HTML Reader Offline vs Bamboo Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HTML Reader Offline
This app allows users to read local HTML and ZIP files offline. It's designed for developers, students, and learners to access documentation and course materials on their devices without an internet connection. Features include smart ZIP support, a built-in reader, table of contents, bookmarks, and reading progress tracking.
- Offline HTML and ZIP file reading
- Smart ZIP support with index.html detection
- Built-in WKWebView reader
- Auto-generated table of contents
- Bookmarks and reading progress saving
- Light, Dark, and Auto themes
- Long-image export
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Open HTML files and ZIP websites on iPhone and iPad — completely offline. No account, no tracking, no ads. HTML Reader Offline turns your device into a portable library for local web content. Save a tutorial, a documentation site, an exported notebook or any .html / .zip bundle, then read it anywhere: on a plane, on the subway, or somewhere with no signal at all. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT • Truly offline. Files live on your device. Nothing is uploaded and no connection is ever required. • Single files or whole sites. Import one .html page, or a ZIP bundle with its CSS, scripts and images intact. • A private space per document. Each document loads in its own isolated storage area, so two tutorials never overwrite each other's saved state or progress. • Fits every screen. The interface adapts to the actual display — compact on a phone, spacious on an iPad or a folding phone's inner screen. READING THAT GETS OUT OF THE WAY • Automatic table of contents built from the page headings — jump to any section in one tap. • Full-text search inside the page, with a match counter and one-tap navigation between hits. • Bookmarks for the passages you want to return to. • Highlights in five colours, each with an optional note; they stay anchored to the text through font changes and rotation. • Adjustable font size, light / dark / sepia themes, and a subtle progress bar. • Reopens exactly where you left off. A LIBRARY YOU CAN ACTUALLY MANAGE • Folders with drag-and-drop, so documents stay organised. • Library-wide search: look across every document at once and land straight on the matching paragraph. • Reading statistics: total time, today's time, your daily streak, and a 7-day chart. • Backup and restore: export the entire library — documents, progress, bookmarks, highlights and settings — into one ZIP file, and bring it back whenever you need it. SHARE WHAT YOU'RE READING • Send a document to anyone as a single .html file, or as a ZIP bundle they can open in any browser or re-import into the app. PRIVACY, PLAINLY No sign-up, no analytics, no advertising, no third-party trackers. The app never makes a network request for you, and your files never leave your device. Tip Jar (optional): Settings → Tip Jar offers a one-time, voluntary tip. It unlocks nothing — every feature in the app is free for everyone. Have a question or an idea? The support link below reaches me directly.
Bamboo Lite
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Bamboo (简帛) is a beautifully restrained, fully offline reader built for one thing: making long-form writing readable again. That tutorial you bookmarked. The newsletter you've been meaning to finish. The lecture notes shared in a group chat. The README that scrolls forever. Open them in the Files app and they show up as broken plain text or mangled code blocks. Bamboo turns them into ink on rice paper — measured line height, restrained type, IDE-grade code highlighting, generous white space. WHO IT'S FOR • Read-later collectors who actually want to read it later • Bloggers and newsletter writers • Students and researchers reading lecture notes & papers • Developers reading READMEs and technical blogs • Anyone who wants to finish a good article without distraction REFINED TYPOGRAPHY • Full GFM: headings, tables, task lists, footnotes, blockquotes • Prism.js highlighting for 20+ languages, one-tap copy • Built-in humanist fonts (LXGW WenKai), live font-size control OPEN FROM ANYWHERE • .md / .html from WeChat, Telegram, Mail, Files — tap "Open with..." → done • Or open files directly from the Files app • Share Extension brings Bamboo into every share sheet ONE PIECE, MANY USES • Export as a long image — share to social with watermark • Export as PDF with auto-generated outline • Three curated themes: White Silk, Dark Bamboo, Cyan Reed ON YOUR DESK • Read documents auto-land on the "Bookshelf" • Star to keep favorites within reach • "Timeline" walks back through your reading journey PURE PRIVACY • No accounts. No cache. No cloud servers. • 100% local parsing & rendering, fully offline • No analytics SDK, no ads, no tracking For the written word — Bamboo.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bamboo Lite at none against HTML Reader Offline's 1. Bamboo Lite also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). HTML Reader Offline's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. HTML Reader Offline sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bamboo Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.
HTML Reader Offline ships an update every 6 weeks, Bamboo Lite every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | HTML Reader Offline | Bamboo Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 发达 陈 | Yunnan Xiaomai Technology Co., Ltd |
In-app purchases
HTML Reader Offline
- A Cup of Coffee$0.99
Bamboo Lite
No in-app purchases








