Comparison

LeafRead vs NovelCraft

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

Head to head
About

LeafRead

This app provides a distraction-free reading experience for your local TXT, EPUB, and Markdown files. It offers text-to-speech functionality with system and AI voices, customizable reading themes, and advanced text formatting options. Enjoy your books offline without any ads or account requirements.

Highlights
  • Offline TXT, EPUB, and Markdown support
  • Text-to-speech with system and AI voices
  • Customizable themes, fonts, and spacing
  • Page turn animations and auto-read
  • Chapter navigation and full-text search
  • Bookmarks, highlights, and notes
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

LeafRead is a focused, no-nonsense local reader that turns the books you already own into a comfortable reading experience. No account, no ads, and no internet needed to read — just import a file and go. FORMATS YOU CAN OPEN • TXT plain text with automatic encoding detection; even huge novels open quickly • EPUB e-books with chapters, images and layout preserved • Markdown (.md) documents, auto-split into chapters by heading • Import from Files, the share sheet, or send files from a computer browser over your local Wi-Fi LISTEN TO YOUR BOOKS • System voices start instantly and match the language of the text • Download optional AI voice models that run on your iPhone — your text never leaves the device • Keeps reading on the Lock Screen, in the background and in Picture in Picture • The spoken sentence is highlighted and pages turn automatically • Adjustable speed and a sleep timer for bedtime listening IMMERSIVE READING • Page turns: realistic curl, slide, vertical scroll, fade and more (some Pro) • Auto-read with smooth continuous scrolling at your pace • Day / Night / Eye-care themes, plus your own background images and fonts (Pro) • Fine-tune font size, line and paragraph spacing, margins, indent and blank-line compression • Two-column reading on iPad and iPhone Duo (Pro) THOUGHTFUL DETAILS • Reading position is saved automatically — pick up exactly where you left off • Jump via the chapter list and full-text search • Bookmarks, text highlights and notes (categories & export are Pro) • Reading time and word-count stats • Home Screen widgets show the page you are reading and can turn pages; Lock Screen widgets too • Bookshelf groups, search and multi-select PRIVACY FIRST • Your books stay on your device; reading needs no connection • No reading data collected, no sign-in needed • iCloud library sync and cover lookup are optional Pro features, off by default Upgrade to LeafRead Pro to unlock every theme and font, advanced page-turn animations, unlimited bookmarks with categories, text annotations and export, full reading stats, two-column reading, custom backgrounds and fonts, and iCloud sync. Download LeafRead and give yourself a quiet place to read.

About

NovelCraft

Features
Read full description

NovelCraft is a private library and reader for long-form web novels. Add a work URL you are authorized to access, analyze its chapter list, and download text for continued reading offline. Key features • Download chapters for an offline library • Full-screen reading with horizontal pages, vertical pages, or continuous scrolling • Adjust brightness, text size, text color, and background • Clean chapter noise with rules, preview the result, and re-download saved chapters with updated rules • Organize folders and edit covers, titles, authors, and publishers • Export EPUB, PDF, and Markdown • Import and manage book sources • Optional private iCloud sync between iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and English interfaces that follow the system language • Use your own AI provider and API key to assist webpage analysis and rule creation NovelCraft is only for content you are authorized to access. Please comply with source-site terms and copyright requirements.

Screenshots

LeafRead4 screens
NovelCraft1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NovelCraft at none against LeafRead's 1. NovelCraft also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. LeafRead sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NovelCraft asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LeafRead ships an update every 2 days, NovelCraft daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
LeafRead versus NovelCraft: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLeafReadNovelCraft
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB10 MB
Age rating4+17+
Developer献慧 陈美勇 周

In-app purchases

1 purchases

LeafRead

One-time1
  • LeafRead Pro Lifetime Unlock$1.99
None

NovelCraft

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LeafRead free?
LeafRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NovelCraft free?
NovelCraft is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do LeafRead or NovelCraft have ads?
Neither LeafRead nor NovelCraft shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LeafRead or NovelCraft?
LeafRead ships an update every 2 days, and NovelCraft daily. Most recently, LeafRead was updated on November 5, 2026 and NovelCraft on October 31, 2026.

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