Comparison

Prose Reader vs Scriptorium

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

Head to head
About

Prose Reader

Features
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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.

About

Scriptorium

Features
Read full description

Scriptorium is a living radio station for the world's great books. Tune in to a channel โ€” Hearth (cozy & comic), Shadows (dark & literary), Wonder (sci-fi & adventure), or Nursery (tales for children) โ€” and hear a beautifully narrated classic, always on, in sync with every other listener. It's live radio: there's always something playing. Or browse the Library and listen to any book on demand โ€” from the beginning, or right where you left off. โ€ข Read along โ€” a candlelit teleprompter lights each word as it's spoken โ€ข Continue where you left off โ€” every book remembers your place โ€ข Sleep timer for bedtime listening โ€ข CarPlay โ€” take the station on the road โ€ข A Home Screen widget showing what's on now โ€ข Apple TV โ€” an ambient reading room for the big screen Every book is a public-domain classic, freely narrated. No account, no ads, no clutter โ€” just great literature, read aloud.

Screenshots

Prose Reader4 screens
Scriptorium4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Prose Reader at 3 against Scriptorium's 1. Prose Reader also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Prose Reader versus Scriptorium: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProse ReaderScriptorium
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size125 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElia SalernoChristopher Sivori

In-app purchases

None

Prose Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Scriptorium

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Prose Reader free?
Prose Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scriptorium free?
Scriptorium is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Prose Reader or Scriptorium have ads?
Neither Prose Reader nor Scriptorium shows ads.

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