Comparison

iRead vs Mimesa

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

Head to head
About

iRead

Listen to your EPUB, TXT, and MOBI books with natural-sounding voices, completely offline. Import your existing library and enjoy background playback with lock screen controls. A Pro version unlocks premium voices with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Listen to EPUB, TXT, MOBI aloud
  • Natural neural voices
  • Fully offline operation
  • Background playback
  • Import from Files/Share Sheet
  • Light/dark themes
  • Library management
Features
Read full description

iRead reads the books you already own out loud — natural voices, fully offline, no subscription. LISTEN TO YOUR OWN BOOKS • Natural neural voices read EPUB, TXT and MOBI aloud • Keeps playing in the background, with the screen locked • Lock screen and headphone controls, like a podcast • Voices in nine languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean — each chapter is read in its own language automatically • Runs entirely on your phone — your text is never uploaded READ THEM TOO • Import from Files, the share sheet, or your computer over Wi-Fi • Light and dark themes, adjustable size and spacing • Shelf with covers, categories and reading progress • One backup file carries your library, progress and settings between devices GOOD TO KNOW • PDF opens for reading but cannot be read aloud — convert it to EPUB first (free converter at iread.gaiya.cc) • DRM-protected books, including Kindle and Apple Books purchases, cannot be opened • There is no store inside iRead. It never sells or ships books; it opens the ones you already have FREE AND PRO • Free: the whole reader, plus your device's built-in system voice • Pro: unlocks the natural neural voices. One-time purchase, yours forever • No subscription, no account, no ads, no tracking

About

Mimesa

Features
Read full description

Mimesa is a reading and listening app built for people who want to read more, but don’t always have the time to sit down with a book. Explore a huge library of public-domain classics, listen to human-narrated audiobooks from LibriVox, or upload your own EPUBs and PDFs to read or turn into audio with AI narration. Whether you’re commuting, walking, studying, relaxing, or trying to finally finish that book you started months ago, Mimesa lets you switch between reading and listening whenever you need. READ AND LISTEN IN ONE APP Mimesa combines an ebook reader, audiobook player, and AI narration tool into one simple library. You can: • Browse 77,000+ public-domain books • Listen to 22,000+ LibriVox human audiobooks • Read EPUBs and PDFs on your phone • Generate AI narration for supported documents • Follow along with text while listening • Build your own personal reading library • Pick up where you left off across books and audio CLASSIC BOOKS, MADE EASIER TO FINISH Mimesa is especially useful for classic literature and public-domain books. Discover authors like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Oscar Wilde, Mary Shelley, Mark Twain, and many more. Instead of choosing between reading and listening, you can do both. Start reading at home, continue listening while walking, then return to the text later. HUMAN AUDIOBOOKS FROM LIBRIVOX For thousands of classics, Mimesa includes human-narrated audiobook recordings from LibriVox volunteers. Listen to public-domain audiobooks directly inside the app with a clean, simple player designed for long-form listening. AI NARRATION FOR EPUBS AND PDFs Have a document you want to listen to? Upload supported EPUB or PDF files and use AI narration to turn text into audio for personal listening. This is useful for books, essays, notes, study material, long documents, and other readable files. Your uploaded documents are for your personal use inside your own library. BUILT FOR READING MORE Mimesa is designed around one simple goal: helping you spend more time with books. Use it when you want to: • Read classic literature • Listen to audiobooks • Turn documents into audio • Follow along while listening • Study while commuting • Replace endless scrolling with books • Keep your reading and listening in one place WHY MIMESA? Most reading apps focus only on ebooks. Most audiobook apps focus only on audio. Mimesa brings both together. It gives you public-domain books, human audiobooks, AI narration, EPUB/PDF support, and a clean reading experience in one app. Read when you can. Listen when you can’t. Download Mimesa and start building your reading habit today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.mimesa.org/docs/eula Privacy Policy: https://www.mimesa.org/docs/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.mimesa.org/docs/terms-of-service Support: armaaxs.com/me | armaan@armaaxs.com

Screenshots

iRead4 screens
Mimesa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mimesa at none against iRead's 1. Mimesa also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). iRead's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). On price, ads 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. iRead sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mimesa asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iRead ships an update every 3 days, Mimesa every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
iRead versus Mimesa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriReadMimesa
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB54 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperShuhui ShengPurple Softworks (Pty) Ltd

In-app purchases

1 purchases

iRead

One-time1
  • iRead Pro$11.99
None

Mimesa

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iRead free?
iRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mimesa free?
Mimesa is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do iRead or Mimesa have ads?
Neither iRead nor Mimesa shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iRead or Mimesa?
iRead ships an update every 3 days, and Mimesa every 9 days. Most recently, iRead was updated on October 25, 2026 and Mimesa on October 18, 2026.

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