Comparison

StoryCodex vs PlotReader

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

Head to head
About

StoryCodex

This app enhances your reading experience by building a live encyclopedia and visual story map as you progress. It allows you to tap character names for instant profiles and explore relationships without spoilers. Enjoy distraction-free reading and listening with offline capabilities.

Highlights
  • Live encyclopedia of characters and lore
  • Spoiler-free visual Story Map
  • Instant character profiles on tap
  • Offline reading and listening
  • Customizable reading views
  • Import EPUB, PDF, and text files
  • Automatic chapter recaps
Features
Read full description

You're on chapter 600. A name appears you half-remember. The wiki would spoil everything. StoryCodex is a smart novel reader that builds a live encyclopedia and visual Story Map of your story as you read. It tracks your progress and only remembers the events you have already reached. Stop choosing between losing track of the plot and getting spoiled by fandom wikis. LISTEN OR READ ANYWHERE Experience a polished core reading environment. Listen to your chapters aloud with high-fidelity neural voices including Supertonic, Kokoro, and Piper. Background playback, lock screen controls, and customizable reading views. No internet connection required. TAP ANY NAME, SEE WHO THEY ARE Tap a character name while reading to instantly view their profile: role, traits, power tier, and key relationships. Pulled strictly from chapters you have already read. Zero spoilers. No wiki rabbit holes. EXPLORE THE STORY MAP See characters, factions, places, and relationships as an interactive visual map. Follow alliances, rivalries, mentors, clans, sects, and shifting connections without exposing future events. The Story Map grows with your reading progress, so it stays useful and spoiler-free. YOUR STORY CODEX As you read, the local AI silently builds and updates your universe. Character profiles track names, aliases, motivations, and power progression. World building maps places, factions, cultivation systems, and items. Arc summaries break the full story into arcs, always spoiler-free. Chapter summaries log every chapter so nothing slips through. The codex carries across volumes, so your encyclopedia grows with the series. PICK UP EXACTLY WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Tap Previously before any chapter for an instant recap: the last few key events and a summary of recent chapters. Like a previously on for your novel. No reread, no spoilers, just back in the story in seconds. LOAD EPUBS OR WEB CHAPTERS Import web novels and light novels via EPUB, PDF, or plain text. Reading a multi-volume series? Save each EPUB as a volume under one series and share the same codex across all books. Paste a chapter URL from any public novel site to start reading and listening instantly. The built-in reader strips ads and clutter for a distraction-free experience. 100% ON-DEVICE. COMPLETELY PRIVATE. Your library and chapters never leave your phone. Local AI handles all analysis. No account, no external servers, no subscription required for core features. STORYCODEX PRO, OPTIONAL AND ONE-TIME For readers who go deep. Unlock advanced world-building analysis and the full interactive visual Story Map. One-time purchase, no recurring fees. Built for web novels, light novels, xianxia, LitRPG, and massive fantasy epics. Requires 6GB RAM or more for local AI models. Pro users on cloud AI have no device requirements.

About

PlotReader

Features
Read full description

PlotReader is a private ebook reader for macOS. Import TXT, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI books, keep reading progress locally, add bookmarks and notes, and customize your reading experience with themes, font size, line spacing, scroll mode, and system read-aloud voices. When you want a faster overview of a chapter, PlotReader offers optional AI reading tools, including plot summaries and relationship maps. AI features are not enabled by default. You provide your own API key and model service endpoint, and chapter content is sent only when you request generation and allow chapter sharing in Settings. PlotReader also supports optional iCloud backup and restore. Backup data is stored in your private iCloud database. API keys are stored in macOS Keychain and are never included in iCloud backups. Key Features: - Import local TXT, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI books - Local bookshelf, reading progress, bookmarks, notes, and reading statistics - Custom font size, line spacing, themes, and scroll mode - Optional AI plot summaries - Optional AI relationship maps - Read aloud with system voices - Optional on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, with reading progress and your library synced across devices via iCloud. - No app account system

Screenshots

StoryCodex4 screens
PlotReader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PlotReader at none against StoryCodex's 3. PlotReader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and update cadence 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. StoryCodex sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. PlotReader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StoryCodex ships an update every 10 days, PlotReader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and August 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
StoryCodex versus PlotReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStoryCodexPlotReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size142 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBilal ARKAN伟 叶

In-app purchases

3 purchases

StoryCodex

One-time3
  • Remove Ads$4.99
  • Pro Upgrade$4.99
  • StoryCodex Pro$9.99
None

PlotReader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StoryCodex free?
StoryCodex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PlotReader free?
PlotReader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do StoryCodex or PlotReader have ads?
StoryCodex shows ads; PlotReader does not.
Which is updated more often, StoryCodex or PlotReader?
StoryCodex ships an update every 10 days, and PlotReader every 2 weeks. Most recently, StoryCodex was updated on September 20, 2026 and PlotReader on August 16, 2026.

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