# Grim Reader vs ABS Admin

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grim Reader at none against ABS Admin's 3. Grim Reader also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). ABS Admin's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ABS Admin sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Grim Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Grim Reader against 5.0 for ABS Admin. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

Grim Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, ABS Admin every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 10, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grim Reader | ABS Admin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-reader/id6782366876/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abs-admin-audiobookshelf/id6788065635/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 16 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Maarten de Kreij](https://appshunter.io/developer/6774006735) | [Corey FELDMAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1836967631) |

## What reviewers say

### Grim Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-reader/id6782366876)

Organize and enrich your personal library of e-books, comics, and audiobooks. This app allows you to manage your collection locally or via your own servers, adding details like covers and author information. Enjoy a seamless reading and listening experience across all your content.

**Highlights:** Library management for e-books, comics, and audiobooks, Enrich library with online book and author data, Supports local files and personal servers (WebDAV, OPDS), Cross-device reading and listening progress tracking, Organize by author, series, and genre, Mark favorites

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### ABS Admin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abs-admin-audiobookshelf/id6788065635)

Manage your personal audiobook and ebook server, play and read content, and organize your entire library. This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for server administration, including metadata editing, library cleanup, and user management.

**Highlights:** Manage audiobook and ebook libraries, Built-in audiobook player, EPUB, PDF, and CBZ reader, Edit metadata and fix covers, Organize series, collections, and playlists, Upload media from cloud storage, Podcast management, User and permission management

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grim Reader free?

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

### Is ABS Admin free?

ABS Admin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Grim Reader or ABS Admin?

Grim Reader and ABS Admin are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Grim Reader or ABS Admin have ads?

Neither Grim Reader nor ABS Admin shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grim Reader or ABS Admin?

Grim Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, and ABS Admin every 5 days. Most recently, Grim Reader was updated on October 10, 2026 and ABS Admin on October 10, 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.*