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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

iReader-Story vs GoodNovel

iReader-Story 4.8★ · Free + IAP · ⚠ stale 65
Winner GoodNovel
GoodNovel 4.5★ · Free + IAP 70

Both iReader-Story and GoodNovel offer engaging stories, but GoodNovel has a slight edge due to its larger content library and more varied pricing options, despite both apps facing significant user complaints about high costs and technical issues.

Full reviews: iReader-Story · GoodNovel

iReader-Story and GoodNovel are both free-to-read apps with in-app purchases for unlocking chapters, featuring a wide range of romance and drama stories. While both apps are criticized for their high costs and coin systems, GoodNovel appears to offer a broader selection of books and slightly more flexible payment models, though it also suffers from similar technical and pricing complaints.

Head to head

Content Quality and Variety edge: GoodNovelR2R4R12R17
iReader-Story iReader-Story users praise the app for its 'great books' and 'talented authors,' finding 'good love story or scandal' options and 'different genres to read' R2R17. However, some note that stories can be 'poorly written and unedited' and 'repetitive' R4R12.
GoodNovel GoodNovel is highly praised for its 'great stories' and 'amazing books,' with users getting 'hooked' on the narratives . Users appreciate the variety, with one mentioning finding 'every book you want' .
Cost and Value tieR4R9R11R13
iReader-Story iReader-Story is widely criticized for being 'way too expensive' and 'not worth it in the long run' R4R11R13R15. Users feel they pay more than for professionally edited books, with some chapters costing a significant amount of coins R4R13R15. The 'weekly unlimited subscription for 9.99' is also reported to still require additional purchases R9.
GoodNovel GoodNovel also faces strong criticism for its high costs, with users stating it's 'way too much money' and 'absurd' R76. Some users spent '$80 on a book' and couldn't finish it, while others estimate costs of '$100 a month' or '$40 a month' for VIP subscriptions that don't cover all books . Many feel cheated by the 'false ads' claiming free content R72R76.
User Experience and Reliability tieR1R6R7R14
iReader-Story Users report significant issues with iReader-Story, including inability to log in or out, leading to lost accounts, books, and purchased coins R1R7. Some find it 'confusing' R14 and difficult to navigate out of books R6. There are also complaints about unfinished books and chapters stopping updates after purchases R28. A technical issue prevents changing font colors in night mode .
GoodNovel GoodNovel users experience severe reliability problems, with many unable to log into their accounts after years of reading, losing access to purchased novels and progress . A '4-week glitch' has made the app unusable for some . Users also report issues with subscriptions not cancelling easily and books disappearing .
Free-to-Play Mechanics tieR3R4R5R8
iReader-Story iReader-Story offers ways to earn free coins through watching ads, daily check-ins, and tasks, but users find these insufficient to read entire stories R3R4R5R8. Many reviews mention a controversial practice of offering coins for 5-star ratings, which users feel inflates the app's overall rating R4R5R12R14.
GoodNovel GoodNovel also uses a coin system and offers 'free coins daily' . However, users are frustrated by the short chapter lengths (around 3 pages) followed by lengthy ads (1 minute) to unlock the next, making it a time-consuming and tedious process to read for free . Many feel the 'free' aspect is misleading and that the app quickly pushes users to pay R72R76.
Customer Support tieR1R7R28R45
iReader-Story iReader-Story users report extreme difficulty contacting support, with no clear way to get help for lost accounts, purchases, or bugs R1R7R28R45. Feedback attempts often go unanswered or unresolved.
GoodNovel GoodNovel users also struggle with support, noting 'no actual login support other than reporting “bugs”' when locked out of accounts . There are complaints about being unable to cancel subscriptions through standard methods, implying a lack of clear support channels .
Pick iReader-Story if

You prioritize finding a good love story or scandal and appreciate the page-turn animation, and you are willing to navigate a potentially confusing interface and high costs .

Pick GoodNovel if

You are looking for a vast library of engaging stories across various genres and are prepared to deal with high costs, frequent ads, and potential technical glitches .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of 5-star reviews that explicitly state they were given for free coins or vouchers, which likely inflates their lifetime ratings. This free-vs-paid asymmetry is particularly pronounced in the cost and value dimension, where free-tier users express frustration with limitations and ads, while paid users often complain about the exorbitant cost of finishing books.

