Comparison

Must Read vs The Ardent Reader

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

Head to head
About

Must Read

Track your reading progress, time sessions with live activities, and discover new books. Access a vast library of classic eBooks and audiobooks with PRO. Organize your library with custom lists and detailed reading statistics.

Highlights
  • Track reading progress
  • Live Activity reading timer
  • Detailed reading statistics
  • Access to 74,000+ classic eBooks
  • Access to 18,000+ audiobooks
  • Customizable reading lists
  • Book discovery and recommendations
Features
Read full description

Must Read is the book tracker that works without internet. Track your reading, time your sessions with Live Activity, import your own EPUBs, and explore 56,000+ classic eBooks & 16,000+ audiobooks. Build a reading habit, conquer your TBR pile, or discover your next favorite book. Your library stays on your device, syncs when you want, and never shares your data. TRACK YOUR BOOKS - Add books instantly with barcode scanner or search - Organize by status: Want to Read, Reading, Completed, DNF - Track pages read and reading progress - Write personal notes and reviews - Rate books with quarter-star precision - Import from Goodreads, StoryGraph or Must Read 2 (with dates, ratings and reviews) IMPORT YOUR OWN EPUBS - Bring your own EPUB files into your library - Import from Files, AirDrop or other apps - Cover art and metadata extracted automatically - Works without an account WIDGETS - Currently Reading widgets in every size, Small to Extra Large - Streak widget: your flame, this week's reading days, today's pages - Lock Screen widgets - Choose which books your widgets show, and in what order - Search and Scan buttons right on the widget READING TIMER & LIVE ACTIVITY - Start a timer when you sit down to read - Track reading speed and pages per session - See your timer on the Lock Screen with Live Activity - Build reading streaks and daily goals - On Apple Watch too: time reading from your wrist and log pages with the crown - Free: timer on 1 book · Pro: all books READING REMINDERS - Set a daily reading schedule to build your habit - Customize times for each day of the week READING STATS - Your Reading DNA: your reader archetype, favorite time of day, top genres and reading pace - Books read this year and all-time - Pages, hours and average reading speed - Reading Calendar with daily covers and streaks - Yearly reading goal with weekly progress DISCOVER BOOKS - Similar Books on every page, drawn from shared authors and genres - Browse 27 book genres - Tap genre and author chips on any book to explore - Curated reading lists for your country - Find books with your camera via Visual Intelligence (on iPhones with Apple Intelligence) - Search millions of titles by name, author or ISBN CLASSICS LIBRARY - 56,000+ public domain eBooks from Project Gutenberg - 16,000+ audiobooks from LibriVox - Built-in EPUB reader with customizable fonts, themes and bookmarks - Available in 15+ languages - Free: 1 eBook + 1 audiobook · Pro: full library CUSTOM LISTS - Create personal reading lists - Add regular books and classics together - Free: 1 list · Pro: unlimited SIRI & SHORTCUTS - Ask what you're reading, your top-rated books or your reading stats - Add, finish and rate books by voice - Works with Siri and the Shortcuts app SHARE YOUR READING - My Bookshelf: share your library as a wooden bookcase image - Share cards for any book in 3 themes: Colorful, Minimal, Dark - Share deep links to any book OFFLINE-FIRST - Your library is always available, even without internet - Data syncs automatically when you're back online FIND & BUY BOOKS - Links to Bookshop.org, Amazon, Apple Books and more - Support independent bookstores with every purchase --- Must Read Pro unlocks unlimited books, reading timer on all books, unlimited lists and the full classics library. - Monthly: $4.99/month - Yearly: $29.99/year (7-day free trial) - Lifetime: $79.99 (one-time purchase) - Family Sharing supported Free: 10 books, 1 custom list, timer on 1 book, 1 classic eBook, 1 audiobook, reading reminders, full search and explore. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://mustreadapp.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://mustreadapp.com/terms

About

The Ardent Reader

Features
Read full description

You keep track of your morning runs, the cities you have visited, places to shop and maybe even the various beers you have tried. So why not keep track of the books you read as well? The Ardent Reader is a handy companion for all avid readers, who would like to keep track of which books they have read, when they read them and where. Using Google Books' extensive database you can easily register a book's information by scanning the barcode or supplying the ISBN manually. Mark the book as one you have read or a title you would like to read later; save location and add you notes. You can use the map function to check where in the world you read your books or sort your readings in order to se when you read a book or how many you read last year.

Screenshots

Must Read4 screens
The Ardent Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Ardent Reader at none against Must Read's 3. The Ardent Reader also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Must Read's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 months). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Must Read sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. The Ardent Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Must Read ships an update every 4 days, The Ardent Reader every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and August 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Must Read versus The Ardent Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMust ReadThe Ardent Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStanislav RastvorovJonatan Yde

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Must Read

Subscriptions2
  • Must Read Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Must Read Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Must Read Pro Lifetime$79.99
None

The Ardent Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Must Read free?
Must Read is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Ardent Reader free?
The Ardent Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Must Read or The Ardent Reader have ads?
Neither Must Read nor The Ardent Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Must Read or The Ardent Reader?
Must Read ships an update every 4 days, and The Ardent Reader every 4 months. Most recently, Must Read was updated on September 15, 2026 and The Ardent Reader on August 4, 2026.

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