Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cool Reader VS justRead.app

Compare Cool Reader VS justRead.app and see what are their differences

Cool Reader logo Cool Reader

Fast and small cross-platform eBook reader for desktops and handheld devices

justRead.app logo justRead.app

A native iOS EPUB, PDF, and audiobook reader with Calibre sync, OPDS catalogs, automatic reading stats, and 200+ fonts.
  • Cool Reader Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-25
  • justRead.app Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-07-13

justRead is a native EPUB, PDF, and audiobook reader for iPhone and iPad, built with SwiftUI. 200+ built-in fonts plus custom font import, adjustable size, weight, spacing, and margins, smart dark mode, and 20-20-20 eye-strain reminders. Library handles 5,000+ books with instant search, series detection, tags, and saved filters. Syncs bidirectionally with a Calibre server (progress, ratings, highlights), or points at any folder in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive. Built-in OPDS support browses free books from Project Gutenberg, calibre-web, Kavita, Komga, and COPS. Automatic reading statistics track streaks, speed, and daily goals. Highlights export to Readwise or Markdown. Full VoiceOver accessibility, home/lock screen widgets, no account required. Free 14-day trial, then $2.99/month or $24.99/year. Not open source (this page's earlier auto-generated content describing a browser read-it-later extension referred to a different, unrelated product).

Cool Reader features and specs

  • Open Source
    Cool Reader is an open-source software, which means it is free to use and has the potential for community-driven improvements and customizations.
  • Format Support
    The software supports a wide range of eBook formats including EPUB, FB2, TXT, RTF, HTML, and MOBI, making it versatile for different reading needs.
  • Customization
    Cool Reader offers extensive customization options, allowing users to adjust font sizes, styles, line spacing, and backgrounds to suit their reading preferences.
  • Cross-Platform
    It is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Android, providing flexibility for users to read on different devices.
  • Lightweight and Fast
    The software is lightweight and optimized for performance, ensuring quick loading times and smooth operation even on older hardware.

Possible disadvantages of Cool Reader

  • User Interface
    The user interface may feel outdated compared to modern eBook readers, lacking some of the sleek and intuitive design elements.
  • Feature Set
    While it supports basic functionality, Cool Reader may not have some of the advanced features found in commercial eBook readers, such as integrated dictionaries or syncing across devices.
  • Technical Knowledge
    Being open-source, it might require a bit more technical knowledge to set up and configure compared to more polished, commercial products.
  • Limited Support
    Since it is a community-driven project, users might encounter limited official support and may have to rely on forums or community help for troubleshooting.
  • Updates
    The frequency and reliability of updates can be inconsistent, which might lead to compatibility issues with newer file formats or operating system versions.

justRead.app features and specs

  • Distraction-free reading
    JustRead strips away ads, pop-ups, and clutter from web articles, presenting content in a clean, minimal reading layout that helps users focus on the text.
  • Customizable reading experience
    Users can adjust fonts, text size, line spacing, background color, and themes to tailor the reading interface to their personal preferences and improve readability.
  • Cross-browser and cross-device support
    JustRead is available as an extension for multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.) and can sync across devices, allowing consistent reading experiences wherever you browse.
  • Built-in tools like TTS and translation
    The app includes extra features such as text-to-speech and translation support, making content more accessible to a wider range of users, including those with visual impairments or language barriers.
  • Lightweight and fast
    Since it focuses on stripping down web pages to their essential content, JustRead tends to load and render pages quickly without heavy scripts or media slowing things down.

Possible disadvantages of justRead.app

  • Limited to compatible content types
    JustRead's reader mode works best with article-style text pages; it may struggle with complex layouts, interactive content, or media-heavy sites, sometimes failing to extract content properly.
  • Dependency on browser extension permissions
    As a browser extension, it requires broad permissions to read and modify page content, which may raise privacy or security concerns for some users.
  • Feature limitations in free version
    Some advanced features, such as premium themes, extended TTS voices, or syncing capabilities, may be locked behind a paid tier, limiting full functionality for free users.
  • Occasional compatibility issues
    Browser updates or website structure changes can sometimes break the reader mode temporarily, requiring the extension to be updated to maintain proper functionality.
  • Learning curve for full feature set
    While the core reading mode is simple, some users may find the range of customization options and additional tools (like annotations or syncing) not immediately intuitive to discover or configure.

Analysis of justRead.app

Overall verdict

  • I don't have verified, up-to-date information about justRead.app to make a confident claim about its quality. Based on its name, it appears to be a read-it-later or reading-focused app, but I cannot confirm specific features, pricing, reliability, or user satisfaction without current data.

Why this product is good

  • Reading-focused apps typically aim to declutter articles and remove ads for a cleaner reading experience.
  • Such tools often support saving articles for offline access.
  • They may offer cross-device syncing if it has a companion browser extension or mobile app.
  • Many similar apps focus on speed and minimalistic design to reduce distractions.

Recommended for

  • Users looking for a lightweight read-it-later tool, pending direct verification of features and reviews.
  • People who prefer distraction-free reading interfaces.
  • Those who should check the app's official website, app store ratings, and recent user reviews before committing.
  • Users willing to test a free trial or free tier before subscribing, if available.

Cool Reader videos

Review Cool Reader

More videos:

  • Review - Cool Reader (by Vadim Lopatin) - book reading app for Android.
  • Review - Cool Reader - Лучшая читалка на Android ( Review)

justRead.app videos

No justRead.app videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cool Reader and justRead.app)
eBook Reader
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Ebooks
93 93%
7% 7
Books & Reference
84 84%
16% 16

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cool Reader seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cool Reader mentions (2)

  • Recommended E-reader? [more in comments]
    An Android tablet and the CoolReader app. For me, it's simply the best eReader experience available. It's incredibly customisable. The only downside is it doesn't support PDF or AZW3, both of which can be reformatted to your preferred file type with Calibre anyway. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • E-Reader for Windows 10
    Cool reader is also another option https://sourceforge.net/projects/crengine/. Source: over 5 years ago

justRead.app mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of justRead.app yet. Tracking of justRead.app recommendations started around Jul 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cool Reader and justRead.app, you can also consider the following products

FBReader - FBReader is an e-book reader for various platforms. Features:

Apple Books - The all-new Apple Books has been redesigned to make finding, reading, and listening to books a beautiful, effortless experience on iPhone and iPad.

Amazon Kindle - Amazon Kindle software lets you read ebooks on your Kindle, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and...

Marvin Classic - Marvin Classic is free to use the web and mobile application specially designed for ebook lovers who want to read, manage, and download new ebooks.

calibre - Ebook manager, viewer & converter

BookReader - FLOSS book reader with a simple UI.