# BookOrbit: The Official App — Your reading space > Private digital library manager for ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and podcasts. (iPhone/iPad app by Ila Chandel.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookorbit-the-official-app/id6811807346 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Ila Chandel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883563795) - Category: Books - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.20/5 from 29 App Store ratings · 28 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 26.0 · 71 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-09-18 - Data updated: 2026-10-13 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookorbit-the-official-app/id6811807346/reviews.md ## What is BookOrbit? BookOrbit is your private reading space for books, comics, PDFs, audiobooks, and podcasts. Connect to your BookOrbit server and keep your library close whether you are online or offline. READ YOUR WAY • Browse and search your library • Read EPUB, MOBI, AZW, AZW3, FB2, PDF, CBZ, CBR, and CB7 files • Listen to audiobooks with chapter navigation and playback controls • Turn supported ebooks into audio with text to speech • Add bookmarks, highlights, notes, and reading progress BUILT FOR OFFLINE Download books and audio for reliable access away from your server. Changes are saved locally and synced when your server is available again. YOUR READING LIFE Track activity, sessions, progress, achievements, pace, and reading patterns in one place. APPLE WATCH Take supported audio with you and listen offline from Apple Watch. iPAD BookOrbit is designed for iPad, with two-page spreads in the reader, a side panel for contents and notes, and a library, activity, and settings that use the whole screen in portrait, landscape, and resizable windows. Keyboard shortcuts and trackpad support are included. PREMIUM BookOrbit Premium unlocks unlimited downloads, Apple Watch listening, every app finish, advanced text to speech, and advanced activity insights. Choose a yearly subscription with a two-week free trial for eligible new subscribers, or a one-time Lifetime or Lifetime Family purchase. BookOrbit requires access to a compatible self-hosted BookOrbit server. Server availability, content, and storage are managed by you or your server administrator. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://bookorbit.github.io/bookorbit-ios-support/privacy/ Support: https://bookorbit.github.io/bookorbit-ios-support/support/ ## Key features - Supports multiple file formats (EPUB, MOBI, PDF, CBZ, etc.) - Offline access to downloaded content - Text-to-speech functionality - Bookmark, highlight, and note-taking - Activity and reading progress tracking - Apple Watch audio playback ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | BookOrbit Premium Yearly | $6.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | BookOrbit Lifetime Family | $39.99 | one-time | | BookOrbit Lifetime Family Upgrade | $14.99 | one-time | | BookOrbit Premium Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time | ## Is BookOrbit safe? Not enough ratings yet to assess BookOrbit. ## Is BookOrbit legit? BookOrbit: The Official App has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for BookOrbit is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Recent user reviews (10 of 28) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookorbit-the-official-app/id6811807346/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Loving it so far, but please change the app background *2026-10-08, version 1.4.0* Hello! Love the app and the docker install. Tried grimmory but it had some issues that I don’t seem to have here and plan on migrating from abs and kavita to book orbit! Love the app and all the functionality but please, change the background in the app. The thin circle looks like a piece of hair and it’s driving me crazy 😩 I keep trying to brush it off my screen lol otherwise I plan to become a supporter after migrating my library. Cheers! ### 4/5 — Super! *2026-10-04* Super application quand on gère ces livres sur BookOrbit dans un serveur personnel. Ça permet le suivi de lecture entre liseuse, iPhone et iPad facilement Avec des traductions ça serai encore mieux mais l’app est récente, ça évolue déjà bien Continuez comme ça! **Developer response:** Merci beaucoup ! Les traductions arrivent dans une future mise à jour, restez à l'affût, et encore merci pour votre soutien ! ### 5/5 — Updated review: great updates at a quick pace! *2026-10-04, version 1.3.0* UPDATED REVIEW: In just 1 week of this review every issue I listed in the old review has been resolved or changed entirely, absolutely fantastic. Incredibly happy with the “Comic Next up” and pinch zoom working properly. Super happy to be using Bookorbit now and can’t wait