Comparison

ObsiKO vs Athena Reader

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

Head to head
About

ObsiKO

Features
Read full description

Tired of converting files or picking plugins? Spent the day on settings and never wrote a line? Plenty of features, none of them talking to each other? Everyday writing, LLM wikis, ontologies, Zettelkasten, mindmaps, reading logs, codices, schedules, file conversion — one app, no account or subscription. Obsidian vaults (.md/.canvas/.base) open as-is. (AI runs on your own API key; with Apple Intelligence on, it can run on the device with no key.) ā–  You see it first, before anything changes Ā· AI rewrites arrive as a suggestion card — nothing changes until you press Replace Ā· The AI agent works on a copy; only what you pick reaches your notes Ā· Before the first send to an outside AI, it shows what goes where and sends only if you allow ā–  Share to the web, sync between devices (GitHub) Ā· "Share to the web" publishes a note at one address — theme, tables and images intact, comments too Ā· The text lives only in your GitHub account, never on our servers; "Stop sharing" takes it down Ā· Sync runs through your own repository and only ever deletes to the trash ā–  Write once, it connects itself Ā· A "color" property colors the tab, header, tree icon, .base and codex cards. Define your own types and relations too Ā· Type "book" pops a search that fills the rest; "project" adds start/due to the calendar Ā· Highlight a PDF and quotes collect into a note of the same name, searchable and on the graph Ā· Wiki links, types, relations and PARA form one constellation — more links, brighter star ā–  Infinite mindmap canvas (.canvas) Ā· Apple Pencil drawing — turn a sketch into an AI image. Have AI build an editable mindmap, or hand it yours Ā· Auto-build from a note's links, auto-layout, embeds, groups, relations. 5 styles, 10+ presets. Drop a URL or file to add a card ā–  .base files and search Ā· Projects, kanban, cards, charts, a library (book/paper search), PARA, a budget that pastes receipts. Dataview queries become tables Ā· Filenames, full text, Korean jamo, semantic search — pin results, bookmark a query, or ask Siri ā–  A dashboard and themes you arrange Ā· 50+ widgets plus query and embed boards — calendars, to-dos, habit trackers, stats. 20+ themes, your own fonts ā–  Markdown and a writing helper Ā· Calm editing tuned for Korean. Format bar and cheat sheet, Mermaid, 20+ charts, inline drawing, video in a note Ā· 70+ structures across 13 genres (Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, SCQA, character sheets), Socratic questions and style polish Ā· Spell check, dictionaries, device TTS, a saved assistant role, on-device translation ā–  Schedules and viewers Ā· A date in any file lands on the calendar (Obsidian Tasks compatible) — year/month/week/day, timeline, widget, reminders Ā· One frontmatter line switches the viewer: book, web novel, messenger, visual novel, codex ā–  Clipping and conversion Ā· The article body and photos become a note, not just the URL — share button or RSS Ā· One-click Markdown for doc/docx, PDF, hwp/hwpx — one file or a folder; a read-only panel opens dozens more Ā· Import from Apple Notes, Notion, Evernote, Bear or Logseq — always into a new folder Ā· Highlight PDFs and Markdown to insert or quote. AI OCR and transcription (labelled by speaker) ā–  AI agent Ā· Add an API key and go (Claude, Gemini, GPT) — the app is complete without one Ā· Builds mindmaps and .base tables on your phone and reads existing ones. Read-aloud and images in the editor Ā· File creation, automatic memory, LLM wikis, ontology and Zettelkasten design, MCP. Bulk work is desktop-only ā–  Export, images, and everything else Ā· Marp properties make a deck. Export to PDF, HWPX, DOCX, EPUB, HTML, ZIP, wiki markup Ā· Dictate on iPhone (on device), Control Center, Lock Screen and Home widgets, Watch quick notes Ā· Ready for iOS 27 — Markdown round-trips with Apple Notes, the new Siri can add to a note, 4Ɨ6 widget Ā· Image editing, free image search, colors panel, routines, palette, focus timer, screen lock All of it is free. No account, no payment, a small download.

About

Athena Reader

Read full description

Athena Reader is what happens when a serious ebook reader and an AI notebook become one app: read any document in comfort, capture your thinking as you go, and let AI turn everything you have read into a searchable, conversational knowledge base. READ MORE THAN JUST EBOOKS • Beautiful, fast reading for EPUB and PDF • Import Word (doc/docx), TXT, HTML, Markdown, MOBI/AZW3, FB2, RTF, ODT and more, converted automatically • No built-in bookstore: your library is built entirely from files you own • Buttery-smooth scrolling with ProMotion support TAKE NOTES LIKE A REAL NOTEBOOK • Multi-color highlights, captured without breaking your reading flow • A rich-text note editor with headings, lists, quotes and images • Search notes and highlights across every book; organize with tags • Export everything to Markdown or TXT, your notes are yours to keep ASK YOUR BOOKS ANYTHING • Select any passage and ask AI about it, in context • Chat with an entire book: question, summarize, connect ideas, with sources cited • Your notes are searchable by AI too. Everything you read and write becomes your second brain LISTEN & LOOK UP • Text-to-speech that keeps reading with the screen off or in the background • Built-in dictionary and a vocabulary book that grows across your library OFFLINE-FIRST, SYNCED EVERYWHERE • Core features work fully offline, read and take notes without a connection • When you are back online, progress, notes and highlights sync across all your devices FREE & UPGRADES Core reading and sync are free (up to 50 books or 1 GB of storage). Upgrade to Pro or buy add-on packs for a bigger library and advanced AI. Quotas and pricing are shown in the app. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Athena Pro is an auto-renewable subscription offered as monthly (1 month), quarterly (3 months) and yearly (12 months) plans. Prices are shown in the app and on the App Store. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each period unless you cancel at least 24 hours before it ends; renewal is charged within 24 hours before the period ends. You can view, manage or cancel in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions on your device. PRIVACY, SERIOUSLY No third-party ads. No tracking SDKs. Your books, notes and conversations are used only to provide the service to you. Privacy Policy: https://athena-reader.com/legal/privacy Terms of Service: https://athena-reader.com/legal/terms Support: support@athena-reader.com

Screenshots

ObsiKO4 screens
Athena Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ObsiKO at none against Athena Reader's 9. Athena Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Athena Reader sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. ObsiKO asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ObsiKO ships an update every 6 days, Athena Reader every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
ObsiKO versus Athena Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObsiKOAthena Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB89 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperHyojin Kim焄 刘

In-app purchases

None

ObsiKO

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Athena Reader

Subscriptions3
  • Athena Pro Monthly$10.991 Month
  • Athena Pro Quarterly$27.993 Months
  • Athena Pro Yearly$79.991 Year
One-time6
  • 200 AI Chats$5.99
  • +10GB (about 3,000 books)$5.99
  • OCR 10 Books$6.99
Show 3 more
  • 500 AI Chats$11.99
  • OCR 30 Books$16.99
  • 1200 AI Chats$23.99

Questions

Is ObsiKO free?
ObsiKO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Athena Reader free?
Athena Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ObsiKO or Athena Reader have ads?
Neither ObsiKO nor Athena Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ObsiKO or Athena Reader?
ObsiKO ships an update every 6 days, and Athena Reader every 2 days. Most recently, ObsiKO was updated on October 10, 2026 and Athena Reader on October 7, 2026.

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