Comparison

EPUB Reader vs iRead

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

Head to head
About

EPUB Reader

This app allows you to import and read your DRM-free ebook files locally. It supports various formats and offers customizable reading settings for a personalized offline experience. You can also search, highlight, and annotate your books.

Highlights
  • Import DRM-free EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2, TXT
  • Offline reading with no account
  • Customizable text and themes
  • Full-book search and highlighting
  • Chapter navigation and progress tracking
  • Export notes and highlights
Features
Read full description

EPUB Reader is an epub reader for the books you already own. Import your DRM-free EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2 and TXT files into one local ebook library and read them offline, with no account and nothing uploaded. An ebook reader that takes the file as it is. EPUB reflows to your settings. DRM-free MOBI, AZW, AZW3 and PRC open directly, with AZW3 read from its KF8 layer for better typography. FB2 arrives as .fb2, .fb2.zip or .fbz, and TXT is decoded as UTF-8 or GBK, with a long chapterless file split into chapters you can navigate. The format is read from the contents of the file, so a book that lost its extension in mail still opens; what will not open is reported as unsupported or damaged. Reading is paginated, not an endless scroll: tap a side of the page or swipe. The contents list opens on the chapter you are in, the bottom bar carries the chapter name, page X of Y and your percentage through the book, and the progress bar jumps only when you let go. A reopened book starts on the page you left. Search the whole book from two characters up. Every hit arrives with its chapter name and the words around it; tap one and the reader lands there with the match highlighted. Highlight any passage in one of four colors, attach a note or copy it. Bookmarks, highlights and notes share one panel and export as plain text. Type size, page brightness, justified or left-aligned text and the light, sepia and dark paper themes are all free, night reading included. Every pixel of the reader follows the paper theme, and a book's own CSS cannot turn sepia or dark into dark text on a dark page. Offline books are the normal case here, not a mode you switch on: on a plane, in the subway, in a dead zone on the highway, the library and the book behave the same. At night the dark paper theme and the brightness slider let you read beside someone who is asleep. Studying, you highlight what matters, write your thought next to it, then export chapter, progress, passage and note into your notes app. Most of what sits beside this app in search is a different product. Content platforms hand you a catalog and want you signed in. Converters turn one format into another. Borrowing apps need a library card. Read-aloud apps are built around a voice. This one opens the files that are already yours and stays out of the way. • Open DRM-free EPUB, MOBI, AZW, AZW3, PRC, FB2 and TXT files • Format read from file contents, even with a wrong extension • TXT in UTF-8 or GBK, long files split into navigable chapters • Import several files in one go and get a single summary • Ebook library as a cover grid, three to six columns • Search by title or author, filter by reading, not started or finished • Sort by recently read, recently added, title or author to organize the shelf • Continue Reading card for the book you had open last • Page turns by tap or swipe, with a draggable progress bar • Contents list, chapter name, page X of Y and whole-book percentage • Full-book search with chapter name and context per hit • Four highlight colors, notes and copy from the selection bar • Bookmarks, highlights and notes in one panel, exportable as text • Line spacing, page margins and font family (Pro) Your books and your reading position stay in this app's storage on the device: no account, no sync, no record of what you read. To be clear about the edges: no PDF, no comic archives, no DOC or CHM, no conversion between formats, no way into books locked by another store's DRM, no text-to-speech, no audiobooks, no translation, no dictionary. The free library holds three books; EPUB Reader Pro lifts that limit and unlocks line spacing, page margins and font family. Bring your own files, drop them in and start reading. Terms of Use: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/privacy-policy

About

iRead

This app reads your EPUB, TXT, and MOBI books aloud using natural-sounding voices. It works offline, supports background playback with screen lock, and offers multi-language support. You can also import your own books and customize the reading experience.

Highlights
  • Offline text-to-speech
  • Natural neural voices
  • Background playback
  • Multi-language support
  • Import books from Files/Wi-Fi
  • Customizable reading themes
  • Library management
Features
Read full description

iRead reads the books you already own out loud — natural voices, fully offline, no subscription. LISTEN TO YOUR OWN BOOKS • Natural neural voices read EPUB, TXT and MOBI aloud • Keeps playing in the background, with the screen locked • Lock screen and headphone controls, like a podcast • Voices in nine languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean — each chapter is read in its own language automatically • Runs entirely on your phone — your text is never uploaded READ THEM TOO • Import from Files, the share sheet, or your computer over Wi-Fi • Light and dark themes, adjustable size and spacing • Shelf with covers, categories and reading progress • One backup file carries your library, progress and settings between devices GOOD TO KNOW • PDF opens for reading but cannot be read aloud — convert it to EPUB first (free converter at iread.gaiya.cc) • DRM-protected books, including Kindle and Apple Books purchases, cannot be opened • There is no store inside iRead. It never sells or ships books; it opens the ones you already have FREE AND PRO • Free: the whole reader, plus your device's built-in system voice • Pro: unlocks the natural neural voices. One-time purchase, yours forever • No subscription, no account, no ads, no tracking

Screenshots

EPUB Reader4 screens
iRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: iRead at none against EPUB Reader's shown. iRead also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). EPUB Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. EPUB Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and iRead sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for EPUB Reader against 5.0 for iRead. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EPUB Reader ships an update every 2 months, iRead every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
EPUB Reader versus iRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEPUB ReaderiRead
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZeroPlay Ltd.Shuhui Sheng

Customer experience

EPUB Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

iRead

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

EPUB Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly3 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Monthly3 Days trial$14.991 Month
1 purchases

iRead

One-time1
  • iRead Pro$11.99

Questions

Is EPUB Reader free?
EPUB Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is iRead free?
iRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, EPUB Reader or iRead?
EPUB Reader and iRead are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do EPUB Reader or iRead have ads?
EPUB Reader shows ads; iRead does not.
Which is updated more often, EPUB Reader or iRead?
EPUB Reader ships an update every 2 months, and iRead every 2 days. Most recently, EPUB Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and iRead on November 1, 2026.

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