# Marginalia vs BeyondRead

The clearest difference is update cadence: BeyondRead at every 4 days against Marginalia's every 9 days. Marginalia's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Marginalia sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and BeyondRead sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Marginalia against 5.0 for BeyondRead. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Marginalia ships an update every 9 days, BeyondRead every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Marginalia | BeyondRead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginalia-book-notes/id6786065821/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beyondread/id6808016847/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 42 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [FURKAN TURGUT](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786065823) | [章 刘](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810877192) |

## What reviewers say

### Marginalia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginalia-book-notes/id6786065821)

Transform passive reading into active learning with this app. It functions as an EPUB and PDF reader with powerful note-taking and annotation tools, all stored locally for maximum privacy. Export your notes in Markdown format for seamless integration with other productivity tools.

**Highlights:** Personal EPUB and PDF library, Keyboard and stylus annotation, Multi-color highlighting, Smart book navigation, Customizable reading experience, Offline-first and privacy-focused, Markdown note exporting

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Marginalia Pro - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Marginalia Pro - Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Marginalia Pro Life Time | $79.99 | one-time |


### BeyondRead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beyondread/id6808016847)

This app is an EPUB and PDF reader that includes a library of over 20,000 public-domain classics. It offers AI-powered features to explain, translate, or discuss any sentence within a book, and can generate concise AI Digests of entire books. All reading data is stored locally for enhanced privacy.

**Highlights:** AI sentence explanation, translation, and chat, AI book digests, Library of 20,000+ public-domain classics, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI support, Local-first data storage, Customizable reading experience, Quote card creation and sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Max Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| AI Top-Up · Small | $0.99 | one-time |
| Premium Voice · 5 hours | $2.99 | one-time |
| AI Top-Up · Medium | $2.99 | one-time |
| AI Top-Up · Large | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium Voice · 15 hours | $6.99 | one-time |
| Premium Voice · 25 hours | $13.99 | one-time |
| Premium Voice · 50 hours | $27.99 | one-time |
| Premium Voice · 100 hours | $54.99 | one-time |
| Premium Voice · 200 hours | $109.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Marginalia free?

Marginalia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BeyondRead free?

BeyondRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Marginalia or BeyondRead?

Marginalia and BeyondRead are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Marginalia or BeyondRead have ads?

Neither Marginalia nor BeyondRead shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Marginalia or BeyondRead?

Marginalia ships an update every 9 days, and BeyondRead every 4 days. Most recently, Marginalia was updated on October 24, 2026 and BeyondRead on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*