# Leanpub vs Readwise Books

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Readwise Books at 98% against Leanpub's 12%. Readwise Books also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Readwise Books holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29 and 144 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of Leanpub's written reviews are positive against 98% of Readwise Books's.

Leanpub ships an update every 6 weeks, Readwise Books every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Leanpub | Readwise Books |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leanpub/id913517110/reviews) | **[5.0 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-books/id6502848368/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 29 | **144** |
| Positive reviews | 12.0% of reviews | **97.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#181** |
| Size | 34 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Leanpub](https://appshunter.io/developer/913517113) | [Readwise, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476885527) |

## What reviewers say

### Leanpub

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leanpub/id913517110)

Access your entire ebook library on your mobile device. Discover new titles, take notes, and switch between reading modes. Authors can also write and publish their own books directly through the platform.

**Highlights:** Read Leanpub ebooks, Discover new ebooks, Sync notes across devices, Dark and Light Mode reading, Write and publish books, Read ebook samples

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Readwise Books

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-books/id6502848368)

**Currently charting:** #181 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

This reading app allows you to buy, read, and track all your books in one place. It automatically logs your reading sessions and provides detailed metrics to help you improve. Share your reading progress with friends in a low-pressure feed.

**Highlights:** Centralized book library, Automatic reading session logging, Detailed reading metrics, Print book tracking, Highlighting and note-taking, Optional social feed, EPUB audio playback

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Leanpub free?

Leanpub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Readwise Books free?

Readwise Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Leanpub or Readwise Books?

Readwise Books is rated higher. Leanpub averages 4.8 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Readwise Books averages 5.0 from 144 ratings.

### Do Leanpub or Readwise Books have ads?

Neither Leanpub nor Readwise Books shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Leanpub or Readwise Books?

Leanpub ships an update every 6 weeks, and Readwise Books every 3 days. Most recently, Leanpub was updated on November 6, 2026 and Readwise Books on November 5, 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.*