Poemly vs Poetry Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Poemly
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Poetry has always been meant to be heard - not skimmed on a screen. Poemly brings the world's greatest poems to life through stunning narration, carefully tuned to honour the rhythm, breath, and weight of every line. Whether you have two minutes or two hours, there's a poem waiting for you. Poemly requires a subscription to access content. A 30-day free trial is available. WHAT MAKES POEMLY DIFFERENT Every poem in Poemly is hand-curated. Not scraped, not algorithmically generated - selected by people who care deeply about what makes a poem worth your time. From Keats to Dickinson, from Whitman to Poe, each piece is chosen for how it sounds as much as what it says. The narration is built using the most expressive AI voice technology available. Words appear on screen as they're spoken, so you can follow along, get lost in the language, or simply close your eyes and listen. WHAT YOU GET WITH A POEMLY SUBSCRIPTION · A curated library of classic poetry · Word-by-word narration with on-screen highlighting · New poems added regularly · A calm, distraction-free listening experience · Beautifully designed for night and day reading Start your 30-day free trial today. No commitment, cancel anytime. Poemly Premium includes full access to the entire library and all future content. Monthly, yearly, and lifetime plans available. Terms of Use: https://poemly.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://poemly.app/privacy
Poetry Reader
Explore classic poems with AI-powered explanations and personalized notes. Discover new authors and works, with offline reading capabilities. Start reading immediately without an account.
- AI poem explanations
- Searchable public domain library
- Highlight and annotate poems
- Save favorite poems
- Offline reading
- Customizable text appearance
- Daily reading reminders
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Discover what a poem is saying—and how it says it. Poetry Reader brings classic poetry and optional AI explanations together. Read a poem, explore its imagery and meaning, and ask questions about the lines that interest you. EXPLORE A POEM’S MEANING Tap Explain for an AI explanation, or ask your own question by voice or text. Explore unfamiliar language, imagery, themes, and possible interpretations while keeping the poem close at hand. DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVORITE Browse 1,834 public-domain collections, including works by Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, and John Keats. Search authors, collections, poem titles, and first lines. MAKE READING YOUR OWN • Highlight passages and add personal notes • Save favorite poems and collections • Download collections for offline reading • Return to your reading position • Adjust text size and choose light or dark appearance • Set an optional daily reading reminder • Read on iPhone and iPad START READING WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT Browse and read without signing in. Sign in with Apple to use AI explanations and questions or sync your reading profile across devices. AI explanations can make mistakes and offer one interpretation among many. The library uses Project Gutenberg editions that are public domain in the United States. App availability is limited to the U.S.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Poetry Reader at none against Poemly's 3. Poemly's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Poemly sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Poetry Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
Poemly ships an update every 4 days, Poetry Reader every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Poemly | Poetry Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Unattended Oy | Joseph Philleo |
In-app purchases
Poemly
- Poemly Premium Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
- Poemly Premium Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Poemly Premium Lifetime$99.99
Poetry Reader
No in-app purchases









