Which reading app does what? The feature matrix
This chart puts 20 reading apps side by side on the facts that decide most choices: the formats each one works with, the devices it runs on, its US App Store rating with the number of ratings, its age rating and how you pay. It is built from each app's App Store listing and the maker's own pages, checked 30 October 2026, with ratings, age ratings and the Thus Far plan rechecked on 2 November 2026. Use it to shortlist, then read the job page for the trade-offs.
By the Best Reading Apps editors · Published 30 October 2026 · Checked 30 October 2026 · Desk research
Formats and how you pay
"Print" means the app works alongside a paper book you own, for example by logging it or by finding your page from a photo. It does not mean the app contains the book.
| App | Ebook | Audio | How you pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle app | No | Yes | Audible narration | Buy per book; Kindle+ optional |
| Apple Books | No | Yes | Yes | Buy per book |
| Kobo | No | Yes | Yes | Buy per book; Kobo Plus optional |
| Libby | No | Yes | Yes | Free with a library card |
| Hoopla | No | Yes | Yes | Free with a library card |
| Sora | No | Yes | Yes | Free through your school |
| Audible | No | No | Yes | Membership |
| Libro.fm | No | No | Yes | Membership or per book |
| Everand | No | Yes | Yes | Subscription |
| Spotify | No | No | Yes | 15 hours a month on select plans |
| Speechify | Photo of a page | Documents | Text to speech | Free tier; Premium subscription |
| Magic Bookmark | Yes, photo or page number | Yes | Yes, last phrase heard | Per book; first free |
| The StoryGraph | Logs it | Logs it | Logs it | Free; Plus optional |
| Goodreads | Logs it | Logs it | Logs it | Free |
| Hardcover | Logs it | Logs it | Logs it | Free; Supporter optional |
| Bookly | Logs and times it | Logs and times it | Logs and times it | Free; Pro optional |
| Fable | Logs it | Logs it | Logs it | Free; Fable Plus optional |
| Thus Far | Photo of the page | Screenshot | Audible screenshot | Subscription; one-month free trial |
| Epic | No | Yes, kids' books | Yes | Family subscription |
| YOMU | Logs reading time | Logs reading time | Logs reading time | Free; rewards optional |
Devices, ratings and age ratings
Ratings are the US App Store average with the number of ratings in brackets. A small count means the average can move a lot with a few new reviews.
| App | Apple devices on its listing | Rating (count) | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle app | iPhone, iPad, Mac | 4.9 (5,883,423) | 13+ |
| Audible | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | 4.9 (5,621,887) | 13+ |
| Libby | iPhone, iPad | 4.9 (4,597,754) | 9+ |
| Hoopla | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | 4.8 (1,395,562) | 13+ |
| Goodreads | iPhone, iPad | 4.8 (761,236) | 13+ |
| Speechify | iPhone, iPad | 4.7 (527,814) | 4+ |
| Epic | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | 4.7 (519,337) | 4+ |
| Apple Books | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | 4.6 (131,473) | 13+ |
| Fable | iPhone, iPad | 4.8 (82,809) | 18+ |
| Bookly | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch | 4.6 (62,923) | 9+ |
| Libro.fm | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | 4.9 (41,108) | 13+ |
| Kobo | iPhone, iPad | 4.5 (27,657) | 16+ |
| Everand | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | 4.3 (27,475) | 18+ |
| The StoryGraph | iPhone, iPad | 4.5 (3,601) | 13+ |
| Sora | iPhone, iPad | 3.8 (625) | 4+ |
| YOMU | iPhone (Mac and Apple Vision also listed) | 4.7 (105) | 4+ |
| Hardcover | iPhone, iPad | 4.2 (66) | 13+ |
| Magic Bookmark | iPhone (Mac with Apple silicon listed, not verified for macOS) | 4.8 (25) | 13+ |
| Thus Far | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | 3.7 (6) | 13+ |
How to use the matrix
Start with the format column: if your book is on paper, only a few apps can help at all. Then check the device column against what you own. Finally, open the job page that matches what you want done; each one names a pick, runner-ups and the catch. Our checklist for choosing a reading app walks through the rest, and the price index lists every plan.
Questions
- Which reading apps work with paper books?
- Trackers such as The StoryGraph, Goodreads, Hardcover, Bookly and Fable log paper books. Magic Bookmark finds your page from a photo or page number for recaps, Thus Far saves your chapter from a photo, and Speechify can read a photographed page aloud.
- Which reading app has the highest rating?
- Several sit at 4.9 on the US App Store with very large counts: the Kindle app, Audible, Libby and Libro.fm. Ratings say little about whether an app does your job, so check the job page too.
- Which reading apps are iPhone only?
- Among the apps here, Magic Bookmark and YOMU list iPhone only on the App Store. Magic Bookmark's website says Android is on the roadmap.
Sources
- Apple App Store (US), Amazon Kindle: Reading App, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Apple Books, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Kobo Books & Audiobooks, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Libby, the library app, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Hoopla: Your Library Anywhere, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Sora, by OverDrive Education, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Libro.fm Audiobooks, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Everand: Audiobooks & Ebooks, read 2 November 2026.
- Spotify, Spotify Audiobooks (US), read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Speechify: Text to Speech PDF, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Magic Bookmark: Book Recaps, read 3 November 2026.
- Yomu Inc., Magic Bookmark website, read 27 October 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), StoryGraph: Reading Tracker, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Goodreads: Book Tracker & More, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Hardcover.app, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Bookly: Book Tracker, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Fable: Track & Discuss Books, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Thus Far: No-Spoiler Book Club, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Epic - Kids' Books & Reading, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), YOMU - Family Reading Habits, read 2 November 2026.