Karatu vs Elayne

Karatu is a native iOS reader where you bring your own sources. The app does not ship with a built-in catalog or library. Instead, you install small JavaScript source plug-ins from public repositories — exactly the same model as a media-server client like Plex or Jellyfin. The app is the reader; the content backend is up to you. WHAT KARATU GIVES YOU - A native iOS reader. Vertical (webtoon) and horizontal (paged) modes, pinch-zoom, double-tap to reset, tap-to-toggle full-screen, auto-advance to the next chapter. - Per-page bookmarks, grouped by series. - Offline downloads. Background URLSession keeps fetches running when the app is suspended; per-chapter status lives on the manga detail screen with a one-tap "Download all chapters." - A real library. Sort by recently-read, recently-added, title, or chapters-read. Filter by currently-reading, has-downloads, unread-chapters-available, or by source. - Reading history with per-chapter resume. Pick up exactly where you left off. - Reading-time stats. Daily totals, current streak, longest streak, total time. Stored locally; nothing is sent anywhere. - A clean settings screen with storage usage, per-source breakdown, and one-tap reset. WHAT KARATU DOES NOT DO - Ship sources. You provide them. - Send any data anywhere. Karatu has no accounts, no telemetry, no third-party SDKs, no ads. The privacy manifest declares zero data collection. - Verify, host, distribute, or endorse any source or repository. You are solely responsible for the content you choose to load. FOR DEVELOPERS Karatu's source SDK is a tiny JavaScript runtime: fetch, console.log, and registerSource. Sources implement four async methods (getPopular, search, getMangaDetails, getChapterPages) and return ordinary JSON. Anyone can write a source and host the manifest as a public file. See the project documentation for the full SDK contract. PRIVACY All app state — library, history, bookmarks, downloads, stats — is stored locally on your device. Karatu makes network requests only to URLs you have explicitly configured. There are no analytics, no tracking pixels, no third-party libraries that phone home. Uninstalling the app removes every byte. REQUIREMENTS iOS 17 or later. iPhone only.

Elayne turns your iPhone or iPad into a reader, a narrator, and a personal library for your books and comics. Organize your collection, read or listen to your EPUBs with natural-sounding voices, and keep track of everything you read. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY: • Create a local folder on your device or in iCloud and organize your books and comics into subfolders or however you prefer. • Edit your books’ information, including title, author, genre, series, rating, and other metadata. • Filter and sort your books however you like. • Add ratings so those books appear reordered in your top favorites list. • Check your reading progress and keep track of what you’ve read, are reading, or still have left to read from your books and series. READ YOUR BOOKS: • Read books in EPUB and PDF formats. • Customize your reading experience with different fonts, text sizes, margins, spacing, and colors. • Read your books without an internet connection. READ YOUR COMICS AND MANGA: • Read CBZ and CBR files directly from your device. • Use a magnifying glass to zoom in on page details or the free zoom feature to adjust the page to your reading style. LISTEN TO YOUR EPUBS WHILE YOU WALK: • Convert the text of your EPUB books to speech in real time and listen while you do other things, such as walking, exercising, or when you’re drifting off to sleep. • Use the voices available on your device or connect to external text-to-speech services. • Compatible with Google Cloud TTS, Microsoft Azure TTS, and ElevenLabs. • Use your own API keys to directly control the usage and consumption of these services. • Schedule reading sessions by chapter to better manage your time. The reading will automatically stop when it reaches the end of the scheduled session, accompanied by a subtle sound. • Adjust the reading speed and choose the voice that best suits your preferences. • Play the narration in the background and control playback from the locked screen. DOWNLOAD YOUR NARRATIONS TO LISTEN OFFLINE: • Download entire chapters so you can listen to them later without an internet connection. • The generated audio is stored locally on your device and is available only for local playback within Elayne. • Track the character usage of the text-to-speech services you use. • Set limits, alerts, and usage thresholds to avoid unexpected charges. MUSIC WHILE YOU READ: • Play background music while you read or listen to your books. • Integrate Spotify or Apple Music to start playback without having to leave Elayne. • The music will play at a lower volume so it accompanies your reading without drowning out the narration. SYNCHRONIZE YOUR LIBRARY: • Create an account and sync your reading progress and settings across your devices using iCloud or Google Drive. • By using your own cloud storage, your data remains under your control. READING STATISTICS: • See how much time you’ve spent reading. • Keep track of the pages you’ve read. • Find out which genres you read most often. ACCOUNTS AND PARENTAL CONTROLS: • For family devices, you can use multiple accounts and create supervised accounts for the youngest members of the household. • Set restrictions on those accounts to hide certain books and features. Elayne is designed for people who travel a lot or who, due to a lack of time, can never find that daily moment to sit down and read.