Comparison

Auto vs Plain Reader

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

Head to head
About

Auto

Features
Read full description

Auto-Reader reads your books, PDFs, comics and manga aloud in a natural, on-device voice so you can "read" while your hands are busy driving, walking, at the gym, or commuting. Check-out the deep-voice number 10 ON YOUR APPLE WATCH • Play, pause and skip from your wrist, or pick a book from the Library — the phone can stay in your pocket, locked • Your music keeps playing softly under the voice; pausing the book pauses the music too • Raise your wrist for the time, the chapter and page — and, with Premium, every word as it is read • Sleep Check: a gentle "still listening?" before you drift off, and the book goes back to where you last answered WHY AUTO-READER • Hear any of your books while your hands are busy or commuting and utilize that time. By hearing book in most natural voice on-device. As our devices have gotten a lot smarter and faster. • Hands-free manga: it narrates panel by panel, in reading order, zooming as it goes • 31 languages, with on-device translation • Private by default — works offline, no account, your books never leave your phone • Lifelike text-to-speech that runs entirely on your device • Opens EPUB, PDF, comics (CBZ) and manga — no converting A LIBRARY TO START FROM — FREE AND BUILT IN Browse 200+ free classics and open-licensed books by shelf and add them in a tap — no account, no card. Every one narrates aloud. MADE FOR HOW YOU READ • Follow the highlighted line as it's read • Pick from real, distinct voices — male and female, per language • Adjust speed on the fly; instant page turns while listening • Snap a photo of a page and have it read back to you • Pick up exactly where you left off, across your whole library • Back up your library and restore it on another device Optional cloud AI features are available if you want them — the app is fully usable without any of them, and nothing is sent anywhere unless you turn them on and ask. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Ā· Privacy Policy: https://auto-reader.com/privacy

About

Plain Reader

Features
Read full description

Plain Reader opens your books, PDFs, comics and image folders right where they are — in Files, iCloud Drive, or on a USB drive or external SSD. No account, no import, no copies. READ, NOTHING ELSE • Menus stay hidden while you read. Tap the center to bring them back. • Pages fill the screen. Swipe, tap the sides, or drag the slider to jump anywhere. • Turn your iPhone or iPad sideways for two-page spreads, with the cover on its own. TXT AND EPUB • Choose the font, size, line spacing, margins and theme — pages reflow to fit. • Listen: books in 31 languages are read aloud by natural voices made on your device. • Table of contents, search and bookmarks. TXT text encoding is detected automatically. COMICS AND MANGA • Opens ZIP and CBZ archives without unpacking them — even ones with thousands of pages. • Right-to-left reading for manga. • A folder of images opens as one book. PDF • Sharp pages, search, table of contents, thumbnails and text selection. • Two-page spreads on wide screens. YOUR FILES STAY YOURS • Files are read in place and never uploaded anywhere. • Bookmarks and your reading position are kept for every book. • Works with iCloud Drive and external storage through the Files app. PLAIN READER PRO Plain Reader is free with a small banner ad. Watch one short video ad to read without banner ads for 2 hours, or to use Listen for 1 hour. Plain Reader Pro removes all ads and unlocks unlimited Listen. Choose a Monthly or Yearly subscription — Yearly starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers — or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Restore it on your iPhone and iPad with the same Apple Account. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://ourbeom.com/plainreader/terms Privacy Policy: https://ourbeom.com/plainreader/privacy

Screenshots

Auto4 screens
Plain Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Auto at none against Plain Reader's 4. Auto also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Plain Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

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. Plain Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Auto asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Auto ships an update every 2 weeks, Plain Reader every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 2 level
Auto versus Plain Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAutoPlain Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size142 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRakan Al-GhunaimOurBeom

In-app purchases

None

Auto

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Plain Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Plain Reader Pro (Monthly)$0.991 Month
  • Plain Reader Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time2
  • Plain Reader Pro$2.99
  • Plain Reader Pro (Lifetime)$12.99

Questions

Is Auto free?
Auto is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plain Reader free?
Plain Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Auto or Plain Reader have ads?
Plain Reader shows ads; Auto does not.
Which is updated more often, Auto or Plain Reader?
Auto ships an update every 2 weeks, and Plain Reader every 2 days. Most recently, Auto was updated on October 14, 2026 and Plain Reader on October 21, 2026.

Other comparisons