Comparison

Karatu vs Folire

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

Head to head
About

Karatu

Features
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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.

About

Folire

Features
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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

Karatu4 screens
Folire4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Folire sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Karatu asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Karatu ships an update daily, Folire every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Karatu versus Folire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKaratuFolire
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily โ€” betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad โ€” better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB11 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUmar RufaiJARED P KACZYNSKI

In-app purchases

None

Karatu

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Folire

One-time4
  • Coffee$2.99
  • Supporter$9.99
  • Folire Pro Lifetime$14.99
Show 1 more
  • Patron$24.99

Questions

Is Karatu free?
Karatu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Folire free?
Folire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Karatu or Folire have ads?
Neither Karatu nor Folire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Karatu or Folire?
Karatu ships an update daily, and Folire every 4 days. Most recently, Karatu was updated on November 9, 2026 and Folire on November 10, 2026.

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