Leave a Review BookFusion
Really Good ePub Reading App
I’ve been on the hunt for a good e-reading app. I’ve got a Calibre library where I’ve meticulously tagged, sorted, and organized my library. I’ve got well over 500 books so using iBooks just wasn’t cutting it for me. I need something to sync the metadata over.
I’ve tried a few others (paid and unpaid) and this is by far the better one. You can easily sync your library, use it across devices, and any changes update on all devices.
The main downside is the subscription model. I’d much prefer to pay it off upfront and then not have to worry about it, as with this, it can quickly add up. The other thing is that there are no folders/shelves to file away your books so the only way to soft is through the search function. The other thing is that I wish you could hide the Library and Store tabs. I don’t use them and never will. I’d rather have sorting shortcuts there like a favorite shelf or Currently Reading tab.
Lastly, I wish there could be a description box that pulls from Calibre so that a brief summary could be seen. It would make finding what you’re looking for much easier.
Overall, huge win so thank you to the developers ❤️Show lessturdyytree
Works really well
Really quite solid way to get calibre library on iOS.
Really want a true black dark mode though for OLED iPhonesBakeryj's
Developer Response
Hey Bakeryj's, Thank you for the support. Did you know you can use the custom themes to set the true black dark mode background and then have it applied? If not reach out to us at support@bookfusion.com and we will guide you.cloud works great. PDF in a good place. Epub features need work — especially with note behavior
Bookfusion is getting really good but we BADLY need inline notes display for epub (like kindle has) instead of jumping to note location. back' button is absolutely not efficient. This is not a minor limitation for anyone who reads scholarly and literary epubs, which I assume is a significant portion of users who would pay for an cloud ereading and annotation app. It is a huge gap which completely rules out bookfusion for epubs of this kind.Show lessheh2
Developer Response
Hi heh2, Thank you for the feedback and suggestion. In the interim you can use the BACK button that pops up at the bottom left in the progress toolbar. When you click that button it takes you back to your previous position. Hope this helps10/10
I genuinely love Bookfusion - I have not found a better way to store 5k+ books between my Mac, iPad and iPhone. Calibre sync is great for large libraries, it’s easy to manage metadata, the UI is beautiful, the widgets are lovely, it’s really a great app. I think the only reason to use a different reader is because the subscription cost is prohibitive; I personally think I get $10/mo value and don’t mind paying it but I understand some people may want a free option. If you are willing to pay for a subscription I don’t think there is a better option though.Show lesssoyjames
You must give it a try
Not only is this a great app, but the developer cares about making it ever-better. This is the only ebook client that is sufficient for my needs. It integrates with Calibre, Readwise, Obsidian, etcetera. It looks great and the sync works well. Been using it for ~6 months, looking forward to being a long-time patron. It’s just great!Show lessJesseMK
With the recent widget addition this is my ideal cross platform ebook app
5/5Kraahkan
Developer Response
EDIT: We just released widget support. Hope you like them! Thank you for using BookFusion. Could you share more details about the widget you would love to have? You can reach us at support@bookfusion.com . We would like to ensure we have your request covered in our roadmap.Only ereader app that does everything I want
I love itEgo Finale
Great app with indredible developers
I'm just coming up for my 100th hour using the app, so I feel like it's time for a review.
Firstly, the app is fantastic.
- it's fast
- intuitive interface
- very customizable
- syncs with calibre
- allows you to lend books to friends and family
- syncs reading location between devices
- syncing of highlights and annotations (game changing for a student like me who prefers to read on my portable devices but writes essays on my laptop)
- can search highlights
- helpful organization of books in bookshelves or by tags
- ability to filter your books in a variety of ways
Secondly, the development team are incredible!
- regular updates
- quick response to support requests
- very active on reddit and discord
- take on board the feedback of the community and prioritize development accordingly
- very much committed to actively developing an already very good app
I highly recommend this app and I'm very glad I bite the bullet and committed to this one after trying a dozen of so out there!Show lessPhil Drysdale
Still some very rough edges to smooth, but…
I came to this app with great expectations, but for a time I felt very let down by it. I wanted to use it for programming books, which often lose something in EPUB format, but I couldn’t control which format (EPUB or PDF) was uploaded (not good), and on top of that, PDF formats were displayed in a ladder-like array that made reading awkward. I much preferred how LiquidText displays PDF files (work on that, will you, guys?) Over time, however, the sheer number of volumes I can upload, and how well I can organize them, and having what I was reading and where I was in the book available on every device, and how well highlights are preserved—well, I’ve come to appreciate and really use this app, daily. I also wish that the Mac desktop version really worked—on desktop, as now I end up using the Web version on my laptop. So, it’s got a ways to go, but I grok what they’re aiming for. Give it a try. It’s a worthwhile app.Show lessCandaceSoVan
Developer Response
Thank you for the feedback. Rendering issues are pretty rare for most of our users. We would be more than happy to address any and all issues you might have if you reach out to support@bookfusion.com with more details. You can upload any format you prefer via Web, iOS or Android. Are you referring to the Calibre plugin that selects EPUBs first as the default? You can provide more details in your ticket to support@bookfusion.com We do not have an official Mac desktop app yet. The app that you installed is the same iOS app that Apple allows to be installed on Silicone based Macs. Thanks again and we hope we can assist you further via support@bookfusion.comAs buggy as Apple Books
I switched to escape bugs in highlighting behavior I experienced in Apple Books. Unfortunately, the same bugs are present in BookFusion. I reported the problem to BookFusion, but they weren’t able to help and I wound up asking for a refund.
Edit in response: thank you for such a kind and not-at-all dismissive response. I’m sure potential customers are reassured. 👍Show lessjthile
Developer Response
Hi John, Unfortunately as mentioned your PDF is Scanned(No OCR0 and so does not have a text layer. Apple Live Text cannot be used in a reliable manner to make highlights that persist. Coincidentally it worked for a few of your highlights. The next version of our app will disable Live Text so it is not used at all. It was simply possible since it was introduced in iOS 16. BookFusion uses the same Apple PDFkit that they provide in iOS. Our suggestion was that you could instead use our image/area highlights but that might not be suitable for you. You asked for a refund by saying and I quote: "Is there a way to request a refund? I feel like I jumped into a year subscription way too early…" So we obliged you by providing you with a refund. We did not tell you to ask for a refund as we provided an alternative solution. When we tried to share our deduction from our actual internal testing to resolve your issue. You provided us with the following response and I quote: "Also, if the issue is as you say, how do your engineers explain that text highlights made (presumably also having been selected using Live Text) later in the same book are working as expected? The confident diagnosis doesn’t seem to fit the facts." It is clear that you have more knowledge than the engineers that work on the platform. We do hope you are able to find the solution that you are looking for that can work perfectly with a scanned PDF that has no text layer since it did not go through OCR. Thanks again and all the best Edit: My sincere apologies, it was not my intention to dismiss you at all . The initial response was due to incorrect information that was previously in your review before you made the edit.
