Comparison

Leafmark vs Paper Quest

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

Head to head
About

Leafmark

A fast, calm EPUB reader that lets you highlight and take notes on your books. Export your annotations in Markdown format to use with other apps. Enjoy a private reading experience with no accounts or cloud lock-in.

Highlights
  • Reflowable EPUB rendering
  • Adjustable font and themes
  • Highlighting with notes
  • Markdown export
  • Reading statistics
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

• Export all your highlights and notes to Markdown, ready for Obsidian. Your first export is free; Pro makes it unlimited, every book at once included. • Highlights, bookmarks and reading positions sync through your own iCloud. No account, no sign-in. • Buy once. No subscription. Leafmark is a calm, fast EPUB reader for people who read closely and take their notes with them. Your library stays plain EPUB files under your control. READ THE WAY YOU LIKE • Reflowable EPUB rendering with light, sepia and dark themes • Vertical Japanese text (tategaki) renders as the book declares it • Adjustable font, size, line height and margins • One or two columns, plus a scrolling mode — great on iPad in landscape • Full-text search, table of contents and a built-in dictionary lookup • Your reading position is remembered per book ANNOTATE AND KEEP YOUR NOTES • Highlight in four colors and attach notes • Export every highlight and note to Markdown — drop them straight into Obsidian, Notion or any plain-text vault • Reading statistics: time today, this week and all time, your streak, and time per book PRIVACY BY DESIGN • No Leafmark account and no sign-in • No tracking and no ads. App usage and the steps to purchase are measured anonymously; book titles and text are never sent • Highlights, bookmarks, and reading positions sync through your personal iCloud account, not a Leafmark server LEAFMARK PRO Reading is always free. Import your library, render any book and try the feel before you decide. You also get one free Markdown export, so you can see exactly what lands in your notes before paying. A single one-time purchase, Leafmark Pro, unlocks the full annotation workflow: unlimited highlights (the free tier keeps up to three per book), unlimited Markdown export, and reading statistics. Restore your purchase any time. GOOD TO KNOW • Import EPUBs straight from Files — iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or right off your device. • Works with DRM-free EPUB files. DRM-protected books and PDF are not supported. • Public-domain EPUBs are available from Public Domain Library and Standard Ebooks.

About

Paper Quest

Features
Read full description

Paper Quest is a private, local-first reader for DRM-free EPUB books, unlocked PDFs, and CBZ and CBR comics. READ YOUR WAY • Import EPUB, PDF, CBZ, and CBR files directly from Files • Enjoy distraction-free reading with themes, type controls, margins, and scrolling or paginated layouts • Turn pages with smooth animated transitions and return to your saved position • Browse chapters and search inside EPUB books • Read comfortably with adaptive layouts, including iPhone Duo COMICS THAT LOOK RIGHT TO YOU • Keep the original artwork or choose Auto Enhance, Brighter, or Crisp Black & White • Adjust comic brightness and contrast and choose a white or black page surround • Save display preferences per comic without altering the original file BUILD A SHELF THAT FITS • Create series for books and comic volumes • Use the first volume’s cover or choose a custom series image • Browse your shelf and series in list view or 2-, 3-, and 4-column grids • Sort by title, author, progress, recently added, or metadata release date • Drag series volumes into your preferred order and save • Edit local metadata, replace covers, rate books, and mark favorites MAKE PROGRESS FEEL GOOD • Set a daily reading goal, build streaks, and earn achievements • Track active reading time • Unlock weekly, monthly, yearly, and all-time statistics with one lifetime purchase • See your reading rhythm, favorite genres, most-read books, and Top Books KEEP THE DETAILS THAT MATTER • Add bookmarks, highlights, and notes • Track reading status and resume from your saved position • Keep today’s goal, streak, and current book visible with Home Screen widgets OPTIONAL ICLOUD SYNC Enable sync in Settings to keep your books, comics, covers, series, progress, notes, reading history, statistics, goals, and preferences up to date across devices using the same Apple Account. Sync uses your private iCloud storage. You can also keep reading entirely locally without enabling sync. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your library and reading data stay on your device by default. Paper Quest has no separate account, advertising SDK, or analytics tracker. If you enable iCloud sync, Apple’s iCloud service stores your synced data in your private account. BACKUP WHEN YOU CHOOSE Export a complete backup containing your publication files and reading data, then restore it with duplicate-safe merging. Paper Quest supports DRM-free EPUB, unlocked PDF, and unprotected CBZ/CBR files. It does not include a bookstore or downloadable catalog. Lifetime Stats is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Optional tips are separate and unlock no features.

Screenshots

Leafmark4 screens
Paper Quest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Leafmark at every 5 days against Paper Quest's every 4 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Leafmark sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Paper Quest sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Leafmark ships an update every 5 days, Paper Quest every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Leafmark versus Paper Quest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLeafmarkPaper Quest
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAkira TaniwakiJorge Costa

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Leafmark

One-time1
  • Leafmark Pro$9.99
4 purchases

Paper Quest

One-time4
  • A little bookmark$1.99
  • A fresh chapter$3.99
  • Lifetime Stats$5.99
Show 1 more
  • A grand adventure$8.99

Questions

Is Leafmark free?
Leafmark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paper Quest free?
Paper Quest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Leafmark or Paper Quest have ads?
Neither Leafmark nor Paper Quest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Leafmark or Paper Quest?
Leafmark ships an update every 5 days, and Paper Quest every 4 weeks. Most recently, Leafmark was updated on November 5, 2026 and Paper Quest on October 31, 2026.

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