MapleRead SE vs Inkwell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.]
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | MapleRead SE | Inkwell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (131 ratings) — better | 3.9 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.5% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 131 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #58 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Maplepop LLC | Dimitrie Milinovich |
Customer experience
MapleRead SE
Inkwell
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
MapleRead SE
- Gratuity Level 1$0.99
- Gratuity Level 2$1.99
- Gratuity Level 5$4.99
Inkwell
No in-app purchases









