Comparison

MagicReader vs Guessbook

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

Head to head
About

MagicReader

Features
Read full description

Read without touching the screen. MagicReader is a hands-free reader for EPUB, PDF and comics: turn your head, wave a hand, wink, or just say "next page" — and the page turns. Or sit back and let a natural voice read to you. Whether your hands are busy, wet, full, or simply resting — or touching the screen is difficult for you — MagicReader keeps the story going. NEW: OPENS LIKE A REAL BOOK • Ready for iPhone Duo — unfold it and your book becomes a two-page spread, with the spine right on the fold • Landscape reading — two pages side by side on iPad and most iPhones, for EPUB, PDF and comics, including vertical Japanese books • Flip page turns — pages turn over like paper and follow your finger • Split View on iPad and iPhone Duo TOUCH-FREE READING • Head control — turn your head left or right to flip pages; look up to open or close a book • Wink control — wink your right eye to go forward, your left to go back (Face ID devices) • Hand control — a cursor follows your hand; close your hand to grab a book, swipe from the screen edge to flip • Voice control — say "next", "back", "open", "read aloud" and more, in English, Japanese, Spanish, French or German • A guided tour teaches every gesture with live practice NATURAL READ-ALOUD • Natural, expressive voices read your EPUB books aloud — in English and Japanese • The sentence being spoken is highlighted, and pages turn in step with the narration • English narration powered by Kokoro; Japanese voices powered by VOICEVOX (VOICEVOX:No.7, VOICEVOX:å››å›½ć‚ćŸć‚“, VOICEVOX:é’å±±é¾ę˜Ÿ, VOICEVOX Nemo) • Books in Spanish, French and German are read by your device's system voice for that language, with nothing to download • Natural voices are downloaded once, then work fully offline — all speech is generated on your device YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY • EPUB and PDF books, plus CBZ/CBR comics and manga • Beautiful animated bookshelf themes — drifting watercolour clouds, a starry cosmos, and story worlds that come alive behind special books • Japanese vertical text (ēø¦ę›øć) done right, with optional automatic furigana (ćµć‚ŠćŒćŖ) above kanji • Comfortable reading themes, adjustable fonts (including OpenDyslexic for dyslexia-friendly reading), and remembered positions THOUSANDS OF FREE CLASSICS • Browse and download public-domain classics from Project Gutenberg and Aozora Bunko (é’ē©ŗę–‡åŗ«) — from Alice in Wonderland to éŠ€ę²³é‰„é“ć®å¤œ — right inside the app PRIVATE BY DESIGN • The camera and microphone are used only to recognize your gestures and commands, entirely on your device • Nothing is recorded, nothing is uploaded, and there are no accounts, no ads, and no tracking — ever MagicReader began in 2012 as one of the first face-controlled book readers on the App Store. It has been rebuilt from the ground up for today's devices — same magic, new tricks. Reading is best when nothing comes between you and the story. Not even your hands.

About

Guessbook

Features
Read full description

Not sure what to read next? Ask Guessbook. Guessbook makes discovering books simple. Scan a book you already like, search for a title, or describe the kind of story you're looking for. Guessbook helps you find books that match your interests without requiring you to know exactly what to search for. Scan a Book See a book you're interested in? Use Guessbook to scan it and quickly learn more about it. From there, explore related and similar books. Find Similar Books Loved a book and want something like it? Guessbook can help you discover books with similar themes, genres, stories, and reading experiences. Start with one book and explore from there. Describe What You Want to Read You don't need to know a title or author. Just describe what you're looking for. For example: • "A short mystery set in a small town" • "Something like Harry Potter but darker" • "A science fiction book about first contact" • "A relaxing romance for vacation" • "A psychological thriller with a big twist" Guessbook turns your description into book recommendations that match what you want to read. Search Naturally Discover books by: • Scanning a book • Searching by title or author • Finding similar books • Describing a story or genre • Searching by mood or theme • Exploring recommendations Discover Your Next Book Instead of endlessly scrolling through book lists, tell Guessbook what you're interested in and start exploring. Scan. Describe. Discover. Your next book might be one search away.

Screenshots

MagicReader2 screens
Guessbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

MagicReader and Guessbook are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
MagicReader versus Guessbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagicReaderGuessbook
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLeo Rivas-MicoudMubarak AlSabah

In-app purchases

None

MagicReader

No in-app purchases

None

Guessbook

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

Other comparisons