# Strophe vs Plain Reader

The clearest difference is ads: Strophe at none against Plain Reader's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Strophe sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Plain Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Strophe ships an update every 6 days, Plain Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Strophe | Plain Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strophe-ebook-text-to-speech/id6799581051/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 132 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tommy Bergeron](https://appshunter.io/developer/1117656823) | [OurBeom](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571312317) |

## What reviewers say

### Strophe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strophe-ebook-text-to-speech/id6799581051)

This app allows you to read ebooks and listen to them with natural-sounding text-to-speech. It supports EPUB, PDF, and web articles, with features like synchronized reading and listening, customizable playback, and offline capabilities. Organize your entire library and track your reading habits.

**Highlights:** Text-to-speech narration, EPUB and PDF support, Web article reading, Synchronized reading and listening, Customizable playback speed, Offline voice generation, Project Gutenberg integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Strophe Plus Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Strophe Plus Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Strophe Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |


### Plain Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-reader/id6818729882)

This app provides a distraction-free reading experience for various file formats including EPUB, TXT, PDF, and comics. It allows direct access to files from cloud storage or external drives without importing or creating copies, offering customizable reading settings and text-to-speech functionality.

**Highlights:** Read directly from Files, iCloud Drive, USB, Customizable text and theme settings, Text-to-speech in 31 languages, Supports ZIP and CBZ archives, Right-to-left reading for manga, PDF text selection and search, Distraction-free reading interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plain Reader Pro (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| Plain Reader Pro (Yearly) | $6.99 | per year |
| Plain Reader Pro | $2.99 | one-time |
| Plain Reader Pro (Lifetime) | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Strophe free?

Strophe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Plain Reader free?

Plain Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Strophe or Plain Reader have ads?

Plain Reader shows ads; Strophe does not.

### Which is updated more often, Strophe or Plain Reader?

Strophe ships an update every 6 days, and Plain Reader weekly. Most recently, Strophe was updated on November 6, 2026 and Plain Reader on November 10, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*