Comparison

Linea Reader vs LeafWave

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

Head to head
About

Linea Reader

Features
Read full description

Linea is a calm reading workspace for difficult material. Import PDFs, EPUBs, MOBI files, DOCX documents, Markdown, images, scans, and web pages. Read with thoughtful typography, highlight and annotate passages, listen from your current position, and ask questions without losing your place. Your library stays organized around the work in front of you. Resume where you stopped, move between chapters, and keep your reading progress together. Features: • Import documents and URLs • Read PDFs, ebooks, Markdown, and more • Highlight passages and add notes • Listen from your current reading position • Ask document-aware questions while reading or listening • Keep reading progress and annotations together • Choose from four reading palettes AI and your data: Linea uses AI only when you ask it to. It does not run your documents through AI in the background. Eligible signed-in Linea accounts can use Linea's rate-limited managed Ask without a personal API key: the question and relevant document context are processed by Linea, which may call an upstream model. For a user-owned cloud provider, Linea sends your question and relevant document context directly from your device to that provider using the API key you supplied; Linea's developer does not receive those direct-to-provider requests. When available and selected, on-device Apple Intelligence requests stay on your device. Linea is built for sustained attention: fewer distractions, better context, and a clear path back to the thread.

About

LeafWave

This app allows you to read and listen to books and documents, offering customizable reading experiences and on-device narration. It supports various file formats and provides tools for annotation and sharing, with a strong focus on user privacy.

Highlights
  • Import EPUB, PDF, text, and more
  • Switch between visual reading and narration
  • On-device narration for privacy and offline use
  • Adjustable text size, spacing, and themes
  • Add bookmarks and highlights
  • Export annotated documents
  • Access free public-domain titles
Features
Read full description

LeafWave helps you read with your eyes, listen at your pace, and keep your place across long books and documents. Import EPUB, PDF, text, RTF, HTML, and Markdown files, then switch naturally between visual reading and narration. LeafWave’s bundled neural voices run on your iPhone or iPad, so your document text stays private and narration works offline. Apple system voices remain available too. READ YOUR WAY • Adjust text size, spacing, theme, and reading layout • Move by chapter, page, paragraph, or book progress • Resume from your saved reading or listening position • Browse more than 75,000 free public-domain titles from Project Gutenberg LISTEN ANYWHERE • Expressive on-device narration with multiple voice styles • Automatic language detection and narration across 31 languages with Premium • Background and lock-screen playback with system media controls • Adjustable narration speed and generated-audio continuity • Teach LeafWave how to pronounce names and tricky words with Premium MARK UP AND SHARE • Add bookmarks and highlights • Attach comments to exact passages • Export annotated PDFs, embedded PDF annotations, or an editable LeafWave Review Package PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No LeafWave account, advertising, analytics, or tracking • Narration and document analysis happen on-device • Optional iCloud sync is off by default and uses your private iCloud account • Imported documents remain local unless you enable sync or share an export LeafWave includes a 14-day Premium trial. After the trial, visual reading, bookmarks, Apple system narration, two natural voice styles, five narration languages (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German), and a five-book library remain available. Premium unlocks all ten natural voice styles, all 31 narration languages, unlimited books, Teach LeafWave, highlights, comments, annotated exports, and optional iCloud sync. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled in App Store account settings. Lifetime Premium is a one-time purchase. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Linea Reader3 screens
LeafWave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: LeafWave at every 4 days against Linea Reader's every 4 weeks. LeafWave also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Linea Reader ships an update every 4 weeks, LeafWave every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Linea Reader versus LeafWave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLinea ReaderLeafWave
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB266 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperArach TchoupaniSamik Banerjee

In-app purchases

None

Linea Reader

No in-app purchases

None

LeafWave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Linea Reader free?
Linea Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LeafWave free?
LeafWave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Linea Reader or LeafWave have ads?
Neither Linea Reader nor LeafWave shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Linea Reader or LeafWave?
Linea Reader ships an update every 4 weeks, and LeafWave every 4 days. Most recently, Linea Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and LeafWave on October 7, 2026.

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