Auren vs Prose Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Auren
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Auren turns books, documents, and saved pages into speech. Choose about 75 minutes of Auren Premium Voice each month or 15 hours each year. The annual allowance starts when an eligible free trial begins. Apple voices remain unlimited. You can also download Auren's on-device Kokoro voice pack, try the experimental Supertonic 3 voice pack, or paste an existing xAI, OpenAI, or Google developer API key for optional cloud voices. Build a listening library from printed pages, photos, pasted text, PDFs, EPUBs, text files, web links, and audio transcripts. Open any item, tap a paragraph to start listening, and follow the text as Auren reads. Auren also includes a maintained catalog of U.S. public-domain editions sourced from Standard Ebooks and a Discover feed limited to written articles from approved sources with a documented sharing basis. Other websites can be imported by link or followed through a personal RSS feed. With Auren, you can: - Listen with Apple voices available on your device - Use Auren Premium Voice, about 75 minutes each month or 15 hours each year - Download the recommended Kokoro on-device voice pack - Try the separately downloaded experimental Supertonic 3 voice pack - Paste an existing xAI, OpenAI, or Google API key for optional cloud voices - Scan pages and extract text from photos - Import PDFs, EPUBs, text files, web links, and audio - Discover verified written articles from approved public sources - Save articles locally for offline reading and listening - Create a branded Audio Card video and optional revocable listening link - Continue from the Home Screen with Auren widgets - Keep your place in every item - Adjust voice, speed, rewind, forward, and sleep timer - Read and listen in the same focused view You do not create an Auren account or sign in. Auren creates an anonymous installation identity on your device for online services such as translation, connected-provider narration, Gift a Listen, and support. The identifier and its 32-byte secret stay in ThisDeviceOnly Keychain storage. Auren stores only a hash of the secret and uses short-lived installation sessions. Auren Premium Voice sends each uncached passage through Auren's service for narration and tracks the period allowance. A Premium-only access token is stored in iOS Keychain. Premium audio is cached on the device and on Auren's service; private-import audio is owner-scoped. Optional connected-provider narration accepts an existing developer API key. For each uncached passage, Auren sends the provider key and passage through its Cloudflare service to the provider selected. Connected-provider audio is cached on the device. Auren does not create provider accounts or sell provider usage. Before translating an article, Auren asks for permission to send the article title and text through Auren's service on Cloudflare to Google Gemini. Do not continue with content you do not want processed off your device. Auren requires an Auren subscription for app access. In the US, Auren Monthly is $7.99 per month and includes about 75 minutes of Auren Premium Voice each month. Auren Annual is $59.99 per year and includes 15 hours of Auren Premium Voice each year. App Store pricing varies by region. Eligible new annual subscribers can receive a 7-day free trial with the full annual allowance available from its start. The monthly plan has no introductory offer. Each plan renews automatically for its billing period unless canceled in your App Store account. Apple determines trial eligibility and shows the offer and price before purchase confirmation. Privacy Policy: https://aurenreader.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://aurenreader.com/support/
Prose Reader
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Prose is a clean, local-first reader for ePub and PDF books. Designed with a focus on speed, privacy, and simplicity, Prose works completely offline to keep your personal library secure on your device. Key Features: - Multi-format support: Read ePub 2, ePub 3, and PDF files. - Offline library: View your books in a custom cover grid or detail list. Search, filter, and sort by title, author, last read, or reading progress. - Tailored reading experience: Customize fonts, font size, margins, and line spacing for reflowable ePub books. Zoom and fit controls are available for PDF files. - Reading themes: Switch between light, dark, and sepia themes to match your environment. Themes apply across the entire application interface. - Local-first sync: Connect your own WebDAV server to sync books, reading positions, bookmarks, highlights, and settings. Sync runs in the background and resolves conflicts by keeping your furthest reading position. - Annotation and reference: Create bookmarks, highlight text, and look up definitions using the built-in offline dictionary. - Privacy and security: Your data is never sent to third-party services. WebDAV credentials are saved securely in your operating system keychain. There is no telemetry, analytics, or tracking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Prose Reader at none against Auren's 2. Prose Reader also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Auren sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Prose Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Auren | Prose Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | โ | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 21 Media | Elia Salerno |
In-app purchases
Auren
- Auren Monthly$7.991 Month
- Auren Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
Prose Reader
No in-app purchases









