iOS eReader App Suggestions (ePub, mobi, PDF) TiReader, Yomu, KyBook, etc?

varaonaid · 03-25-2019, 05:33 PM

Hello,

I am a recent convert to iOS and use my iPad Pro now for everything. One of the few things I’ve yet to settle into is an eReader app. I use a Calibre server hosted on our Linux home media box so I’d like the ability to be able to access that. I’d also like support of ePub, mobi, & PDF at a minimum (possibly the mobi related azw3), as well as ability to sync reading location across iOS devices. Need cloud integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, etc) and integration from free services like Project Gutenberg would be a bonus.

I’ve downloaded and tried about 15 different apps thus far, and I’m trying not to have to purchase the pro/paid version of all of them just to try out. I have no problems whatsoever paying for the app that will handle all my reading. I’m just trying not to pay for 5 or 6 of them as funds aren’t that abundant.

Hence my question here. From what I’ve narrowed down, it seems like TiReader, Yomu, and possibly KyBook or KyBook 3 might do these but I wondered a) if anyone has used any of these and what you think of them and b) what the difference is in KyBook & KyBook 3. Of course, any other suggestions are welcome. I might even consider an ePub and PDF only reader (leaving Calibre to convert all my Amazon Kindle purchases over the years to ePub, if you feel like the conversion is solid enough at this point to be fairly indistinguishable from the original format...I know this isn’t the case for converting PDF and I still have too many of these to not have it supported).

Thanks so much in advance! I look forward to hearing your thoughts and learning more from this amazing community.

(PS I did read the thread about some iOS apps but when I looked them up, they didn’t appear to support the different formats.)

Lparsons21 · 03-25-2019, 05:40 PM

Apple’s Books app supports both ePub and pdf. Don’t know if it still works with Calibre though.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

nimapourkarimi · 03-25-2019, 09:27 PM

I've used Apple Books, Marvin, Mapleread, Kybook, Kybook2 & Kybook3. In epub rendering
department none of them beat Apple Books with Mapleread being a close second, but regarding the ease of adding books, library management, multiple cloud services and formats support none of them come close to Kybook 3, it's being actively developed and a plugin for syncing Kybook3 with calibre is on its way by "karl1c", one of mobileread users.

kyteflyer · 03-26-2019, 01:14 AM

Might be worth having a look at Pocketbook Reader. Its not bad. Connects to Calibre, syncs with Dropbox, very configurable.

maximus83 · 03-26-2019, 12:51 PM

OK I haven't even gotten my first iOS device yet--the Mini is on the way--but Kybook 3 looks like my app. I read the description on the App Store page, and they had me at....

• Draw annotations in any ebook (Apple Pencil support and just by touching).

• Annotations exports in Markdown, HTML, PDF, RTF formats.

Wow, why don't we have a reader app like this in Android?

downeaster59 · 03-26-2019, 05:18 PM

I have used Apple Books and Mapleread, and each has its strengths.

After reading this thread, I checked out Kybook 3 and it looks impressive!

Still, if you're willing to consider an app just for PDF, check out GoodReader!

karl1c · 03-30-2019, 11:13 AM

Another vote for KyBook 3. :-)

KyBook, KyBook 2, & KyBook 3 are all by the same author. KyBook & KyBook 2 are being phased out, so I'd start with KyBook 3 if I were you.

I'm currently working on a plugin for Calibre to sync to KyBook 3. It should be available shortly.

maximus83 · 03-30-2019, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karl1c

Another vote for KyBook 3. :-)

KyBook, KyBook 2, & KyBook 3 are all by the same author. KyBook & KyBook 2 are being phased out, so I'd start with KyBook 3 if I were you.

I'm currently working on a plugin for Calibre to sync to KyBook 3. It should be available shortly.

Any hope of an Android port? Dang we need this on Android.

karl1c · 04-01-2019, 05:02 PM

Plugin now available https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...94#post3826694

nimapourkarimi · 04-01-2019, 05:04 PM

Thank you so very much karl1c.

JesseTheK · 04-02-2019, 03:15 PM

I think I've tried every ebook reader available on iOS.

