd love to hear from you! Many of Trace's features are the result of feedback from its users. Trace is an unofficial companion. It isn't affiliated with AO3 or FanFiction.net. Trace Unlimited is an auto-renewing subscription billed through your Apple Account. Manage or cancel it in Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.tracefiction.com/privacy
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 VIP (OPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION) ArcReader VIP adds: - Premium cloud voices for high-quality narration - Unlimited chapter downloads - Ad-free reading experience ArcReader VIP 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
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Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ArcReader at 96% against Trace's 0%. ArcReader also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (67 vs 3). Trace's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Trace sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month 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.
ArcReader holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcReader has 67 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Trace's written reviews are positive against 96% of ArcReader's.
Trace ships an update every 4 days, ArcReader weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Trace | ArcReader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 4.9 (67 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 95.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 67 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 142 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | ZACHARY SAMUEL LAMBERT | Thien Le |
Customer experience
Trace
ArcReader
In-app purchases
Trace
- Trace Unlimited Monthly$2.991 Month
- Trace Unlimited Yearly$24.991 Year
ArcReader
- ArcReader VIP — Monthly$5.991 Month
- ArcReader VIP — Annual$44.991 Year
- ArcReader VIP - Lifetime$79.99









