Comparison

Tingwen Reader vs PillowBook Reader

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

Head to head
About

Tingwen Reader

Import your own e-books in various formats and have them read aloud with customizable AI voices. Enjoy background playback and synchronized reading/listening progress for a personalized audio-book experience.

Highlights
  • Import various e-book formats (TXT, PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3)
  • Customizable AI voices with emotional tones
  • Synchronized reading and listening progress
  • Background and lock screen playback
  • Local data processing for privacy
  • Free daily advanced model usage
Features
Read full description

[Multi-Format Import·Free Upload] Supports TXT, PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3 and more. One-tap upload turns your personal collection into audiobooks—listen anytime, anywhere! [Subscribe·Unlock All Benefits] Get instant access to all high-quality emotional voices and richer reading styles. Flexible monthly plan (¥9.9/mo), cost-effective quarterly (¥27/quarter), or best-value yearly (¥99/yr)—less than ¥0.30 per day for year-round warm companionship! Tingwen Reader is a local reading tool designed for long-form text reading and listening. Import your own e-books, flip pages while reading, or let the app read aloud continuously. Key Features: Local Import: Supports common e-book and text formats, with content saved locally by default. Synced Progress: Listening updates your reading progress automatically; start listening right from where you left off in reading. Local AI Reading: Choose between Balanced and High-Quality modes, or switch to a power-saving basic model. Custom Voices: Record or import voice samples to create your own local timbre. Background & Lock-Screen Playback: Perfect for commutes, bedtime, and extended reading sessions. Daily Free Usage: Non-subscribers get 30 minutes of advanced model use per day, after which the basic model remains available. Share a book to earn 30 bonus minutes; subscribers enjoy unlimited advanced model time. Tingwen Reader prioritizes local processing and content privacy. Your book texts, reading progress, and custom voice samples stay on your device—no ad tracking, no cloud sync. First-time use requires a one-time online device authorization, but no book content or voice recordings are uploaded. 【Auto-Renewal Subscription Details】 Plans: Monthly (1 mo), Quarterly (3 mo), Yearly (12 mo) auto-renewing subscriptions. Pricing: ¥9.9/mo, ¥27/quarter, ¥99/yr. Auto-Renewal: Your iTunes account will be charged within 24 hours before each renewal date. To cancel, manually turn off auto-renewal in iPhone/iPad "Settings" > "Apple ID" > "Subscriptions" at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://tingwen.kevincai.space/privacy

About

PillowBook Reader

A local-first TXT and EPUB reader designed for comfortable, personalized reading. Enjoy a clean interface, customizable reading settings, and text-to-speech functionality without ads or account requirements. Manage your personal library offline.

Highlights
  • Customizable reading interface
  • Adjustable font, spacing, and themes
  • Horizontal/vertical text support
  • Multiple page-turning options
  • System text-to-speech integration
  • Offline library management
  • Import via Files or Wi-Fi sharing
Features
Read full description

Read your own books, quietly and comfortably PillowBook is a local-first reader for TXT and EPUB, designed to make long reading sessions feel calm and personal. No account is required, there are no ads, and you don’t need to upload your books to the developer’s servers. Your books, reading position, bookmarks, and reading history are stored on your device by default, so you can keep reading offline. MAKE IT YOUR READING SPACE • Enjoy a clean, comfortable interface that keeps the focus on your books • Choose light, dark, or system appearance, change accent colors, and pick an app icon to match your mood • Select a reading palette, adjust page brightness, or use your own image as the reading background • Fine-tune fonts, text size, character spacing, line spacing, paragraph spacing, and margins READ YOUR WAY • Switch between horizontal and vertical text • Turn pages, scroll continuously, use a lifelike page curl, or let pages advance automatically • Thoughtful multilingual typesetting with support for ruby text, footnotes, and EPUB images • Enjoy two-page reading in landscape on iPad, like an open book LISTEN WHEN YOUR EYES NEED A BREAK • Read aloud with system voices on iPhone and iPad • Voices already downloaded to your device can work offline • Choose a voice, adjust the speed, and set a sleep timer • Listening stays in sync with the text, so you return to the same place KEEP YOUR LIBRARY YOURS • Import TXT and EPUB from Files, the share sheet, or a browser on the same Wi-Fi • Automatically detect common text encodings and chapter structure • Track reading progress and time, add bookmarks, and search entire books • Favorite or archive books; protect the Vault entrance with Face ID or your device passcode • Multilingual interface support PillowBook does not provide or sell ebooks, and it does not support DRM-protected EPUB files. Please import only files you have the right to use. The free version can store up to five books in the library. If you need more, a one-time purchase unlocks Unlimited Library. No subscription.

Screenshots

Tingwen Reader4 screens
PillowBook Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

Tingwen Reader and PillowBook Reader are too close to call on the numbers: across 7 compared parameters — price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Tingwen Reader versus PillowBook Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTingwen ReaderPillowBook Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size351 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer蕾 王HAO GONG

Customer experience

Tingwen Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

PillowBook Reader

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tingwen Reader

No in-app purchases

None

PillowBook Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tingwen Reader free?
Tingwen Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PillowBook Reader free?
PillowBook Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tingwen Reader or PillowBook Reader have ads?
Neither Tingwen Reader nor PillowBook Reader shows ads.

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