Comparison

Widget Bunko vs Bunvox

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

Head to head
About

Widget Bunko

Features
Read full description

There are countless masterpieces you promise yourself you’ll read one day. And yet the app you open is always social media. That isn’t entirely your fault — the classics never came to meet you. Until now: they slide onto your Home Screen, right before you reach for your feed. ■ Read without opening the app Your widget shows the page you’re on. On the train, in a queue, during a meeting that isn’t your turn — read on in any spare moment. When you near the end, the widget shows the opening of your next recommended book. ■ Made for Japanese learners • The works are in the original Japanese, set vertically like a real bunko paperback. • Furigana from the original texts sit beside difficult kanji. (Only where the original text has them — not every kanji.) • Long-press any word to look it up in the iOS dictionary. • Menus and settings are in your language. ■ Classics ready on your shelf 夏目漱石『こころ』『吾輩は猫である』『坊っちゃん』, 芥川龍之介『羅生門』『蜘蛛の糸』, 太宰治『走れメロス』『人間失格』, 宮沢賢治『銀河鉄道の夜』 and more. Search over 17,000 Aozora Bunko works, or browse “Random 50” for a chance encounter, like wandering a used bookstore. ■ Pro (one-time purchase) • Furigana on every page of every work (free version: first 10 pages of each work) • Choose-a-Book Widget: small, medium and large, each with its own book • No banner ads Your background themes, dictionary lookup and the classic widget stay free. ■ Pricing The app is free. Banner ads appear at the bottom of Home, Bookshelf and Discover; never while you read. No account or sign-in is needed. With deep gratitude to the Aozora Bunko project. All works are public-domain literature collected under Aozora Bunko’s guidelines, and each ends with its source information. Support: https://widgetbunko.doublereedlab.com/support Privacy Policy: https://widgetbunko.doublereedlab.com/privacy

About

Bunvox

Features
Read full description

BunVox は、青空文庫の名作文学を音声で楽しめる朗読アプリです。 多くの文豪の作品を、美しいAI音声で聴くことができます。 通勤や散歩、就寝前など、本を開けない時間も文学の世界へ。 お気に入りの作品を保存し、自分だけの読書時間を耳で楽しめます。 主な機能 ・青空文庫の作品を朗読で再生 ・バックグラウンド再生対応 ・お気に入り登録 ・章ごとの再生 ・シンプルで読みやすいデザイン 読書をする時間がないときでも、通勤・通学、家事、散歩など、さまざまな場面で文学を楽しめます。 ※ 本アプリで配信している作品は、著作権保護期間が終了した青空文庫の公開作品を利用しています。 ▼ BunVox Proプラン BunVox Proプラン(月額500円)に課金することで再生回数/抜粋回数が無制限になります。 ▼ 利用規約はこちら https://bunvox.app/terms ▼ プライバシーポリシー https://bunvox.app/privacy

Screenshots

Widget Bunko4 screens
Bunvox3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Widget Bunko at none against Bunvox's 1. Widget Bunko also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). Bunvox's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs weekly). On price 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. Bunvox sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Widget Bunko asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Widget Bunko ships an update weekly, Bunvox daily. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
Widget Bunko versus Bunvox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWidget BunkoBunvox
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB16 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperRyuichi Kayashimayu kawase

In-app purchases

None

Widget Bunko

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Bunvox

Subscriptions1
  • BunVox Pro$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Widget Bunko free?
Widget Bunko is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bunvox free?
Bunvox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Widget Bunko or Bunvox have ads?
Widget Bunko shows ads; Bunvox does not.
Which is updated more often, Widget Bunko or Bunvox?
Widget Bunko ships an update weekly, and Bunvox daily. Most recently, Widget Bunko was updated on October 14, 2026 and Bunvox on October 14, 2026.

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