# Dear Reader vs LeafWave

The clearest difference is ads: LeafWave at none against Dear Reader's shown. LeafWave also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Dear Reader ships an update every 9 days, LeafWave every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dear Reader | LeafWave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leafwave/id6792042577/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 51 MB | 266 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Moonsun Yang](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779434903) | [Samik Banerjee](https://appshunter.io/developer/6792042579) |

## What reviewers say

### Dear Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dear-reader-reading-journal/id6779434901)

**In-app purchases:** none


### LeafWave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leafwave/id6792042577)

This app allows you to read and listen to books and documents, offering customizable reading experiences and on-device narration. It supports various file formats and provides tools for annotation and sharing, with a strong focus on user privacy.

**Highlights:** Import EPUB, PDF, text, and more, Switch between visual reading and narration, On-device narration for privacy and offline use, Adjustable text size, spacing, and themes, Add bookmarks and highlights, Export annotated documents, Access free public-domain titles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dear Reader free?

Dear Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is LeafWave free?

LeafWave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Dear Reader or LeafWave have ads?

Dear Reader shows ads; LeafWave does not.

### Which is updated more often, Dear Reader or LeafWave?

Dear Reader ships an update every 9 days, and LeafWave every 4 days. Most recently, Dear Reader was updated on November 5, 2026 and LeafWave on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*