Scuba vs HeyReader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
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.
- Voice-activated questions
- Answers read aloud
- Searches book PDF
- Focuses on physical reading
- Requires book PDF
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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
Verdict
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
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.
Scuba ships an update every 2 days, HeyReader weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Scuba | HeyReader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tim Brown | Roshan Gill |
Customer experience
Scuba
HeyReader
In-app purchases
Scuba
- Scuba Reading Pass$4.991 Month
- Scuba Reading Pass7 Days trial$24.991 Year
HeyReader
- Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
- Pro Annual$62.991 Year









