| App Name | leaf |
| Tagline | Swipe through books |
| Founded | 2025 |
| Founder Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Category | Vertical-Swipe E-Reader for iPhone |
| Platform | iOS |
| Core Technology | LeafEngine - prose-rhythm analysis for intelligent, thought-complete page breaks |
| Reading Modes | Slide (vertical snap), Page Curl (tactile page turn), Continuous (free scrolling) |
| Read Aloud | Free, unlimited, offline narration with the voices built into iPhone; lock-screen and headphone controls |
| Public-Domain Discovery | Built-in Explore access for Standard Ebooks and Project Gutenberg discovery/import |
| Library Sync | leaf Pro sync for metadata, progress, annotations, journals, shelves, and covers; iCloud Book Vault for large originals |
| Privacy Model | No ads or content tracking · Optional account-backed sync for leaf Pro · Optional anonymous product analytics |
| Data Collection | No ads, book-content tracking, reading streaks, or social feed. Anonymous usage analytics can be turned off in the app. leaf Pro sync stores the reading data needed to sync across devices. |
| Typography | Classic (EB Garamond), Modern (Public Sans/Lora), Lexend (Lexend Deca/Baskerville) |
| Aesthetic | Warm oatmeal-paper background, minimalist layout, quiet reading surface |
| Supported Formats | EPUB, PDF, and Markdown |
| Curated Library | Hand-vetted LEAF Editions of classic literature |
| Price | Free download · Optional leaf Pro subscription |
About leaf
leaf is a vertical-swipe ebook reader available on iOS. It replaces clunky horizontal-first reading with a phone-first vertical reading experience built for one-handed swiping. It was conceived and built by a solo developer in Melbourne, Australia, with the goal of making long-form reading feel native on iPhone.
At its core is the LeafEngine, a proprietary text-chunking algorithm that analyses the natural rhythm of prose. Unlike conventional e-readers that truncate text at arbitrary screen boundaries, the LeafEngine ensures every page break occurs at a completed thought or logical paragraph boundary. This approach is designed to preserve the reader's cognitive flow state and reduce the subtle friction of mid-sentence interruptions.
leaf also includes an Explore surface for discovering free public-domain classics from Standard Ebooks and Project Gutenberg, plus support for imported EPUB, PDF, and Markdown files. It displays no advertisements, does not track book content, and implements no gamification mechanics such as reading streaks or social sharing. Optional anonymous product analytics can be turned off in the app.
As of May 2026, leaf Pro supports account-backed sync for library metadata, progress, annotations, journals, shelves, and covers. iCloud Book Vault can keep large original files available across Apple devices without uploading those originals through leaf sync.
leaf Pro Sync
leaf Pro: Syncs reading progress, bookmarks, highlights, notes, reading journals, shelves, and covers through leaf’s sync service.
iCloud Book Vault: Large original book files can stay in iCloud Drive while leaf Pro sync keeps their metadata, progress, and annotations available across devices.
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