Comparison

ReadGrow vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

ReadGrow

Read full description

ReadGrow is a book-centered reading companion designed for readers who want to retain more from every book they read. Whether you're reading fiction, nonfiction, books in your native language, or books in English, ReadGrow helps you track your reading journey, capture your thoughts, and keep your books, reading progress, and notes together in one place. For readers enjoying books in English, ReadGrow also includes built-in vocabulary collection with automatic IPA pronunciation and definitions, making it easy to expand your vocabulary naturally through reading while preserving the journey of every book you read.

About

Folio

Features
Read full description

Folio gets you to actually finish an English classic โ€” in the original, cover to cover. Most reading apps drop you into a hard text and hope you cope. Folio is different: it's a prep course, not just a reader. Before you read, you pre-study the ~600 words that cover 95% of that specific book โ€” plus its key grammar, idioms, and character names โ€” using spaced repetition with self-rated confidence. Once your "reading power" is high enough, you read the unabridged original with a tap-to-translate dictionary and LibriVox audiobook narration. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pre-study the book. Spaced-repetition flashcards for the vocabulary, grammar, idioms, and names that unlock the text โ€” chapter by chapter. Folio catches the words you only think you know. 2. Watch your reading power rise. A per-chapter gauge fills as you study, rewarding real recall. 3. Read the original. The full, unabridged text with tap-to-translate and audio. Finish it and earn a completion card. IN YOUR LANGUAGE The texts stay in English. Definitions, notes, and example translations appear in your language: Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, or French. THE LIBRARY A growing library of public-domain classics โ€” start free with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, then unlock the full collection. HONEST BY DESIGN - No account, no sign-in. Everything is stored on your device. - No ads, no tracking. - Book texts from Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks; narration from LibriVox โ€” all public domain. Start free, and read your first classic to the very last page. Terms of Use (EULA): https://readfolio.co/terms Privacy Policy: https://readfolio.co/privacy

Screenshots

ReadGrow4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ReadGrow at every 4 days against Folio's every 9 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. ReadGrow sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Folio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReadGrow ships an update every 4 days, Folio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
ReadGrow versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadGrowFolio
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days โ€” betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size17 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChih-Yen KuoTetsuhiro Nomura

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ReadGrow

One-time1
  • Aged Pu-erh$5.99
3 purchases

Folio

Subscriptions2
  • Folio โ€” Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Folio โ€” Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime โ€” Full Library$49.99

Questions

Is ReadGrow free?
ReadGrow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ReadGrow or Folio have ads?
Neither ReadGrow nor Folio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReadGrow or Folio?
ReadGrow ships an update every 4 days, and Folio every 9 days. Most recently, ReadGrow was updated on October 17, 2026 and Folio on October 7, 2026.

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