Comparison

PocketBook Reader vs iRead

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

Head to head
About

PocketBook Reader

This app is a versatile reader supporting 26 book and audio formats, including EPUB, PDF, and audiobooks. It offers features like PDF reflow, text-to-speech, cloud synchronization, and extensive customization options for a comfortable reading experience.

Highlights
  • Supports 26 book and audio formats
  • PDF Reflow function
  • Text-to-speech engine
  • Cloud synchronization service
  • Customizable interface and reading settings
  • Adobe DRM support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

PocketBook Reader is a free app for reading all formats (books, magazines, textbooks, comic books, etc.) and listening to audiobooks! The application supports 26 book and audio formats, including mobi, epub, fb2, cbz, cbr. Read without ads and with total comfort! Choose any content - any format! • Support of 19 book formats, including the most popular - EPUB, FB2, MOBI, PDF, DJVU, DOCX, RTF, TXT, HTML; • Comic book formats CBR and CBZ; • Open books protected with Adobe DRM (PDF, EPUB); • PDF Reflow function (reflow text in PDF files). Listen to audiobooks! • You can listen to audiobooks and other audio files in MP3, M4B, and take notes in them; • Built-in TTS (Text-to-speech) engine for the voicing of the text files. Download and sync content easily! • Free PocketBook Cloud service for synchronizing all your books, including audiobooks, as well as reading positions, notes and bookmarks on all your devices; • Your files from Dropbox or Google Books services are easily connected to the app to create one consolidated library. You can even connect multiple accounts at the same time; • Support for OPDS catalogs - get access to network libraries; • ISBN scanner, for quick search of electronic versions of books by barcode; • Opportunity to borrow books and periodicals; • If you have a E Ink e-reader PocketBook, you can easily synchronize all your books and accounts just by scanning a QR code. Ready to switch from another app? No problem! Getting started with PocketBook Reader is easy! With an intuitive interface, the application provides you with unprecedented freedom – lots of options for settings and no restrictions. Choose, change, customize, and personalize! • Intuitive interface, easy navigation, and minimalistic design; • Opportunity to choose one of the seven interface color themes, reassign the buttons and display areas; • Two night-reading modes - for better reading comfort anytime; • Adjust the font style, font size, line spacing, and margin size; • Animation of turning pages; • Opportunity to crop margins – make the page look exactly the way you want. Get fast file access and easy search! • All files are quickly found and instantly opened, even with built-in audio and video fragments; • Your books will never be lost in the device’s memory - thanks to the smart search, scanning files on your tablet or smartphone is a matter of seconds. Any file or document can be found in a few clicks! • The app allows you to sort books, create collections, filter and mark files as you like. Your library - your rules; • Convenient managing of audio files - it is easy to sort and play your audiobooks. Make bookmarks, take notes, add comments! • You can quickly find all your notes and share them with friends via email or messengers; • Collect all your notes, bookmarks, and comments into separate files for even greater convenience. PocketBook Reader was created by avid readers for avid readers, and that’s why it’s probably the best e-book reader app.

About

iRead

A minimalist PDF reader offering a distraction-free reading experience with customizable fonts and themes. Easily import and navigate documents for study, work, or leisure.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free reading
  • Customizable font size
  • Light and dark modes
  • Intuitive page navigation
  • Effortless PDF import
Features
Read full description

iRead is a minimalist PDF reader built for focused, comfortable reading. Whether you study, review documents, or read long PDFs at night, iRead gives your files a cleaner and calmer reading experience so you can stay with the content. Why readers choose iRead: - Import PDF files directly from your iPhone or iPad - Read in a clean, distraction-free interface - Adjust font size for better comfort - Switch between light and dark mode - Move between pages quickly and keep your place - Open documents fast and continue where you left off iRead is made for people who want a lightweight PDF reader instead of a cluttered editor. If you need a simple document reader for study sessions, work files, or personal reading, iRead keeps the experience clean and focused. Terms of Use: https://oguzdoruk.com/iread-tou/ Privacy Policy: https://oguzdoruk.com/iread-privacy-policy/

Screenshots

PocketBook Reader4 screens
iRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PocketBook Reader at 4.5 against iRead's 3.0. PocketBook Reader also leads on ratings volume (10K vs 2) and chart position (#161 vs unranked). iRead's advantage is review sentiment (70% vs 55%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. PocketBook Reader sells 42 one-off in-app purchases and iRead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PocketBook Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PocketBook Reader has 10K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of PocketBook Reader's written reviews are positive against 70% of iRead's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketBook Reader ships an update every 2 months, iRead every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
PocketBook Reader versus iRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketBook ReaderiRead
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (10K ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#161 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size106 MB22 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperPocketbook International SAOguz Doruk

Customer experience

PocketBook Reader

All ratings9,831 ratings
Positive87.4%
Neutral3.9%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews1,350 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral11.6%
Negative33.9%

iRead

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

PocketBook Reader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Books disappearing from library after login issues
  • Inability to open DRM-protected PDFs
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
  • Text-to-speech voice quality issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to organize books into custom folders
  • Option to disable quick action zones
  • Improved text-to-speech controls (seek, pause, etc.)
  • Support for handwritten annotations with Apple Pencil
  • Faster page turning and scrolling

iRead

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

42 purchases

PocketBook Reader

One-time42
  • eBook3 variants$0.99
  • eBook (class A)$0.99
  • eBook2 variants$1.99
Show 39 more
  • eBook (class B)$1.99
  • eBook$2.95
  • eBook2 variants$2.99
  • eBook (class C)$2.99
  • eBook3 variants$3.99
  • eBook: type 4.79$3.99
  • eBook: type 4.19$3.99
  • eBook (class D)$3.99
  • eBook (class Alt5)$4.99
  • eBook: type 5.39$4.99
  • eBook (class F)$4.99
  • eBook: type 5.89$4.99
  • eBook$4.99
  • eBook: type 5.09$4.99
  • eBook (class G)$5.99
  • eBook2 variants$5.99
  • eBook: type 7.09$5.99
  • eBook: type 7.19$5.99
  • eBook: type 8.29$6.99
  • eBook: type 7.59$6.99
  • eBook3 variants$7.99
  • eBook: type 8.89$7.99
  • eBook (class J)$8.99
  • eBook$8.99
  • eBook: type 10.9$9.90
  • eBook$9.90
  • eBook3 variants$9.99
  • eBook (class L)$10.99
  • eBook: type 13.9$11.90
  • eBook$11.99
  • eBook: type 12.99$11.99
  • eBook$12.99
  • eBook (class N)$12.99
  • eBook (class O)$13.99
  • eBook: type 17.9$14.90
  • eBook$14.99
  • eBook (class R)$16.99
  • eBook (class T)$18.99
  • eBook (class W)$21.99
2 purchases

iRead

Subscriptions2
  • iRead Premium (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • iRead Premium (Annual)$9.991 Year

Questions

Is PocketBook Reader free?
PocketBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is iRead free?
iRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PocketBook Reader or iRead?
PocketBook Reader is rated higher. PocketBook Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while iRead averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do PocketBook Reader or iRead have ads?
Neither PocketBook Reader nor iRead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PocketBook Reader or iRead?
PocketBook Reader ships an update every 2 months, and iRead every 5 months. Most recently, PocketBook Reader was updated on October 27, 2026 and iRead on October 24, 2026.

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