The Pigeonhole vs Readtide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Pigeonhole
Discover a curated mobile library of serialised books with engaging social features and multimedia extras. Read in bite-sized installments, discuss with a global community or private groups, and delve deeper with exclusive content.
- Handpicked mobile library
- Serialised book format
- Social discussion features
- Multimedia extras
- Private group reading
- Exclusive titles
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Welcome to The Pigeonhole, the book club in your pocket. Download the app to enjoy a handpicked, mobile library of serialised books with great social features and multimedia extras. Read with our global community or in private groups. EXCLUSIVE TITLES: Exclusive books from top publishers EASY READING: Read in bite-sized instalments DISCUSS: Discuss with our community or your private group VIDEOS AND AUDIO: Extras in the margins take you deeper into the book You can sample all of our books for free. Get started today. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT US “Hurrah for The Pigeonhole” The Telegraph “Now, after a century of neglect, the art of the cliffhanger is experiencing a revival” The Times “This is a seriously brilliant idea” The Good Web Guide Have a question or simply want to say hello? Email help@thepigeonhole.com
Readtide
Immerse yourself in reading with this ad-free app. It offers customizable reading experiences, including dynamic themes, note-taking, and vocabulary building. Track your reading habits and visualize your literary journey.
- Import EPUBs and public domain classics
- Customizable typeface and size
- Focus Mode for distraction-free reading
- Dynamic 'Tide' themes for ambient lighting
- Highlighting and vocabulary definition
- Note-taking and quote sharing
- Reading Constellations for theme correlation
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Readtide is a reading app designed by a reader. An app that focuses on the rhythm of reading. No ads, no trackers, no privacy issues. No stress. Just you and the story, the way reading is meant to be. READ Import your own EPUBs, or browse thousands of free public domain classics from inside the Readtide app. Your books stay on your device, and they stay yours. Choose your typeface and size. Turn on Focus Mode when you want nothing between you and the page. Turn the phone sideways and the words follow, without losing your place. Full screen reading enabled which means more real estate for the words. FOUR TIDES Readtide moves with your day. High Tide at sunrise, Noon Tide at midday, Low Tide at dusk, Night Tide after dark. The light is always right for the hour you're reading in. KEEP WHAT MATTERS Highlight a line and it's saved. Tap a word you don't know and the definition comes to you, then stays in your vocabulary list. Tide Notes hold your note taking and "a-ha" moments. Quote Cards turn any passage into something shareable. SEE YOURSELF READING Rate a book and describe how it felt with moods and tropes. Then open Reading Constellations: every book you finish becomes a star, and lines form where themes correlate and echo across your reading. READTIDE SHORE Readtide is free for everyone, and the public domain classics stay free forever, for everyone. Readtide OCEAN paid features: - Reading Constellations - Unlimited notes and marginalia - Book ratings, moods and tropes - Book report cards and shareable quote cards - Next Tide, your reading queue - Currents, your reading stats - All four Tide themes - E-ink mode One-time purchase. Yours forever. NO NOISE No ads. No feed. No one watching what you read. Just you, the book, and the tide. Find your current.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Readtide at 5.0 against The Pigeonhole's 4.0. Readtide also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 66%). The Pigeonhole's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. The Pigeonhole sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Readtide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Readtide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of The Pigeonhole's written reviews are positive against 100% of Readtide's.
| Parameter | The Pigeonhole | Readtide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | The Pigeonhole | Readtide, LLC |
Customer experience
The Pigeonhole
Readtide
In-app purchases
The Pigeonhole
- Moby DickFree
- Turn of the ScrewFree
- Great ExpectationsFree
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- The Art of WarFree
- Letters on LoveFree
- MiddlemarchFree
- Little WomenFree
- Twelve Years a SlaveFree
- The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesFree
- EnglishFree
- Hot MotherFree
- The Great GatsbyFree
- All the Missing Girls$2.99
Readtide
- Ocean$19.99









