Readest delivers a feature-rich eBook reader experience that works on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and via the Web, emphasising a seamless, immersive interface for avid readers.
Developed as an open-source revival of Foliate, Readest is built using Next. js and Tauri to offer consistent performance across devices. It supports a wide array of formats including EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2 and CBZ; PDF support is marked as experimental. Users can switch between paging and scrolling reading modes. Annotation, highlighting, bookmarks and full-text search are among the tools aiming to enhance usability. Built-in translation, dictionary and wiki lookups are included to assist multilingual readers. Cross-device sync of reading progress, notes and library data is central to its design.
The latest version available is 0.9.78, published in early September 2025. It packs enhancements to layout customisation, theme management, font control, and improved stability. The codebase has over 12,500 stars on GitHub and more than 600 forks, indicating strong community engagement. The licence is AGPL-3.0, ensuring its open-source credentials.
One of Readest’s distinct new features is Parallel Read, which allows users to view two texts side by side—useful for language comparison, study or when reading multiple sources. This sets it apart from many existing readers which are limited to one document view. Another notable addition is AI-powered text-to-speech, offering narration in multiple languages even within the same document. Customisation options have also broadened: theme colours, font types, weight, margins, paragraph spacing among others can now be finely tuned.
When compared with its predecessor Foliate, Readest extends beyond, both in platform reach and feature set. Foliate remains Linux-focused, whereas Readest targets multiple OSes and web. Foliate supports EPUB, MOBI, AZW3 etc., but Readest improves support for CBZ, broader customisation, embedded translations and synchronisation across device types.
Community feedback suggests enthusiasm but also identifies areas for improvement. PDF support is still labelled experimental; users report occasional glitches in rendering fixed-layout content. Some desire for more robust offline-only mode and better file import / management workflows persists. Memory consumption on large libraries is raised by several testers.
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