# Старые Сказки vs ShortBook²

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Старые Сказки at 100% against ShortBook²'s 40%. Старые Сказки also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). ShortBook²'s advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

ShortBook² is free to download; Старые Сказки costs $0.99 up front. ShortBook² sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Старые Сказки asks for nothing beyond the download.

Старые Сказки ships an update every 7 months, ShortBook² every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Старые Сказки | ShortBook² |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[4.6 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortbook/id1499866684/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **13** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 39.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Paid** | Subscription |
| Size | 13 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Vladimir Bovykin](https://appshunter.io/developer/730982416) | [Jury Shortki](https://appshunter.io/developer/295094305) |

## What reviewers say

### Старые Сказки

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id919082062)

Explore a collection of 252 Russian folk tales from the 19th century, compiled by Afanasyev. This app offers customizable reading options like font size, background color, and text style, along with convenient navigation and reading progress saving.

**Highlights:** 252 Russian folk tales, Customizable font size and style, Background color options, Easy navigation, Reading progress saving, Includes scary tales and anecdotes

**In-app purchases:** none


### ShortBook²

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortbook/id1499866684)

This reader app offers a unique approach to text display on smaller screens, optimizing comfort and reducing eye strain. It allows extensive customization of text layout and includes decorative elements to enhance the reading experience. Supports FB2 format and provides reading statistics.

**Highlights:** Optimized text layout for small screens, Customizable text placement options, Decorative elements for atmosphere, FB2 format support (contents, footnotes, figures), Rich settings with dozens of parameters, Reading statistics and monitoring, Quick restart after breaks

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Старые Сказки free?

Старые Сказки costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ShortBook² free?

ShortBook² is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Старые Сказки or ShortBook² have ads?

Neither Старые Сказки nor ShortBook² shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Старые Сказки or ShortBook²?

Старые Сказки ships an update every 7 months, and ShortBook² every 2 months. Most recently, Старые Сказки was updated on September 20, 2026 and ShortBook² on September 30, 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.*