Bare Reader vs PageTone
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Bare Reader
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Bare Reader is a calm, distraction-free way to read your EPUB books on iPhone. No accounts. No ads. No sync nags. No feed pulling you away from the page. Just your library and your books ā stored privately on your device. Less than 5MB in size, Bare Reader is as lightweight as it gets. READING, THE WAY IT SHOULD FEEL Open a book and everything else disappears. A clean, paginated reading view lets you move through pages the way that feels natural to you: swipe, tap the edges, or use the on-screen page buttons. PRIVATE BY DESIGN LeafReader works entirely offline. Your books and your reading never leave your device: there's no account to create and no data collected. What you read is nobody's business but yours. Bring your own EPUBs and enjoy a reader that gets out of the way. Bare Reader is completely free to use. If you enjoy the app, you can optionally purchase a one-time license to remove the occasional support reminder. Purchasing doesn't unlock anything or change how the app works; it's simply a way to support ongoing development.
PageTone
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Every book has a world. PageTone helps you step into it. Create a personalised reading atmosphere inspired by the story, setting, genre, or mood you are exploring. Describe what you are reading, and PageTone prepares a layered soundscape designed to accompany the moment without taking attention away from the page. BUILD YOUR READING ROOM Start with a title or a simple description of the atmosphere you want. A quiet library during a storm. A mysterious forest at night. A warm room beside a fireplace. PageTone transforms that idea into a reading room made from complementary ambient sounds. MIX EVERY LAYER Each atmosphere can combine up to four sound layers, including rain, wind, forest ambience, fireplace, turning pages, and quiet room tone. Inside the mixer, you can: ⢠Adjust the volume of each sound ⢠Mute or restore individual layers ⢠Fine-tune the balance of the room ⢠Reset the original atmosphere ⢠Shape the soundscape while you read READ AT YOUR OWN RHYTHM Set an optional starting page and page goal for your session, or simply read without tracking anything. PageTone keeps reading goals intentionally lightweight. There are no streaks, scores, competitive rankings, or productivity pressure. RETURN TO YOUR LATEST ROOM Your most recent reading room remains available, so you can quickly return to the atmosphere you were using and continue your session. MADE FOR QUIET MOMENTS PageTone combines an editorial interface, paper-inspired visuals, illustrated environments, and subtle animation to create a calm space around your book. The experience is designed for readers who enjoy ambience, focus, ritual, and the feeling of entering a story. FEATURES ⢠Personalised reading atmospheres ⢠Layered ambient soundscapes ⢠Up to four simultaneous sound layers ⢠Individual volume and mute controls ⢠Optional page goals ⢠Resume your latest reading room ⢠Background audio support ⢠App Shortcuts integration ⢠No account required PageTone does not search book catalogues, scan covers, stream music, or require social activity. It is a private reading companion built around your book, your room, and your pace.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PageTone at none against Bare Reader's 1. Bare Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Bare Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PageTone asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Bare Reader | PageTone |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | ā |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No ā better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad ā better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 ā better | 26.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nathaniel Rayestu Abdulrachman | Luisa Cecilia da Silva Pinto |
In-app purchases
Bare Reader
- Support Development$1.99
PageTone
No in-app purchases









