Comparison

Actually Read vs Brevier

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

Head to head
About

Actually Read

Enhance your reading experience by tracking books, blocking distractions, and engaging with content through AI-powered summaries and passage retrieval. Import your own EPUBs and PDFs, or discover public-domain books within a customizable reading environment.

Highlights
  • Book tracking and reading lists
  • Deep Focus app and website blocking
  • EPUB and PDF import
  • AI-powered book engagement
  • On-device AI processing
  • Customizable reading space
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Actually Read helps you track your books, protect your reading time, and actually read—whether you’re reading an EPUB, a PDF, or a physical book. • Focus on the book you chose. Start a reading session, set a timer, and use Deep Focus to block the apps, categories, and websites you choose with Screen Time. • See your reading add up. Track books and focus sessions, create custom reading lists, review your reading history, and return to a calm, customizable reading space built around your current book. • Read your way. Import EPUBs and PDFs, discover free public-domain books, search within books, save bookmarks, highlight passages, and pick up where you left off. • Ask better questions with grounded AI. Actually Read uses retrieval-based AI to help you engage with a book, not replace it with an AI digest. Ask about a theme, scene, or passage, get a Story So Far recap, or request a chapter summary when you’re ready. • Stay grounded in the text. Actually Read retrieves relevant passages from your book and uses them as context for each answer. Responses prioritize cited supporting passages you can open directly in the reader and can respect your reading progress to help avoid spoilers. • Keep your content close. Book indexing, embeddings, and retrieval happen on-device. On devices with Apple Intelligence enabled, on-device AI can answer questions without sending your questions or book content to the cloud. • Choose Advanced AI when you want it. Only your question and the relevant excerpts retrieved to answer it are sent to the cloud—never the full book. Actually Read is for reading with more attention, more context, and fewer distractions. Some features require compatible hardware, Apple Intelligence, Screen Time permission, or an internet connection. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Brevier

Features
Read full description

Brevier is a reader for the DRM-free EPUB, PDF, and plain-text books you already have. Highlight, take notes, and with Brevier Premium, ask about any passage and get answers that cite your book. Reading • Pages or continuous scrolling, with page curl on iPhone and iPad • Fonts, text size, spacing, margins, justified text, and themes, including dark • Search inside a book, follow its contents and links, and read footnotes without leaving the page • Bookmark a page and return to it • PDFs keep their own pages, with highlights, notes, search, and Explain • Opens where you left off on each of your devices, and Handoff continues the book you're reading Highlights and Notes • Highlight in five colors or underline, and attach a note • See every highlight and note in one searchable list • Export a book's notes as Markdown, or share a quote as an image Explain (Brevier Premium) • Select a passage and choose Explain for its meaning, context, and background • Explain a page, a chapter, or the whole book, and ask follow-up questions • Answers cite passages from your book, so you can check them • Avoid Spoilers leaves out later chapters until you choose otherwise • Catch Up recaps the story so far Explain asks before it sends anything and uses a third-party AI service in the cloud. Explanations may contain mistakes. Reading Goals • A daily goal, a streak, and the books you finish this year • An optional evening reminder on days you haven't met your goal Your books, notes, and reading positions stay on your device and sync through your own iCloud account. No account, no ads, no tracking. Brevier opens DRM-free EPUB, PDF, and plain-text files. Books protected by DRM, such as most ebook store purchases, and PDFs locked with a password can't be opened. Brevier Premium is an auto-renewable subscription, billed monthly or yearly. Payment is charged to your Apple Account, and the subscription renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://hksw.io/privacy/#brevier

Screenshots

Actually Read4 screens
Brevier4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: Actually Read at #93 against Brevier's unranked. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Actually Read sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month and Brevier sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Actually Read ships an update every 2 days, Brevier every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
Actually Read versus Brevier: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActually ReadBrevier
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (47 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings47 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#93 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.2 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPrism32 LLCHK Softworks AB

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Actually Read

Subscriptions1
  • Actually Read Plus3 Days trial$9.991 Month
2 purchases

Brevier

Subscriptions2
  • Brevier Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Brevier Premium Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Actually Read free?
Actually Read is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brevier free?
Brevier is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Actually Read or Brevier have ads?
Neither Actually Read nor Brevier shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Actually Read or Brevier?
Actually Read ships an update every 2 days, and Brevier every 3 days. Most recently, Actually Read was updated on November 1, 2026 and Brevier on October 29, 2026.

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