Comparison

Reads. vs HeyReader

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

Head to head
About

Reads.

Features
Read full description

Reads. is a quiet EPUB reader, made for the simple joy of reading. Built for people who love books — the ones who read in bed, in cafés, on commutes, on rainy afternoons. The ones who turn pages slowly, who care about typography, who want their reading time to feel like reading time. — A QUIET PLACE TO READ — No store. No ads. No notifications begging for your attention. Just you and the book. — BEAUTIFUL TYPOGRAPHY — Three carefully chosen serif fonts: Literata, Lora, EB Garamond. Each selected for one purpose — long, comfortable reading. — FOUR THEMES FOR EVERY LIGHT — - Paper — warm and gentle, like an old book - Pure White — crisp and modern - Sepia — easy on the eyes for long sessions - Night — quiet for late hours — THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER — Highlight passages in four colors. Add notes that stay with the page. Bookmark where you left off. Search inside any book. The simple tools, done right. — PDF SUPPORT TOO — Reads. opens PDFs as well — research papers, technical documents, anything you bring. Reading-first, always. — PRIVACY-FIRST, ALWAYS — Your books, your highlights, your notes — they never leave your device. No cloud sync by default. No tracking. No analytics on what you read. Reads. respects that reading is private. — OPEN FORMATS — EPUB (W3C standard) and PDF (ISO 32000) — the formats publishers, libraries, and indie authors actually use. No DRM. Your books are yours. — FREE TO TRY — 14 days of every premium feature, no credit card. Then choose: - Annual: $19.99/year (with Apple's 14-day free trial) - Lifetime: $59.99 once, no recurring Pay once, read forever — for those tired of subscription fatigue. — FOR THE BOOKS YOU BRING — Most reading apps want to sell you books. Reads. just wants to read them with you. The EPUB you've been meaning to start. The one you're halfway through. The one you re-read every winter. They live on your device, not in someone else's cloud. Reads. is for the books you bring, not the books you buy. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6764821898 Privacy Policy: https://ahmetklck.github.io/reads-privacy/privacy-policy.html Support: readsapp.support@gmail.com

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

Reads.4 screens
HeyReader3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Reads. at daily against HeyReader's weekly. Reads. also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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. Reads. sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year 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

Reads. ships an update daily, HeyReader weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Reads. versus HeyReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReads.HeyReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAhmet KILCIKRoshan Gill

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Reads.

Subscriptions1
  • Annual14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$59.99
2 purchases

HeyReader

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

Questions

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

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