Frequently asked

Are iReader-Story and GoodNovel truly free?
No, while both apps are free to download and offer some initial free content, users quickly encounter paywalls requiring in-app purchases of coins or subscriptions to unlock chapters and finish books R3R5R72R76.
How expensive are books on iReader-Story and GoodNovel?
Books on both apps are considered very expensive, with users reporting spending '$30 to $50 a book' on iReader-Story and up to '$80 on a book' or '$100 a month' on GoodNovel, often exceeding the cost of professionally edited books R4R13R15R26.
Do these apps have good customer support?
No, users of both iReader-Story and GoodNovel report significant difficulties contacting customer support, with issues like lost accounts, purchases, and subscription cancellations often going unresolved R1R7R28R45.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 110 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] iReader-Story 5/5 · US Love: Lots of great books
  2. [R4] iReader-Story 1/5 · US Way to expensive: First of all this app asks people to give a 5 star rating to get extra coins (could be wrong, but isn’t this against Apples rules? Faking reviews?). Secondly it is way too expensive. You’ll end up paying more for a poorly written and unedited story than you would for a professionally edited best selling book. Sure you can earn some free coins but not near enough to read an entire
  3. [R12] iReader-Story 3/5 · US Don’t do it: Most of the higher reviews are fake because you earn credits for them. This is an EXPENSIVE way to read a book that is not beta’d and gets repetitive. Find another way.
  4. [R17] iReader-Story 5/5 · US Good books: Found some great writers on this app. Good way to pass the day, and great books.
  5. [R9] iReader-Story 3/5 · US Great books: I love the books on this app, but I find the purchase options aren’t that great. I personally purchased the weekly unlimited subscription for 9.99. I’ve gotten to the point it is making me purchase more i coins or I vouchers, which I don’t understand as I paid for the weekly unlimited subscription. This app needs to go to the same payment model as it’s sister app NovelWorld. Never had
  6. [R11] iReader-Story 5/5 · US Good but costly: I am enjoying the book I got this app to read however it is really expensive. Way more that a regular book you would purchase.
  7. [R13] iReader-Story 2/5 · US Not Worth It In the Long Run: Though I found the app to be well designed, easy to use, and stable, the way it is run on the business side leaves much to be desired. With most e-book on the market running at +/- $5 USD, the cost of most I have seen in iReader run 5 time that or more. In the long term, this limited the number of books that can be enjoyed by the readers.
  8. [R1] iReader-Story 1/5 · US Cannot Log In/Log Out: I ended up with 2 accounts (one on my phone and one on my tablet). I wanted to add the app to my tablet and log in with the same info as my phone but now the account from my phone is gone along with the books and coins I’ve already purchased. Currently I cannot find any way to contact any type of support. Wry frustrating!
  9. [R6] iReader-Story 3/5 · US Great App: Love this app. It’s easy reading BUT it’s hard to get out of the books to do you daily check ins. I hope they fix this flaw!!
  10. [R7] iReader-Story 1/5 · US Lost purchases: I got a new phone and lost everything I previously purchased. I have tried leaving feedback and it still does not work.
  11. [R14] iReader-Story 5/5 · US Must leave for coins: It’s sad I have to leave a 5 star review just for coins.. I highly dislike this app compared to others. It is confusing.. and the chapters are crazy expensive & cost a lot of coins. There is not many ways to earn free coins like other apps. So far.. I wouldn’t have even given this 2 stars..
  12. [R3] iReader-Story 3/5 · US Good stories..: Love the stories….just wish it didn’t cost cost much to unlock chapters. It discourages readers who are looking for good books to read for free. I won’t spend money and end up leaving stories half read bc I don’t have time to watch ads for coins, then sit and read. I’d rather read free fan fiction online, or go to the library it’s free and you get the whole book to read at your lei
  13. [R5] iReader-Story 5/5 · US Not free- You have to buy coins or earn daily to read: High rating may not truly reflect the app. If you leave a review, you get bonus coins to be able to read more chapters. Like most apps, I’m sure it goes quickly especially if you’re like me and read a chapter quickly. I feel these apps shouldn’t make you buy coins to read, or at least give a few chapters at a time with the coins earned and all
  14. [R8] iReader-Story 5/5 · US Reading: I enjoy reading and just watching the videos and doing task if it means me not spending money to earn coins to read I do it even if I do pay for coins I don’t mind every once in a while.
  15. [R28] iReader-Story 1/5 · US No place in the app to get help or complain: I really got into a book on here that was very interesting and well written and labeled “complete.” My bookshelf indicated that I was 96% or more done with this story so I was looking forward to finishing it and seeing how it ended. Instead of an ending that wrapped up loose ends and gave some type of closure, the final chapter was a modified repeat of
  16. [R45] iReader-Story 5/5 · US Help!: Trying to contact support or someone to help recover a purchase I didn’t receive
  17. [R72] GoodNovel 2/5 · US Not worth it: Paid for parts of the chapter when got to the ending offered no coins to finish the book. Claim to be free only after money
  18. [R76] GoodNovel 2/5 · US Good Novel? Not good enough to have to pay: False ads, not free. I refuse to pay more money for this than I’d pay on Amazon. No story is good enough to spend time and money on. Don’t even read story in ad - just click bait to suck you in and take your money. I tried something like this before and they kept adding chapters and never resolved anything. Not sure why so many people gave this shining r
  19. [R15] iReader-Story 3/5 · US These books cost more than a trip across the country: What is wrong with y’all? Then the bribery of choose 5 stars to get some points that’s only a 1/3 of what it takes to read a chapter. This app is definitely horrible if you’re love for reading sends you into a frenzy of reading chapter after chapter because it does have some really interesting content but the expense is not worth it for me. I’l
  20. [R26] iReader-Story 1/5 · US Absolute ripoff: Some of the stories are good, but not $30 to $50 a book good. I’m even more disappointed in the authors. They know the stories need to be edited and still tell fans/potential fans “oh sorry, maybe I’ll do print someday” while being ok with asking folks to spend big money on their stuff. It’s sad.

Synthesized from 110 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store