# TotalReader vs Books Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TotalReader at 69% against Books Reader's 38%. TotalReader also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (368 vs 22). Books Reader's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. TotalReader sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Books Reader sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Books Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TotalReader has 368 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of TotalReader's written reviews are positive against 38% of Books Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

TotalReader ships an update every 3 weeks, Books Reader every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TotalReader | Books Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (368 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/totalreader-epub-djvu-mobi-fb2-reader/id832489932/reviews) | **[4.7 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/books-reader-pocket-library/id1550557954/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **368** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | **69.0% of reviews** | 37.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 130 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LTD DevelSoftware](https://appshunter.io/developer/717594986) | [Villow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1550558286) |

## What reviewers say

### TotalReader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/totalreader-epub-djvu-mobi-fb2-reader/id832489932)

This app is a versatile reader supporting a vast array of book, document, comic, and source code formats. It offers advanced customization for reading comfort, cloud integration, and file management tools.

**Highlights:** Wide range of supported formats, Cloud and network service integration, Speech synthesizer, Customizable reading experience, File manager with Wi-Fi transfer, Online book catalogs (OPDS)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Thank the Developer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Appearance Customization | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pro Version | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great reader
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔍 Supports many file formats
- 💡 Integrates with cloud storage
- 📚 Excellent for reading books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💰 Expensive premium version
- 📢 Intrusive ads in free version
- 🔒 Lacks security/privacy features
- 🔧 Poor file management and organization

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Unable to open certain file formats
- Cloud storage integration not working
- Ads prevent smooth reading experience
- Purchased features not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Add more customization options
- Improve cloud storage integration
- Implement better file organization tools
- Provide better support for older devices
- Add text-to-speech and annotation features


### Books Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/books-reader-pocket-library/id1550557954)

This app provides a seamless e-reading experience, managing your ebook collection and offering customizable reading settings. It supports various formats and includes features like bookmarking, note-taking, and a read/unread tracker.

**Highlights:** Supports multiple ebook formats (epub, fb2, mobi, PDF), Manages and organizes ebook collections, Customizable text size, color, theme, and brightness, Progress tracking and bookmarking, Note-taking and excerpt selection, Read/unread book tracker, Filtering and search functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Regular donation | $1.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $3.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $5.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $9.99 | per month |
| Donation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $3.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $5.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $9.99 | one-time |
| Custom Fonts & Themes | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TotalReader free?

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

### Is Books Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, TotalReader or Books Reader?

Books Reader is rated higher. TotalReader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 368 ratings, while Books Reader averages 4.7 from 22 ratings.

### Do TotalReader or Books Reader have ads?

Neither TotalReader nor Books Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TotalReader or Books Reader?

TotalReader ships an update every 3 weeks, and Books Reader every 3 months. Most recently, TotalReader was updated on October 21, 2026 and Books Reader on October 10, 2026.

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