# Bare Reader vs Readence

The clearest difference is ads: Bare Reader at none against Readence's shown. Readence's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 5 days). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bare Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Readence sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bare Reader ships an update every 5 days, Readence daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bare Reader | Readence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | **Daily** |
| Size | 3 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Nathaniel Rayestu Abdulrachman](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785020837) | [Lajos Gere](https://appshunter.io/developer/6794346836) |

## What reviewers say

### Bare Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bare-reader/id6787130680)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support Development | $1.99 | one-time |


### Readence

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readence-reading-habit/id6794346834)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Readence Plus (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Readence Plus (Annual) | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bare Reader free?

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

### Is Readence free?

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

### Do Bare Reader or Readence have ads?

Readence shows ads; Bare Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bare Reader or Readence?

Bare Reader ships an update every 5 days, and Readence daily. Most recently, Bare Reader was updated on October 9, 2026 and Readence on September 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.*