On October 16, 2026 web novels that sell chapters for coins and a week of access for $19.99 hold the US Books grossing chart. The biggest of them by our estimate are Inkitt Galatea and GoodNovel, $1.3–5.1M and $1.1–4.3M a month. Audible is at rank 1, and we show no range for it. It is our estimate, not Apple data.
Novels by the chapter, manga, audio
The top 20 come from four shelves. Web novels by the chapter (GoodNovel, AnyStories, Dreame, WebNovel, MegaNovel, JoyRead, JoyLit, Inkitt Galatea), manga and comics (Shonen Jump, Manta, Tappytoon, Lezhin), audiobooks (Audible, Everand, Wehear, Audiobooks.com) and a new shelf, stories where you are the main character (Y/n, Glimmer). Scroll The Bible stands apart, a Bible you scroll like a feed.
We show no range for Audible, Shonen Jump and Wattpad, old large services, Audible came out in 2010 and has 5,608,931 ratings. GoodNovel at rank 2 makes $1.1–4.3M. The top 20 median is 30,246 ratings, and the fewest belong to Lezhin at rank 19, 2,879.
| Rank | App | How it charges | US ratings | Released | Our monthly estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts | subscription | 5,608,931 | 2010 | long-running, method runs low |
| 2 | GoodNovel - Booktok, Stories | subscription with a weekly plan | 231,903 | 2020 | $1.1–4.3M |
| 3 | Shonen Jump Manga & Comics | subscription | 261,078 | 2013 | long-running, method runs low |
| 4 | Everand: Audiobooks & Ebooks | subscription | 27,467 | 2012 | method doesn't apply |
| 5 | AnyStories-Top Novels & Books | subscription with a weekly plan | 32,989 | 2020 | $131–523K |
| 6 | Wattpad - Read & Write Stories | subscription | 706,065 | 2009 | long-running, method runs low |
| 7 | Scroll The Bible | subscription | 17,117 | 2025 | $445K–1.8M |
| 8 | Dreame - Read Best Romance | subscription | 170,472 | 2018 | $30–120K |
| 9 | Wehear - Audiobooks & Stories | subscription with a weekly plan | 39,637 | 2021 | method doesn't apply |
| 10 | Manta - Manga, Manhwa, Novels | subscription | 27,502 | 2020 | $14–58K |
Apple, US top grossing chart, Oct 16, 2026. Ratings and release years from iTunes Lookup. Monthly range by our estimate for Sep 16, 2026–Oct 16, 2026, not Apple data.
A $19.99 week, like short dramas
18 of the 20 top grossing apps sell a subscription, 8 of them a week. Web novels sell two things at once, coin packs for single chapters and a week or month without limits. Two have no subscription, Glimmer and Lezhin, where people pay with coins only.
6 of the top 20 free apps sell nothing on the App Store. These are the Libby and Hoopla libraries, Kindle, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and Soul Bloom. Kindle and Barnes & Noble sell books on their own sites, around the App Store.
A week costs $19.99 at the median, like short dramas in Entertainment. A month is cheaper than a week, $9.99, and a year $64.99. People buy a week to binge, to finish a novel over a few evenings. $9.99 is the most common amount in the purchase lists, 15 apps of the top 20 have it.
Recovery and faith books hold the paid chart. Twenty-Four Hours a Day leads at $7.99, daily meditations for Alcoholics Anonymous, next to More Language of Letting Go and AA Big Book. The paid top 20 median is $4.99.
| What is sold | Median | Range | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly subscription | $19.99 | $4.99–$39.99 | 8 |
| Monthly subscription | $9.99 | $4.99–$15.99 | 10 |
| Yearly subscription | $64.99 | $39.99–$159.99 | 6 |
| Paid upfront, top 20 | $4.99 | $0.99–$21.99 | 20 |
In-app purchase lists on the app pages, US App Store, Oct 16, 2026.
What a chart rank is worth
61 apps of the top 100 have an estimate, 13 more a rough one. 20 have a range starting at $100K a month or more. The top 10 without old large services make a median $131–523K, ranks 11–25 $68–274K.
The ladder is gentle, ranks 26–50 make $66–262K and ranks 51–100 $48–192K, only 3 times less than the top 10. Inkitt Galatea at rank 20 makes $1.3–5.1M, the most by our estimate.
A scrollable Bible and stories about you
25 apps of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026, 3 of them in the top 20. Scroll The Bible came out December 17, 2025 and sits at rank 7 with $445K–1.8M. It shows the Bible verse by verse like a social feed. Y/n, stories in text messages where your replies change the plot, came out April 22, 2025, and Glimmer with interactive fanfiction July 2, 2025.
18 of today's 20 leaders were there on September 24, 2026, and 11 apps entered the top 100 since then. Among them are the new novel apps Moonnova and KissNovel and Freewave audiobooks. The youngest app in the top 100, KissNovel, came out September 14, 2026.
Niches inside the category
A small team can't build a library of books, it needs the rights. The App Store money here goes to a format. Novels by the chapter, stories where the reader is the hero, the Bible as a feed, audio for short stories. A separate niche is a reading tracker, and it is in the book of niches.
Related articles and breakdowns
- How a novel became an iPhone app in eight days
- Can a new app still break through on the App Store in 2026? Five examples with numbers
Niches of this category in the book
- Reading tracker, Fable, $300K–1M
Niche leader and its monthly range by our estimate. Book 50 iPhone app niches, Oct 16, 2026.
For a story app or a reading tracker Appto checks the niche on fresh App Store data and shows the leaders with their range and complaints from reviews. Appto draws the screens, writes the code, prepares the App Store page in every language, and after launch shows every purchase as it happens, with the country.
Where the numbers come from
The US App Store snapshot was taken on October 16, 2026. Appto estimates revenue from 30 days of rating growth in six countries. In half of the cases the estimate is within 2x of the real figure, in four out of five within 3x, and for large apps it tends to run low. Ads, web sales and Google Play are not included. More on the method and on niches by category.
Questions
How much do web novel apps make?
By our estimate on October 16, 2026, Inkitt Galatea makes $1.3–5.1M a month, GoodNovel $1.1–4.3M and MegaNovel $141–562K. It is our estimate, not Apple data.
Why do reading apps sell a weekly plan?
People binge a novel, and a week covers one story. On October 16, 2026, 8 of the 20 top grossing apps sell a week, $19.99 at the median, while a month costs $9.99.
What does a reading app subscription cost?
The category leaders charge a median $19.99 a week, $9.99 a month and $64.99 a year (US App Store, October 16, 2026).
Can a new app reach the Books top chart?
It can. Scroll The Bible came out December 17, 2025 and sits at rank 7 on October 16, 2026. The top 100 holds 25 apps from 2025–2026.
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