# Waves vs Plain Reader

The clearest difference is ads: Waves at none against Plain Reader's shown. Plain Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Waves sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Plain Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Waves ships an update fortnightly, Plain Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Waves | Plain Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 46 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bentham Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860669933) | [OurBeom](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571312317) |

## What reviewers say

### Waves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waves-booktok-and-audiobooks/id6787900294)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Waves AI Pro | $6.99 | per 7 days |


### Plain Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-reader/id6818729882)

This app provides a distraction-free reading experience for various file formats including EPUB, TXT, PDF, and comics. It allows direct access to files from cloud storage or external drives without importing or creating copies, offering customizable reading settings and text-to-speech functionality.

**Highlights:** Read directly from Files, iCloud Drive, USB, Customizable text and theme settings, Text-to-speech in 31 languages, Supports ZIP and CBZ archives, Right-to-left reading for manga, PDF text selection and search, Distraction-free reading interface

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plain Reader Pro (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| Plain Reader Pro (Yearly) | $6.99 | per year |
| Plain Reader Pro | $2.99 | one-time |
| Plain Reader Pro (Lifetime) | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Waves free?

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

### Is Plain Reader free?

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

### Do Waves or Plain Reader have ads?

Plain Reader shows ads; Waves does not.

### Which is updated more often, Waves or Plain Reader?

Waves ships an update fortnightly, and Plain Reader every 3 days. Most recently, Waves was updated on November 5, 2026 and Plain Reader on November 1, 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.*