Karatu vs Folire
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Karatu
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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 โ 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 โ library, history, bookmarks, downloads, stats โ 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.
Folire
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Your books should feel at home on your phone. Folire brings the ebooks, PDFs, comics, and audiobooks you already own into one tidy library on iPhone and iPad. Add a file from Files, iCloud Drive, AirDrop, or the share sheet. Folire opens DRM-free EPUB, PDF, TXT, FB2, MOBI, AZW3, CBZ, and CBR books, plus MP3, M4A, and M4B audiobooks. Once imported, they're available offline. Settle in with a page that fits you. Adjust the type, spacing, margins, and colors, and choose page turns or continuous scrolling. Highlight a line, write a note, bookmark a passage, and pick up where you left off. Audiobooks remember your place too. Any book can be read aloud with the built-in system voices. On a compatible iPad, mark up PDFs with Apple Pencil. The free library holds up to five of your own books. Folire Pro is a one-time purchase for a larger library and the tools that help you go further: natural on-device neural narration for every book, auto-scroll, custom fonts and reading presets, full-library search, questions and recaps that stop at your current page, annotation export, detailed reading history, direct downloads, connections to your own OPDS, Calibre, or WebDAV library, and optional iCloud sync. Reading Assistant uses only text you've already read and processes it on your device. No account, ads, tracking, or developer-operated server. Your library stays on your device unless you choose to sync it to your private iCloud storage or connect to a server you supply. Export a complete backup whenever you need one. Folire includes four public-domain classics to start reading, but no book catalog. It can't open DRM-protected files. Optional tips support development but don't change what the app unlocks.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Karatu at none against Folire's 4. Karatu also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Folire sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Karatu asks for nothing beyond the download.
Karatu ships an update daily, Folire every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Karatu | Folire |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Daily โ better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Umar Rufai | JARED P KACZYNSKI |
In-app purchases
Karatu
No in-app purchases
Folire
- Coffee$2.99
- Supporter$9.99
- Folire Pro Lifetime$14.99
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- Patron$24.99