KyBook3 is a very capable program. It's continually updated. It offers the most control over my reading display--I can highlight and copy everywhere. For epubs/mobis, I can set the fonts I want, create "styles" for reading (so apply-with-one-click small font for poetry vs. larger for prose). It reads every format I've ever seen. It supports iOS 6.0 and later. It does a lovely job pulling files from any cloud service (except iCloud, but I think that's iCloud's fault), as well as offering a built-in web browser.

The only drawback for me is development and dev discussion is on GitHub. I've never received a response to an email, and I don't speak GitHub. KyBook3's developer is clearly a coder first, and Kolyvan's replies to GitHub messages are often argumentative.

Nonetheless, I've happily been throwing money at Kolyvan every 6 months because I appreciate what's there now.

Sidor · 04-03-2019, 02:46 PM

Hi, guys!
you have mentioned a lot of apps to use but is there any all-purpose one?

kyteflyer · 04-03-2019, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sidor

Hi, guys!
you have mentioned a lot of apps to use but is there any all-purpose one?

Kybook and Pocketbook are probably closest. Many will also praise Mapleread. I don't use one app for everything, because each has its own value.

epub: Hyphen reader
Mobi: Kindle
PDF: Goodreader

I dont read any other formats, so...

HarryT · 04-03-2019, 05:19 PM

Get GoodReader for PDF. Nothing else even approaches it. You really don’t need to read every format with a single app. Use the best tool for each task.

MapleRead is good for ePub.

leebase · 04-05-2019, 11:37 AM

Stanza! No...RIP. Marvin was the first app to remove my longing for Stanza. I tried Mapleread but can't remember why I didn't pick it. Haven't re-evaluated my choice in some time. Will have to check out Kybook 3.

I second the notion of Good Reader for pdf's. Been the best since the beginning.

I actually like the Apple Book app but do not buy my books from the Apple store. So most of my reading is via the Kindle app. Not my favorite app, but the one connected to the book source I use most. Great syncing across devices AND platforms. I can pick up on my Kindle Fire Tab from where I was reading on my iPhone/iPad.

For cross platform with Android I've been using FBReader. It's not "as good" but it's more than good enough for my purposes. I would load data into my mom's Kindle Fire Tab using the cloud and FBReader.

03-25-2019, 05:33 PM	#1
varaonaid Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 97490 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Win 10 PC, Android Smartphone & Tablet, Considering my first e-ink	iOS eReader App Suggestions (ePub, mobi, PDF) TiReader, Yomu, KyBook, etc? Hello, I am a recent convert to iOS and use my iPad Pro now for everything. One of the few things I’ve yet to settle into is an eReader app. I use a Calibre server hosted on our Linux home media box so I’d like the ability to be able to access that. I’d also like support of ePub, mobi, & PDF at a minimum (possibly the mobi related azw3), as well as ability to sync reading location across iOS devices. Need cloud integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, etc) and integration from free services like Project Gutenberg would be a bonus. I’ve downloaded and tried about 15 different apps thus far, and I’m trying not to have to purchase the pro/paid version of all of them just to try out. I have no problems whatsoever paying for the app that will handle all my reading. I’m just trying not to pay for 5 or 6 of them as funds aren’t that abundant. Hence my question here. From what I’ve narrowed down, it seems like TiReader, Yomu, and possibly KyBook or KyBook 3 might do these but I wondered a) if anyone has used any of these and what you think of them and b) what the difference is in KyBook & KyBook 3. Of course, any other suggestions are welcome. I might even consider an ePub and PDF only reader (leaving Calibre to convert all my Amazon Kindle purchases over the years to ePub, if you feel like the conversion is solid enough at this point to be fairly indistinguishable from the original format...I know this isn’t the case for converting PDF and I still have too many of these to not have it supported). Thanks so much in advance! I look forward to hearing your thoughts and learning more from this amazing community. (PS I did read the thread about some iOS apps but when I looked them up, they didn’t appear to support the different formats.)

03-25-2019, 09:27 PM	#3
nimapourkarimi Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 13922 Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Tehran, Iran Device: iPad mini 3, Kindle PW2	I've used Apple Books, Marvin, Mapleread, Kybook, Kybook2 & Kybook3. In epub rendering department none of them beat Apple Books with Mapleread being a close second, but regarding the ease of adding books, library management, multiple cloud services and formats support none of them come close to Kybook 3, it's being actively developed and a plugin for syncing Kybook3 with calibre is on its way by "karl1c", one of mobileread users. Last edited by nimapourkarimi; 03-25-2019 at 09:36 PM.

