Comparison

Sonarplay vs MagicReader

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

Head to head
About

Sonarplay

Features
Read full description

SonarPlay - Your Audiobook Streaming Platform Listen to thousands of audiobooks and book summaries anytime, anywhere. SonarPlay brings stories and ideas to life with high-quality audio, smart recommendations, and offline listening. What you will love * Huge library across fiction, self-help, business, biographies, and more * Smooth playback with speed control and easy skipping * Background and offline listening for life on the move * Curated recommendations, powerful search, and top-rated picks * Personalised profiles, favourites, and synced progress across devices * Premium subscription for unlimited access and exclusive content * Secure sign-in, flexible payments, and multi-language support Start listening smarter with SonarPlay. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sonarplay.com/privacy_policy

About

MagicReader

Features
Read full description

Read without touching the screen. MagicReader is a hands-free reader for EPUB, PDF and comics: turn your head, wave a hand, wink, or just say "next page" — and the page turns. Or sit back and let a natural voice read to you. Whether your hands are busy, wet, full, or simply resting — or touching the screen is difficult for you — MagicReader keeps the story going. NEW: OPENS LIKE A REAL BOOK • Ready for iPhone Duo — unfold it and your book becomes a two-page spread, with the spine right on the fold • Landscape reading — two pages side by side on iPad and most iPhones, for EPUB, PDF and comics, including vertical Japanese books • Flip page turns — pages turn over like paper and follow your finger • Split View on iPad and iPhone Duo TOUCH-FREE READING • Head control — turn your head left or right to flip pages; look up to open or close a book • Wink control — wink your right eye to go forward, your left to go back (Face ID devices) • Hand control — a cursor follows your hand; close your hand to grab a book, swipe from the screen edge to flip • Voice control — say "next", "back", "open", "read aloud" and more, in English, Japanese, Spanish, French or German • A guided tour teaches every gesture with live practice NATURAL READ-ALOUD • Natural, expressive voices read your EPUB books aloud — in English and Japanese • The sentence being spoken is highlighted, and pages turn in step with the narration • English narration powered by Kokoro; Japanese voices powered by VOICEVOX (VOICEVOX:No.7, VOICEVOX:å››å›½ć‚ćŸć‚“, VOICEVOX:é’å±±é¾ę˜Ÿ, VOICEVOX Nemo) • Books in Spanish, French and German are read by your device's system voice for that language, with nothing to download • Natural voices are downloaded once, then work fully offline — all speech is generated on your device YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY • EPUB and PDF books, plus CBZ/CBR comics and manga • Beautiful animated bookshelf themes — drifting watercolour clouds, a starry cosmos, and story worlds that come alive behind special books • Japanese vertical text (ēø¦ę›øć) done right, with optional automatic furigana (ćµć‚ŠćŒćŖ) above kanji • Comfortable reading themes, adjustable fonts (including OpenDyslexic for dyslexia-friendly reading), and remembered positions THOUSANDS OF FREE CLASSICS • Browse and download public-domain classics from Project Gutenberg and Aozora Bunko (é’ē©ŗę–‡åŗ«) — from Alice in Wonderland to éŠ€ę²³é‰„é“ć®å¤œ — right inside the app PRIVATE BY DESIGN • The camera and microphone are used only to recognize your gestures and commands, entirely on your device • Nothing is recorded, nothing is uploaded, and there are no accounts, no ads, and no tracking — ever MagicReader began in 2012 as one of the first face-controlled book readers on the App Store. It has been rebuilt from the ground up for today's devices — same magic, new tricks. Reading is best when nothing comes between you and the story. Not even your hands.

Screenshots

Sonarplay4 screens
MagicReader2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MagicReader at none against Sonarplay's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Sonarplay sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. MagicReader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sonarplay ships an update every 5 weeks, MagicReader monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Sonarplay versus MagicReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSonarplayMagicReader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerwaplead solutions llcLeo Rivas-Micoud

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sonarplay

Subscriptions1
  • SonarPlay Premium1 Month trial$9.991 Month
None

MagicReader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sonarplay free?
Sonarplay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MagicReader free?
MagicReader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sonarplay or MagicReader have ads?
Neither Sonarplay nor MagicReader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sonarplay or MagicReader?
Sonarplay ships an update every 5 weeks, and MagicReader monthly. Most recently, Sonarplay was updated on October 25, 2026 and MagicReader on October 29, 2026.

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