PageBack vs Sutra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PageBack
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PAGEBACK THE PLEX FOR BOOKS Bring your books, comics, PDFs and documents together in one organised library. PageBack is built for people who already own their content. Whether your collection lives in Files, iCloud Drive, Calibre, a NAS, or scattered across a dozen folders, PageBack turns it into a beautiful, searchable library you actually want to use. No DRM. No locked ecosystem. No built in bookstore. Just your library, your way. READ EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE Stop switching between ebook apps, PDF viewers and comic readers. PageBack supports: • EPUB books • PDF documents • CBZ and CBR comics • TXT files • Research papers • Manuals and magazines Every format gets a reading experience designed specifically for it, including reflowable text for ebooks, smooth PDF navigation and guided comic reading. YOUR LIBRARY, AUTOMATICALLY ORGANISED Import a folder of files and let PageBack do the heavy lifting. AI powered organisation automatically: • Identifies books, comics and documents • Finds missing covers and metadata • Detects authors, genres and series • Creates smart collections • Keeps everything organised as your library grows No more mystery files called "book_final_v3.pdf". BUILT FOR SERIOUS READERS PageBack is more than a reader. • Highlights and notes across your library • Reading Memory remembers where you stopped reading • Smart Collections organise content automatically • Reading Radar helps you rediscover forgotten books • Built in audiobook creator for supported text formats Whether you read one book a month or manage thousands of files, PageBack scales with your collection. WORKS WITH THE TOOLS YOU ALREADY USE Import from Files and iCloud Drive. Connect to OPDS servers, WebDAV storage and self hosted libraries. Calibre users welcome. Self hosters welcome. Your files stay yours. READ ANYWHERE WITH PAGEBACK PRO Upgrade to PageBack Pro and take your entire library with you. Sync: • Books and documents • Reading progress • Highlights and notes • Collections and organisation Across all your devices. PageBack Pro £3.99/month • 5GB cloud sync storage PageBack Pro+ £7.99/month • 25GB cloud sync storage • Ideal for large collections and comic libraries OWN YOUR LIBRARY PageBack does not sell books. PageBack does not lock you into a store. PageBack simply gives your existing collection the home it deserves. Terms of Use: https://pageback.app/terms
Sutra
Organize and read all your eBooks and comics in one beautiful, calm reader. Connect to self-hosted libraries, explore online catalogs, and customize your reading experience with various display options. Enjoy seamless progress syncing across devices.
- Unified reader for EPUB, PDF, CBZ, MOBI, comics, and manga
- Connect to Kavita, Komga, Calibre, and OPDS servers
- Customizable reading experience (fonts, themes, layout)
- Organized library with Series and Collection views
- Progress and finished-book sync across devices
- Offline reading support for comics
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Sutra is a warm, thoughtful home for every book and comic you love. Bring together your self-hosted library, your manga, your classic EPUBs, and those “just one more chapter” reads in one beautifully calm reader. Connect Kavita, Komga, or Calibre; explore any OPDS catalogue; or discover a new favourite from Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks. READ YOUR WAY • Enjoy EPUB, PDF, CBZ, MOBI, fixed-layout comics, and manga in one place • Move through comics panel by panel, or take in the whole page • Read right-to-left manga and beautiful iPad two-page spreads • Make the page yours with fonts, text size, spacing, themes, auto-scroll, page turns, and Sutra-only brightness control A LIBRARY THAT FEELS LIKE HOME • Browse dedicated Series and Collection views, with Favorites always close by • Sort by Recently Read, Title, Author, or Date Added while staying in a familiar cover grid • Let Sutra recover missing Calibre series details and keep your library beautifully organised • Pick up where you left off with dependable progress and finished-book sync for Kavita and Komga BUILT FOR SELF-HOSTERS • Connect Kavita, Komga, Calibre, Grimmory, or another OPDS server • Stream comic pages from Kavita and Komga when available, or download for offline reading • Keep your highlights and reading progress with you across your Apple devices Sutra is free to enjoy for EPUB and PDF reading, with no ads and no subscription. Unlock unlimited CBZ, MOBI, and Komga reading once, and keep it forever.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: PageBack at 15.1 against Sutra's 17.0. On price, update cadence, 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. PageBack sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Sutra sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PageBack ships an update every 9 days, Sutra every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PageBack | Sutra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.3 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 73.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Edwards | Koustav Dasgupta |
In-app purchases
PageBack
- PageBack Plus Monthly$3.991 Month
- Pageback Premium Monthly$7.991 Month
Sutra
- Small Tip$1.99
- Medium Tip$2.99
- Large Tip$4.99
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- Sutra Pro$6.99









