Comparison

Volume. vs iRead

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

Head to head
About

Volume.

This app is a privacy-focused audiobook player for self-hosted libraries. It offers chapter-first playback, multi-server support, and customizable design, all without ads or tracking.

Highlights
  • Multi-server and multi-account support
  • Chapter-first playback
  • Undo last skip functionality
  • CarPlay and AirPlay integration
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Offline listening
  • Advanced playback controls
  • Bookmarks and notes with export
Features
Read full description

Your audiobooks. Your server. Played beautifully. Volume is an expressive, privacy-first audiobook player built for people who host their own libraries. Whether your books live on Audiobookshelf, Jellyfin or Plex, Volume brings them together into one fluid, customisable listening experience, built natively for iOS in SwiftUI. WHY VOLUME Audiobooks are not long albums. They have chapters, you lose your place in them, and you return to them over weeks. Most players treat them like music. Volume doesn't. I built it for my own library first, as an indie project, and it connects straight to your server with nothing in between. MULTI-SERVER AND MULTI-ACCOUNT Connect to Audiobookshelf, Jellyfin or Plex. Switch between libraries and servers without losing your place. CHAPTER-FIRST PLAYBACK Per-chapter progress and time remaining, so you always know how far you are from a sensible place to stop. Full M4B chapter support, including parsing chapters Jellyfin doesn't expose through its API. UNDO LAST SKIP Clipped the next-chapter button in your pocket? Volume remembers your previous position and puts you back with one tap. CARPLAY AND AIRPLAY Browse your library, control playback and move between chapters safely from the car. Send audio to a HomePod, Apple TV or any AirPlay speaker straight from the player's route picker. ICLOUD SYNC Your library stays in step across every Apple device you own. OFFLINE LISTENING Download books to your device for flights, commutes and anywhere off-grid, with full download and progress management. ADVANCED PLAYBACK Variable speed to 3x, customisable skip durations, and a smart sleep timer with duration, end-of-chapter and fade-out modes. BOOKMARKS AND NOTES Save the moments that matter with timestamped bookmarks, attach notes to exact playback positions, and export everything to CSV, Markdown or YAML. A playback timeline keeps a record of how you actually listen. EXPRESSIVE, CUSTOMISABLE DESIGN Dynamic theming repaints the app around the cover art of whatever you're reading. Reorder your home screen sections, configure player button layouts, filter by genre, and enjoy a serif-led typographic design built for iOS. METADATA ENRICHMENT Integrates with Open Library for cover artwork, author information and descriptions, falling back to embedded file metadata. PRIVACY AND FREEDOM Volume is strictly client-side. Your server credentials, library data and playback statistics stay yours. No accounts, no ads, no third-party analytics, no tracking. Listen to your audiobooks, expressively. Questions or bugs: feedback.hyperfixation.dev

About

iRead

Listen to your EPUB, TXT, and MOBI books with natural-sounding voices, completely offline. Import your existing library and enjoy background playback with lock screen controls. A Pro version unlocks premium voices with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Listen to EPUB, TXT, MOBI aloud
  • Natural neural voices
  • Fully offline operation
  • Background playback
  • Import from Files/Share Sheet
  • Light/dark 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

Volume.4 screens
iRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iRead at 5.0 against Volume.'s 4.0. iRead also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Volume.'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. iRead sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Volume. asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iRead holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Volume. ships an update every 5 weeks, iRead every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Volume. versus iRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVolume.iRead
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMorgan ArcherShuhui Sheng

Customer experience

Volume.

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

iRead

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

In-app purchases

None

Volume.

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

iRead

One-time1
  • iRead Pro$11.99

Questions

Is Volume. free?
Volume. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iRead free?
iRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Volume. or iRead?
iRead is rated higher. Volume. averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while iRead averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Volume. or iRead have ads?
Neither Volume. nor iRead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Volume. or iRead?
Volume. ships an update every 5 weeks, and iRead every 3 days. Most recently, Volume. was updated on October 18, 2026 and iRead on October 24, 2026.

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