Readstead vs Marcus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Readstead
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Readstead is the reading tracker built for people who want to read more and actually stick with it. Whether you're chasing an annual goal, exploring a new genre, or just logging your progress, Readstead gives you the tools to build a real reading habit and keep your entire library in one place. TRACK YOUR READING Log pages as you go and watch your progress in real time. Add books by searching or by scanning the barcode on the back cover. Organize everything into Currently Reading, Finished, Want to Read, and Did Not Finish. BUILD A READING STREAK Your home screen shows your reading streak, a daily heatmap, and all the books you're actively reading. Everything you need to stay motivated and pick up where you left off. READING CHALLENGES Join curated challenges across genre, author, era, and award winners - from Stephen King's complete works to the BookTok essentials to the 2025 Hugo winners. Or create your own challenge and share it with friends. Track your progress book by book and earn a badge when you finish. MONTHLY RECAPS Create a beautiful, shareable reading recap any time of year. Choose from multiple themes and layouts to highlight your books read, pages logged, and stats. Save to your camera roll or share directly. BADGES & ACHIEVEMENTS Earn badges as you hit milestones - streaks, books finished, genres explored, and more. MORE - Import your Goodreads library to get started in minutes - Rate every book you finish - Full reading activity history at a glance Readstead is built for people who take their reading seriously. Start your first streak today.
Marcus
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Reading, without the friction. Marcus is the reading app made for restless minds. A calm tracker glides along the line to keep your eyes exactly where you are, so your attention stops slipping off the page. Import any EPUB or PDF and just read. WHY IT STICKS - Stay on the line - a gentle tracker keeps your place, at your pace - Stuck? Just ask - explain, summarize or recap without leaving the page - Every book, one tap away - import EPUB & PDF and pick up where you left off - Reading that rewards you - daily goals, streaks and achievements - A shelf that fills as you read - finished books become spines on your bookcase - Your thoughts, in one place - a notebook and a glossary of words you've learned - Share the lines you love - turn any quote into a beautiful card MADE FOR HOW YOUR BRAIN READS ADHD-first and dyslexia-friendly: the OpenDyslexic font, calm themes, read-along audio, and short daily goals that make five minutes count. No guilt, no noise - just no zero days. MARCUS PRO Unlimited explanations, summaries and recaps, all themes and the OpenDyslexic font, and advanced tracker styles. Read more. Struggle less. Start your first page today. Terms of Use: https://marcus.vuvee.me/terms Privacy Policy: https://marcus.vuvee.me/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Readstead at none against Marcus's 2. Readstead also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). 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. Marcus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Readstead asks for nothing beyond the download.
Readstead ships an update weekly, Marcus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Readstead | Marcus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly โ better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Schuler | Vukasin Rancic |
In-app purchases
Readstead
No in-app purchases
Marcus
- Marcus Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
- Marcus Pro Annual$49.991 Year









