FBReader vs Readest

FBReader is an ebook reader for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It opens formats including ePub, fb2, mobi, HTML, RTF, and plain text, as well as ePub books protected with Readium LCP. Its Book Network can synchronize collections, reading positions, bookmarks, and custom shelves across supported devices. Books in the network are stored in the user's Google Drive space, while metadata, covers, and reading positions are stored on FBReader servers.

Online OPDS book catalogues are supported on Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux; iOS support is planned. Android Premium adds PDF and comics support, Google and DeepL translation integration, and automatic reading aloud. The free iOS version is limited to ten books and disables online translators. FBReader offers free plans for desktop, Android, and iOS; Android Premium is $14.99 as a one-time purchase. The company says its current code is closed source.

Readest is an ebook reader for EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, FB2, CBZ and TXT files, with additional listed support for ZIP and Markdown. Readers can highlight, bookmark, take notes and search across their ebook library. Parallel Read presents two books together with synchronized scrolling and navigation. The app can translate passages, look up words in Wiktionary or Wikipedia, and read books aloud using on-device, browser or cloud text-to-speech. It connects to OPDS catalogs and calibre libraries, and can export highlights to Readwise or Hardcover. Readest runs on the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and supports screen readers and offline reading. The software is open source under AGPL-3.0. Ebooks, notes, highlights and bookmarks are stored locally by default; optional third-party cloud sync requires a paid plan. The free plan includes 500 MB of cloud storage, and paid plans start at $4.99/mo.