Lu Reader vs Hardcover
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lu Reader
This application offers a streamlined reading experience for various document and e-book formats, including EPUB and PDF. It features customizable reading settings, text-to-speech functionality, and smart library management. Users can back up their data to Google Drive.
- Supports EPUB, PDF, TXT, DOC, FB2, HWP, ZIP, CBZ
- 11 customizable color themes
- Adjustable font size, line spacing, and margins
- In-app brightness control
- Text-to-speech with adjustable speed
- Automatic table of contents generation
- Smart library with sorting and search
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Lu Reader is a fast, clean, all-in-one reader for your documents and e-books - with no clutter and no sign-up required. SUPPORTED FORMATS - Text and e-books: TXT, EPUB, PDF, FB2, DOC, DOCX, HWP, HWPX - Archives containing text files: ZIP, CBZ COMFORTABLE READING - 11 color themes (cream, sepia, mint, black, navy and more) - Fine-tune font size, line spacing and margins - In-app brightness control for reading in the dark - Keep-screen-on, screen rotation and immersive full-screen mode VOICE READING (TTS) - Listen to any text with the current sentence highlighted - Adjustable speed from 0.6x to 2.0x - Choose from voices installed on your device - Sleep timer to stop automatically AUTOMATIC TABLE OF CONTENTS - Builds a chapter list even for plain TXT files - Detects multilingual chapter patterns - Jumps to and highlights the current chapter SMART LIBRARY - Add files from the Files app or the in-app file browser - Reading progress percentage and progress bar - Sort by name, date or progress, and search by filename - Bookmark your position; select a word for dictionary and translation - Auto-scroll and in-text search BACKUP & RESTORE - Safely back up your books, reading positions, bookmarks and settings to your own Google Drive - Restore everything on a new device Lu Reader keeps the focus on reading. Download it and enjoy your library, your way.
Hardcover
Manage your personal comic and ebook library locally on your device. Organize titles into collections, track reading progress, and enjoy seamless navigation between chapters. Supports various file formats and offers offline reading for authorized content.
- Local-first library management
- Organize titles into collections
- Continuous vertical and paged reading
- Seamless chapter navigation
- CBZ, PDF, EPUB import
- Offline reading support
- Reading history and bookmarks
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Hardcover - Reader is a private, local-first reader built for a library you control. Import supported comic and ebook files, organize titles into collections, and continue reading across long chapters. Download authorized material for offline reading where supported. The app starts with no content catalog or repository. Advanced users may manually connect a compatible HTTPS repository they choose. Before installing a plug-in, the app displays its developer, content rating, and requested network hosts. Repositories are never bundled, recommended, or installed automatically. Automatic updates for already-installed extensions can be managed in Settings; updates requesting new permissions require review. Features include: • A fast library with collections, search, sorting, and unread counts • Continuous vertical and paged comic reading, with pinch and double-tap zoom • A dedicated text-novel reader with adjustable typography and spacing • Passage highlights and notes • Foreground read-aloud with adjustable speed and a sleep timer • Previous- and next-chapter navigation and Continue Reading • Save titles and choose collections directly from the reader • CBZ, PDF, DRM-free comic and text EPUB, and supported backup import • Manual backup and restore • Optional iCloud Sync for your library, collections, reading progress, history, highlights, and notes • Source troubleshooting with manual checks and preview-first diagnostic sharing • Optional app lock and Spotlight integration • A one-time Remove Ads purchase No Hardcover account is required. Your library is stored locally unless you choose to enable iCloud Sync, which uses your private iCloud database and requires the same Apple Account on your devices. Downloaded chapters, imported files, extension code, and logins do not sync. Only import or access material you own or are authorized to use.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lu Reader at none against Hardcover's 1. Lu Reader also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Hardcover sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Lu Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
Lu Reader ships an update every 4 days, Hardcover every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 7, 2026.
| Parameter | Lu Reader | Hardcover |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | sanghun jeong | Steas Software |
Customer experience
Lu Reader
Hardcover
In-app purchases
Lu Reader
No in-app purchases
Hardcover
- Remove Ads$4.99








