Comparison

MapleRead SE vs Inkwell

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

Head to head
About

MapleRead SE

This app offers a unique audio-visual reading experience for EPUB and PDF files. It allows for extensive customization of book styles, instant audiobook generation, and immersive reading that syncs audio and text. It also functions as an effective library management tool with cross-device syncing.

Highlights
  • Audio-visual reading experience
  • EPUB and PDF reader
  • Pseudo audiobook generation
  • Immersion reading (audio/text sync)
  • Library management and organization
  • Cross-device syncing
  • User-defined customization
Currently charting
Read full description

MapleRead is dedicated to enable unique audio-visual reading experience for everyone. ------------ Our MapleRead app family has 3 members, namely SE, CE and CX. - SE is our flagship product with all features. - CE is SE without PDF reader and built-in Library Server. - CX is CE with some limitation. Free to try. - No recurring subscription fees. No ads. Just buy it once. Gratuity optional. - Moreover, SE and CE can be run side-by-side via split-view multitasking. - Recommend SE for use on multiple devices with easy and fast book sharing via Library Server. - Recommend the SE-CE bundle for the best value. ------------ MapleRead includes a superb audio-visual EPUB e-book reader. - It lets you easily modify publisher's original book style to better suit your aesthetic taste. - It lets you instantly generate pseudo audiobooks with a choice of narrator voices over 40 languages. - It enables immersion reading so that you may read and listen to the same book in sync. - Background listening works well too. Compatible with Lock Screen Music Player and CarPlay. MapleRead UI is friendly to users of all ages. - Books can be read in regular and large print. - A choice of UI text sizes makes reading in non-book views much more comfortable. MapleRead is a great learning tool. - It lets you look up words, translate sentences, search text, highlight text and write notes. - It helps you collect vocabulary and organize notes with various priorities. - It provides hooks to user-defined dictionaries, translators, and other tools. - Immersion reading improves your comprehension, especially of foreign-language books. MapleRead is an effective and fast library management tool. - It is designed for you, a book lover, who may own a huge and/or growing book collection. - It lets you keep all your books in one place and well-organized automatically. - It lets you display your books elegantly in style. - It lets you easily repair individual book metadata. - If supports multiple book sets and multiple tags. - It offers multiple ways to import and export books, and works well with Calibre. MapleRead supports secure sync across devices via MapleRead Cloud and iCloud. - It syncs reading positions, notes, vocab, bookmarks, and book set membership (but not the books). - It syncs reading positions additionally via iCloud for even better user experience. - It enables web access to synced data via web browsers from desktop and mobile devices. MapleRead offers unprecedented user-defined customization options. - They include unlimited user-defined fonts, book themes, cover images and library scenes. - Each book theme includes various types of user-defined highlight colors. - Each book can have its own theme, and each EPUB book can have its own style. MapleRead SE includes also a great PDF e-book reader. - The PDF reader looks very similar to the EPUB reader for a sense of unified UI. MapleRead SE has a zero-configuration Library Server for easy book sharing. - All books in Library can be shared. - Smart batch download makes transferring of multiple books very convenient. [For more technical details, screenshots, FAQ and reviews, please visit our website.]

About

Inkwell

This free ebook reader offers a highly customizable reading experience with adjustable fonts, colors, and spacing. It seamlessly integrates translation and dictionary lookup, allowing you to import your own EPUB files and enjoy a personalized literary journey.

Highlights
  • Customizable fonts, sizes, and colors
  • Adjustable margins and paragraph spacing
  • Integrated iOS Translation and Dictionary
  • Intuitive design with smooth animations
  • Fast ebook loading
  • Import your own EPUB files
Features
Read full description

Discover Inkwell, the ultimate free ebook reader designed for customizable reading experiences. Immerse yourself in popular books with personalized settings for fonts, sizes, and colors. Inkwell is completely free, ensuring an exceptional reading experience without hidden costs. Features: • Open source and completely free, no locked features or in-app purchases • Highly customizable reading experience with adjustable font styles, sizes, and colors • Fine-tune margins, paragraph spacing, and explore captivating color options • Seamlessly integrated iOS Translation and Dictionary Look Up features for enhanced exploration and understanding • Intuitive design for easy navigation and smooth, beautiful animations • Fast ebook loading, eliminating waiting times and allowing you to dive into the story instantly • Bundled with four timeless masterpieces from Project Gutenberg • Import your own .epub files to curate a collection that matters to you Download Inkwell now and embark on a personalized literary journey like never before. Rediscover the joy of reading!

Screenshots

MapleRead SE4 screens
Inkwell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Inkwell at Free against MapleRead SE's $8.99. Inkwell also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). MapleRead SE's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (131 vs 9). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support 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

Inkwell is free to download; MapleRead SE costs $8.99 up front. MapleRead SE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Inkwell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MapleRead SE holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MapleRead SE has 131 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of MapleRead SE's written reviews are positive against 67% of Inkwell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapleRead SE ships an update every 6 weeks, Inkwell every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
MapleRead SE versus Inkwell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapleRead SEInkwell
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (131 ratings) — better3.9 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings131 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#58 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB13 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMaplepop LLCDimitrie Milinovich

Customer experience

MapleRead SE

All ratings131 ratings
Positive77.9%
Neutral8.4%
Negative13.7%
Written reviews168 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral14.3%
Negative17.3%

Inkwell

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

MapleRead SE

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues, especially on iOS 14
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
  • Unreliable OPDS server integration and book downloads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Automatic reading progress sync across devices
  • Improved PDF handling and annotation support
  • Expanded highlighting and note-taking capabilities
  • Streamlined library import and management
  • Cleaner and more intuitive user interface

Inkwell

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

MapleRead SE

One-time3
  • Gratuity Level 1$0.99
  • Gratuity Level 2$1.99
  • Gratuity Level 5$4.99
None

Inkwell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MapleRead SE free?
MapleRead SE costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Inkwell free?
Inkwell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MapleRead SE or Inkwell?
MapleRead SE is rated higher. MapleRead SE averages 4.2 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while Inkwell averages 3.9 from 9 ratings.
Do MapleRead SE or Inkwell have ads?
Neither MapleRead SE nor Inkwell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MapleRead SE or Inkwell?
MapleRead SE ships an update every 6 weeks, and Inkwell every 4 weeks. Most recently, MapleRead SE was updated on October 15, 2026 and Inkwell on October 9, 2026.

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