Comparison

MapleRead CE vs plappa

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

Head to head
About

MapleRead CE

This app offers an immersive EPUB reading experience with customizable audio-visual features. It allows users to personalize book styles, generate audiobooks, and sync progress across devices. It also functions as a powerful library management tool for organizing and accessing your book collection.

Highlights
  • Customizable EPUB reader
  • Pseudo audiobook generation
  • Immersion reading (sync audio/text)
  • Library management and organization
  • Cross-device sync
  • User-defined customization options
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. [For more technical details, screenshots, FAQ and reviews, please visit our website.]

About

plappa

This app is a client for self-hosted media servers like Jellyfin and AudioBookShelf, designed specifically for playing audiobooks. It supports common audio formats, reads metadata, and allows for offline listening with optional in-app purchases for advanced features.

Highlights
  • Jellyfin, Emby, AudioBookShelf client
  • Supports common audio formats
  • Saves and syncs playback states
  • Reads audiobook metadata
  • Offline listening (via IAP)
  • Podcast and collection support (AudioBookShelf)
Features
Read full description

Disclaimer: plappa only works in connection with a Jellyfin or AudioBookShelf media server! plappa is an audiobook player/client for Jellyfin, Emby and AudioBookShelf, the popular self-hosted media server. Features: - Support for most common audio formats - Purpose built for audiobooks - Save and sync playback states via iCloud or your AudioBookShelf server - Reads metadata like author, narrator and others - Download audiobooks and podcast episodes for offline listening* - Support for podcasts, collections and series with AudioBookShelf * plappa allows you to unlock additional features like downloads and customization options through optional in-app purchases: You can choose between a one-time purchase or an auto-renewing subscription (1 month free trial included). The one-time purchase unlocks all current and future updates. With the subscription, all features are available for the duration of your subscription. Both the subscription and one-time purchase can be shared with your family. plappa is licensed under the Apple standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MapleRead CE4 screens
plappa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: plappa at Free against MapleRead CE's $6.99. plappa also leads on ratings volume (331 vs 13) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

plappa is free to download; MapleRead CE costs $6.99 up front. MapleRead CE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and plappa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

plappa holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: plappa has 331 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of MapleRead CE's written reviews are positive against 87% of plappa's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapleRead CE ships an update every 6 weeks, plappa every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MapleRead CE versus plappa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapleRead CEplappa
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (13 ratings)4.7 (331 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews86.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13331 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB34 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMaplepop LLCLeo Wehrfritz

Customer experience

MapleRead CE

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative7.1%

plappa

All ratings331 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews289 reviews
Positive86.5%
Neutral6.2%
Negative7.3%

Bugs and requests

MapleRead CE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

plappa

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Can't login Audiobookshelf
  • Podcasts library not listing all podcasts

Requested features

9 requests
  • Auto download when start playing book
  • Auto delete when finished book
  • Option to add multiple servers
  • More sorting and filtering options in the library section
  • Refresh button for libraries
Show 4 more
  • Easy way to change server address without logging out
  • Sync the unplayed/unlistened flags with AudiobookShelf
  • Shortcut to bookmarks from within the player
  • Slider for fine-tuned control of playback speed

In-app purchases

3 purchases

MapleRead CE

One-time3
  • Small Gratuity$0.99
  • Gratuity Level 2$1.99
  • Gratuity Level 5$4.99
2 purchases

plappa

Subscriptions1
  • Subscription (1 Year)1 Month trial$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Full Version (Lifetime)$4.99

Questions

Is MapleRead CE free?
MapleRead CE costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is plappa free?
plappa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MapleRead CE or plappa?
plappa is rated higher. MapleRead CE averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while plappa averages 4.7 from 331 ratings.
Do MapleRead CE or plappa have ads?
Neither MapleRead CE nor plappa shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MapleRead CE or plappa?
MapleRead CE ships an update every 6 weeks, and plappa every 5 weeks. Most recently, MapleRead CE was updated on October 8, 2026 and plappa on October 12, 2026.

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