Comparison

Scuba vs HeyReader

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

Head to head
About

Scuba

Discover and read classic books with a modern, mobile-first approach. This app breaks down stories into digestible beats, using vertical swipes for natural phone navigation. Story recaps and offline reading features help you maintain your reading habit.

Highlights
  • Story beats for easier reading
  • Recaps to remember story progress
  • Vertical swiping for phone reading
  • Home screen widget for current book
  • Offline reading support
  • Curated bookstore
Read full description

Scuba is a new way to read books on your phone. Browse a curated bookstore, then read with Story Beats™, a new reading experience designed for your phone. Natural vertical swiping, beautifully designed pages and Story So Far recaps make books feel at home on your screen. Your first book is free. Features • Story Beats™ designed for reading on your phone • Natural vertical swiping • Story So Far recaps to help you dive back in • Adjustable text size, themes and page design • Home Screen widget for your current book • Offline reading • A curated bookstore of classic books Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

HeyReader

This app provides an audio assistant for physical books. Upload the book's PDF, and then ask questions aloud about terms or concepts. The app searches your book and speaks the answers, helping you stay focused on reading.

Highlights
  • Voice-activated questions
  • Answers read aloud
  • Searches book PDF
  • Focuses on physical reading
  • Requires book PDF
Features
Read full description

While reading your physical book, ask HeyReader about any term you don't understand, and it answers aloud. That way your focus stays on the page. Best with Meta Ray-Bans. Any Bluetooth headphones work too. Using HeyReader: 1. Upload PDF 2. Start reading your physical copy 3. Say "Hey Reader" to ask questions and hear answers What you need: 1. Physical book 2. PDF version of the same book 3. Meta Ray-Bans, or any Bluetooth headphones *The assistant searches the book PDF for citation backed answers. New terms in your book send you to ChatGPT or Google on your phone. Every switch over makes it less likely you come back to the reading. (According to Microsoft and UC Irvine researchers, "it takes 23 minutes to resume an interrupted task”.¹) Keep your 23 minutes -- HeyReader searches the book and answers by voice, so your focus stays on the page. Terms of Use: https://tryreader.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://tryreader.app/privacy License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ¹ (Mark et al., CSCW 2015)

Screenshots

Scuba4 screens
HeyReader3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Scuba at every 2 days against HeyReader's weekly. Scuba also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Scuba sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and HeyReader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scuba ships an update every 2 days, HeyReader weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Scuba versus HeyReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScubaHeyReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTim BrownRoshan Gill

Customer experience

Scuba

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

HeyReader

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Scuba

Subscriptions2
  • Scuba Reading Pass$4.991 Month
  • Scuba Reading Pass7 Days trial$24.991 Year
2 purchases

HeyReader

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$62.991 Year

Questions

Is Scuba free?
Scuba is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HeyReader free?
HeyReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Scuba or HeyReader have ads?
Neither Scuba nor HeyReader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scuba or HeyReader?
Scuba ships an update every 2 days, and HeyReader weekly. Most recently, Scuba was updated on October 31, 2026 and HeyReader on October 31, 2026.

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