Comparison

ChatBooks vs カクヨムViewer

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

Head to head
About

ChatBooks

Experience Japanese literary masterpieces as if their authors were alive today, posting their works on a social media timeline. Over 400 classic and modern works are available for unlimited reading, allowing you to follow favorite authors and share passages.

Highlights
  • Literary giants post works like social media
  • Over 400 masterpieces available
  • Unlimited reading of classics and modern literature
  • Follow favorite authors
  • Save and share favorite passages
  • Customizable timeline
Features
Read full description

◆ Natsume Soseki and Dazai Osamu are still tweeting today. 160 literary giants post entire works,one at a time,like a social media timeline. Enjoy reading masterpieces of Japanese literature during your commute or breaks. ◆ Over 400 masterpieces available for unlimited reading Includes masterpieces from Aozora Bunko,from classics to modern literature. Enjoy short stories and novels at your own pace. ◆ Follow your favorite literary giants Follow your favorite authors to customize your timeline. Save and share your favorite passages with likes and shares. ◆ What if those literary giants were alive today? Natsume Soseki,Dazai Osamu,Akutagawa Ryunosuke,Miyazawa Kenji— Those masterpieces arrive a little bit every day.

About

カクヨムViewer

This app provides access to a vast collection of web novels and light novels, including original works and fanfiction. Users can customize their reading experience with adjustable backgrounds and fonts, and enjoy offline reading. It also offers a subscription service for exclusive new titles.

Highlights
  • Browse novels by genre
  • Follow favorite novels
  • Offline reading support
  • Customizable reader settings
  • Notifications for new chapters
  • Support original and fanfiction works
Features
Read full description

登録会員数120万人以上!KADOKAWAが運営するWeb小説サイト「カクヨム」の公式ビューワーアプリです。 カクヨムではKADOKAWAから出版する作品をはじめ、様々な小説が基本無料で読めます。まずはダウンロードして、あなたのお気に入り小説を見つけてください! ● アプリの特徴 カクヨムアプリは読みやすさを考えて作りました。 - ジャンルごとにスワイプ動作でサクサク小説を探せます - フォロー機能でお気に入りの小説をいつでも読めます - フォローした作品の新着情報を通知で受け取れます - ビューワーの背景色やフォントを変更できるのでお気に入りのスタイルで小説を楽しめます - 一度開けばオフラインでも読めます - ルビにも対応 - 縦スクロールでさくさく読め、次のエピソードへ進むときにページをめくる動作でスムーズに移動できます - 履歴機能でこれまで閲覧した小説に簡単に戻ることができます - お気に入りの小説はおすすめレビューをアプリから投稿できます - 気に入った作品を「応援」する機能があり、「コメント」もつけられます ● こんな人におすすめ - 小説がすき - 物語を読むのがすき - 通学で電車に長時間乗る - 通信制限で動画アプリがつかえない ● こんな小説が読めます! オリジナル作品ジャンル 異世界ファンタジー、現代ファンタジー、SF、ホラー、現代ドラマ、 恋愛、ラブコメ、ミステリー、歴史・時代・伝奇、エッセイ・ノンフィクション、 創作論・評論、詩・童話・その他 ●KADOKAWAの新作タイトルをどこよりも先に読めます! ラノベ最前線のプロ編集者たちが、「いまイチオシ!」と太鼓判を押す小説ばかりを集めた月額制の読書サブスクリプションサービス「カクヨムネクスト」。 掲載されているのは、ここでしか読めない独占配信作品のみ。 書店に並ぶ前に、いちはやく人気作家の最新作を先取りできます。 ● 人気ラノベ・ゲームの二次創作作品も読めます! 二次創作許諾作品: オーバーロード この素晴らしい世界に祝福を! 冴えない彼女の育てかた 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 ゼロの使い魔 フルメタル・パニック! 幼女戦記 ほか多数! タイトルは随時追加予定です  ● カクヨム公式X https://x.com/kaku_yomu ● カクヨム https://kakuyomu.jp

Screenshots

ChatBooks4 screens
カクヨムViewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: カクヨムViewer at Free against ChatBooks's $4.99. カクヨムViewer also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 27 months) and review sentiment (16% vs 0%). ChatBooks's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

カクヨムViewer is free to download; ChatBooks costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChatBooks ships an update every 27 months, カクヨムViewer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ChatBooks versus カクヨムViewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChatBooksカクヨムViewer
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating—4.7 (50 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews16.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—50 — better
Update frequencyEvery 27 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB53 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperKOJI HARAKADOKAWA CORPORATION

Customer experience

ChatBooks

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

カクヨムViewer

All ratings49 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive16.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative72.0%

In-app purchases

None

ChatBooks

No in-app purchases

None

カクヨムViewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ChatBooks free?
ChatBooks costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is カクヨムViewer free?
カクヨムViewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ChatBooks or カクヨムViewer have ads?
カクヨムViewer shows ads; ChatBooks does not.
Which is updated more often, ChatBooks or カクヨムViewer?
ChatBooks ships an update every 27 months, and カクヨムViewer fortnightly. Most recently, ChatBooks was updated on November 4, 2026 and カクヨムViewer on November 2, 2026.

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