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03-25-2019, 05:40 PM	#2
Lparsons21 Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 4321046 Join Date: Nov 2018 Device: iPad mini 4	Apple’s Books app supports both ePub and pdf. Don’t know if it still works with Calibre though. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

03-26-2019, 01:14 AM	#4
kyteflyer Wizard Posts: 1,844 Karma: 9547754 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Newcastle, Australia Device: iPhone 12 Mini	Might be worth having a look at Pocketbook Reader. Its not bad. Connects to Calibre, syncs with Dropbox, very configurable.

03-26-2019, 12:51 PM	#5
maximus83 Nameless Being	OK I haven't even gotten my first iOS device yet--the Mini is on the way--but Kybook 3 looks like my app. I read the description on the App Store page, and they had me at.... • Draw annotations in any ebook (Apple Pencil support and just by touching). • Annotations exports in Markdown, HTML, PDF, RTF formats. Wow, why don't we have a reader app like this in Android?

03-26-2019, 05:18 PM	#6
downeaster59 Wizard Posts: 1,237 Karma: 2957301 Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Rochester, NY Device: Boox Go 10.3, Boox Leaf 2	I have used Apple Books and Mapleread, and each has its strengths. After reading this thread, I checked out Kybook 3 and it looks impressive! Still, if you're willing to consider an app just for PDF, check out GoodReader!

03-30-2019, 11:13 AM	#7
karl1c Connoisseur Posts: 56 Karma: 15570 Join Date: Jul 2017 Device: iPad	Another vote for KyBook 3. :-) KyBook, KyBook 2, & KyBook 3 are all by the same author. KyBook & KyBook 2 are being phased out, so I'd start with KyBook 3 if I were you. I'm currently working on a plugin for Calibre to sync to KyBook 3. It should be available shortly.

04-01-2019, 05:02 PM	#9
karl1c Connoisseur Posts: 56 Karma: 15570 Join Date: Jul 2017 Device: iPad	Plugin now available https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...94#post3826694

04-01-2019, 05:04 PM	#10
nimapourkarimi Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 13922 Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Tehran, Iran Device: iPad mini 3, Kindle PW2	Thank you so very much karl1c.

04-02-2019, 03:15 PM	#11
JesseTheK Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Wisconsin USA Device: iPad mini 4 + KyBook3, Macbook Pro & Calibre	I think I've tried every ebook reader available on iOS. KyBook3 is a very capable program. It's continually updated. It offers the most control over my reading display--I can highlight and copy everywhere. For epubs/mobis, I can set the fonts I want, create "styles" for reading (so apply-with-one-click small font for poetry vs. larger for prose). It reads every format I've ever seen. It supports iOS 6.0 and later. It does a lovely job pulling files from any cloud service (except iCloud, but I think that's iCloud's fault), as well as offering a built-in web browser. The only drawback for me is development and dev discussion is on GitHub. I've never received a response to an email, and I don't speak GitHub. KyBook3's developer is clearly a coder first, and Kolyvan's replies to GitHub messages are often argumentative. Nonetheless, I've happily been throwing money at Kolyvan every 6 months because I appreciate what's there now.

04-03-2019, 02:46 PM	#12
Sidor Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Ukraine Device: none	Hi, guys! you have mentioned a lot of apps to use but is there any all-purpose one?

04-03-2019, 05:19 PM	#14
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Get GoodReader for PDF. Nothing else even approaches it. You really don’t need to read every format with a single app. Use the best tool for each task. MapleRead is good for ePub.

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04-05-2019, 11:37 AM	#15
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,952 Karma: 26738313 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	Stanza! No...RIP. Marvin was the first app to remove my longing for Stanza. I tried Mapleread but can't remember why I didn't pick it. Haven't re-evaluated my choice in some time. Will have to check out Kybook 3. I second the notion of Good Reader for pdf's. Been the best since the beginning. I actually like the Apple Book app but do not buy my books from the Apple store. So most of my reading is via the Kindle app. Not my favorite app, but the one connected to the book source I use most. Great syncing across devices AND platforms. I can pick up on my Kindle Fire Tab from where I was reading on my iPhone/iPad. For cross platform with Android I've been using FBReader. It's not "as good" but it's more than good enough for my purposes. I would load data into my mom's Kindle Fire Tab using the cloud and FBReader.