Get ContinuousReader.

No. It’s a separate, standalone app — free, fully functional for its scope, no time limits, no feature teasers. It reads one book at a time and does that well.

If you want a library, sync, bookmarks, or OPDS — upgrade to ContinuousReader. Otherwise, use JustReader forever without paying.

JustReader is the closest thing to a trial — same reader engine, same typography, same translation and Read Aloud. If you like how JustReader handles reading, ContinuousReader will feel identical, just with a library and sync added.

For library-specific features (OPDS, folders, bookmarks), there’s no trial — but refunds go through Apple’s standard App Store process (in the EU, a 14-day withdrawal right applies).

$19.99 is a one-time purchase. Buy once, install on Mac, iPad, and iPhone with the same payment, and use it forever. No subscription and no in-app purchases. It’s priced like a tool you’ll use for years — by an indie developer who’d rather make one good app than nag you to renew it month after month.

All updates within the current major version come with that one payment. There’s no "upgrade pricing" pressure later. If a future major version brings substantially new capabilities, it’ll be a separate product or a clearly-priced upgrade — never a forced re-purchase of what you already paid for.

No. Universal Purchase means one payment unlocks Mac, iPad, and iPhone versions under the same Apple ID. Install on as many of your devices as you want.

As many as you own — all of them. Sync runs across every Apple device signed into your Apple ID. Home Mac, work Mac, travel laptop, iPad, iPhone — if it runs ContinuousReader and your iCloud account is there, it’s in sync.

iCloud sync has two parts, and they use different storage.

Reading state — your position, bookmarks, notes, library metadata — syncs through iCloud’s Key-Value Store. This is separate from your iCloud storage quota and works the same on any tier, including the free 5 GB.

Book files — the actual content of your books — sync through iCloud Drive. These count against your iCloud storage like any other files. Books with embedded images typically run around 2–4 MB each; plain text books are under 1 MB. A richly illustrated one — a children’s book, an art book, a graphic novel — can run past 20 MB, which is exactly what the image-import controls are for: pull a book in without its images, or keep just the cover.

On the free 5 GB tier (shared with iCloud backups, photos, and other files), a modest library of a few hundred books fits comfortably. For very large libraries — especially illustrated ones — an iCloud+ plan (50 GB for about $1 a month, or 200 GB for around $3) is worth considering.

Sync is a single toggle: turning it on syncs both your reading state and book files; turning it off keeps everything local. If you want a backup that lives outside iCloud entirely, just copy the library folder (Settings → Storage shows its location) to any cloud service or external drive — the folder is fully self-contained.

Family Sharing is supported — up to six members in your family group can install ContinuousReader under their own Apple IDs without paying again.

No. Subscription doesn’t fit this class of app, and selling the same software every month isn’t the right model here. Future major versions may be paid upgrades, but your current version keeps working as long as Apple supports the OS it runs on.

Locally on your device. If iCloud sync is enabled, also in your own iCloud — under your Apple ID, not on any server controlled by the developer.

Book content is readable as plain HTML files if you browse your library folder in Finder. Nothing leaves your devices unless you explicitly export it.

Your library keeps working locally — sync is just one option, not a requirement. Without iCloud, devices simply don’t sync; each keeps its own state, and you can run ContinuousReader entirely offline. Turning sync on and off is built in. On Mac you can also point the library at any folder, keep separate local libraries — each behind a guided step that shows what will move before it moves. The library folder is self-contained, so copying it anywhere is a complete backup.

No analytics, no telemetry, no tracking. Translation runs on-device through Apple’s framework. The only network traffic while reading is the optional position sync between your own devices, and it carries no content — see the Privacy policy for the full breakdown. Your data is your own.

Apple-only for now. ContinuousReader is built natively for macOS / iPadOS / iOS — that’s what makes the typography, sync, and gestures feel the way they do. Porting JustReader to Android, Linux, or Windows would mean rebuilding the rendering and conversion engine from scratch on each one, which only makes sense once there’s an audience large enough to sustain that work as a full-time effort instead of an after-hours side project.

ContinuousReader sales are what funds that decision. If the Apple side finds its audience, JustReader has runway to grow beyond it.

Email: hello@continuousreader.app. One developer handles everything, so response time runs in days rather than hours — but every message gets a real reply.