Comparison

Rishi Reader vs Focus Reader

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

Head to head
About

Rishi Reader

Features
Read full description

Rishi turns the books on your devices into conversations. Read your EPUB and PDF library on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, then ask questions, get summaries, or talk through a passage out loud β€” all without leaving the page. Bring your own books. Drop EPUB or PDF files into Rishi and they live in a fast, searchable library with covers, progress, and a Reading Now shelf. Highlights and notes follow you across devices. Read the way you like. A focused, customizable reader handles fixed-layout and reflowable EPUBs, scanned PDFs with a real text layer, and table-of-contents jumps. Pick light, dark, or sepia. Adjust font size and spacing. Search every page. Pick up where you left off. Open a book on your Mac, keep reading on iPhone on the train, finish on iPad in bed β€” Rishi syncs your position, highlights, and notes in the background using silent push. Chat with any book. Ask "what does this chapter argue?" or "summarize this scene," and Rishi answers grounded in the book you're reading. Conversations are saved per-book and per-session, so you can come back to the thread later. Talk it through. Real-time voice chat lets you have a natural spoken conversation about what you’re reading β€” ideal for studying, language practice, or thinking out loud on a walk. Voice chat and premium narration require an active Apple subscription. Read aloud. Start foreground narration from the open book with a configurable voice and sentence-level highlighting. Follow along on the page while Rishi is open. Made for Apple silicon. Optimized for Mac Catalyst with a real sidebar, full keyboard navigation, native menus, and scene restoration. Universal Links open books straight from Safari, Mail, or Messages. Accessible by default. VoiceOver labels across the reader, library, and chat. Full Dynamic Type support. AA contrast on every surface. Reduce Motion and Increase Contrast respected. Private by design. Sign in with Apple β€” no password to manage, no email required. Your reading data lives in your account, not in an ad network. Anonymous diagnostics can be turned off in Settings. Pro features (subscription). Voice chat, unlimited chat conversations, and premium narration voices are available through an Apple subscription purchased in Rishi. Use the in-app purchase sheet to subscribe, Restore Purchases to recover an existing subscription, or Settings to open Apple's subscription management sheet. Terms of Use: https://rishi.fidexa.org/terms. Subscription Terms: https://rishi.fidexa.org/legal/subscription-terms

About

Focus Reader

Features
Read full description

Lose your place in long documents? Focus Reader reflows PDF and EPUB books to fit your screen and keeps only the part you're reading in sharp focus. Open the books you already have and adjust text size, font, line spacing, and column width to suit your eyes. No more fighting cramped PDF columns or tiny print. Features - PDF & EPUB reflow: the current page or chapter is re-typeset into one comfortable column. - Focus band: a clear reading band with the rest of the page dimmed, so your eyes stay on the line. Adjust the band's height, dim level, and position. - Typography: serif and sans-serif fonts for Latin and Korean, with size, line height, and UI scale controls. - Reading themes: paper, sepia, green, solar, night, and dim. - Dictionary lookup: long-press a word for an offline definition in the bundled English-Korean and Korean dictionaries. - Library: saved books with reading progress. - Korean and English interface. Free and Pro The core reading features and dictionary lookup are free. Focus band fine-tuning, all reading themes, and column width are unlocked with Focus Reader Pro β€” a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The Korean App Store price is β‚©4,000; prices in other regions are set by Apple. Supported formats: PDF, EPUB

Screenshots

Rishi Reader4 screens
Focus Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Focus Reader at 15.0 against Rishi Reader's 18.4. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Rishi Reader sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Focus Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rishi Reader ships an update every 5 days, Focus Reader every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Rishi Reader versus Focus Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRishi ReaderFocus Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days β€” betterEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch β€” betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.415.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size123 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFarid MatovuDaejin hyun

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Rishi Reader

Subscriptions8
  • Reader Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Rishi Reader Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Voice Monthly$14.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Rishi Voice Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Reader Annual$76.991 Year
  • Rishi Reader Annual$79.991 Year
  • Rishi Voice Annual$99.991 Year
  • Voice Annual$143.991 Year
1 purchases

Focus Reader

One-time1
  • Focus Reader Pro$1.99

Questions

Is Rishi Reader free?
Rishi Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Focus Reader free?
Focus Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Rishi Reader or Focus Reader have ads?
Neither Rishi Reader nor Focus Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rishi Reader or Focus Reader?
Rishi Reader ships an update every 5 days, and Focus Reader every 6 days. Most recently, Rishi Reader was updated on October 13, 2026 and Focus Reader on October 13, 2026.

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