to see future updates. OLD REVIEW: Been using BookOrbit for a few months now and I seriously enjoy the path it has gone down, this app (in its current state) feels like it’s also in need of that “give it a couple months” timeline. Examples: I use BookOrbit mostly for comics/manga and found the zoom in on comics to work awkwardly (seemingly always zooming towards the dead center middle), comics don’t lead into the next book (meaning you’ll have to go find the next issue when you finish one), and the current layout when looking at your series of books feels somewhat confusing with the actual list of your collection being a small text box under “Details”. Though a scrollable visual of your collection is towards the bottom, yet it doesn’t show the entire series/collection? I’ll probably still hold off on sharing my instance/this app with friends & family as the quirks right now are still someone apparent, I will happily give 5 stars if/when BookOrbit can iron a lot of this out. ### 4/5 — Thanks *2026-10-02, version 1.2.0* Recent updates got the iPad version of the app working. Now I can read on my phone and now the iPad so nice. Much appreciated. ### 3/5 — Potential for greatness *2026-10-01, version 1.2.0* Good to see it’s now fully supported on iPad. Now can we have a Mac version too? ### 5/5 — Perfeito *2026-09-30* Venho aqui para atualizar minha avaliação após o suporte a iPad. Esse app é a melhor coisa que já me aconteceu. Parabéns aos responsáveis. **Developer response:** O suporte nativo para iPad chegou! Por favor, atualize para a Versão 1.2.0, agora o app conta com layouts dedicados de dois painéis, leitores adaptados para telas maiores e suporte completo a teclado e trackpad. Espero que aproveite a nova experiência de leitura! ### 4/5 — Good but needs polish *2026-09-29, version 1.1.0* The app is awesome, a great way to interact with my Bookorbit instances. A couple of small caveats: the apps iPad support is rough the app focuses too much on audio (this shouldn’t be front and center and located at the bottom at all times. To easy to click) it’s too easy to scrub forward on the bottom and sync to a bad state lastly an RSVP reader would be nice Otherwise, great work and I paid for a lifetime membership. ### 4/5 — One person purchase? *2026-09-29, version 1.1.0* My family (my wife and I) would love to use this and pay for lifetime but it’s a decision to make it per person not family. ### 3/5 — Shows promise *2026-09-28, version 1.1.0* The mobile app is very much a version 1.0. I bought lifetime to support development but it has lots of bugs that need to be ironed out. ### 1/5 — Paid subscription for a tool I self host? *2026-09-27* This is really poor form. I understand being industrious and I’d absolutely consider a one time purchase if the price was reasonable, but this doesn’t sit right with me **Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback. We may not have made this clear enough: self-hosting BookOrbit remains free, and the iOS app does not require a subscription. You can connect to your own server, browse, read and listen, sync progress, and keep up to seven books and three audiobooks offline at no cost. Premium is optional and adds unlimited downloads, offline Apple Watch listening, the full text-to-speech voice catalog, advanced activity insights, and additional customization. Revenue from Premium is necessary to sustain the continued development and maintenance of both BookOrbit and its native iOS and Apple Watch apps. Version 1.2.0 also includes a one-time Lifetime purchase, so a recurring subscription is not required. We understand Premium will not suit everyone, but we hope this clarifies what remains free and what the paid upgrade provides. ## Frequently asked questions about BookOrbit ### What file types does BookOrbit support? BookOrbit supports a wide range of file types including EPUB, MOBI, AZW, AZW3, FB2, PDF, CBZ, CBR, and CB7 for reading. It also handles audiobook playback and podcasts. ### Can I use BookOrbit offline? Yes, BookOrbit is built for offline use. You can download books and audio content to your device for reliable access even when you are away from your server. Changes are synced when your server becomes available again. ### What are the benefits of BookOrbit Premium? BookOrbit Premium unlocks unlimited downloads, Apple Watch listening, advanced text-to-speech capabilities, and more detailed activity insights. It offers a yearly subscription with a free trial or a one-time lifetime purchase. ### Does BookOrbit have ads? No, BookOrbit does not contain advertisements. The app is free to download and use, with optional premium features available through subscription or a lifetime purchase. ### How does BookOrbit track reading progress? BookOrbit tracks your reading life by monitoring activity, sessions, progress, achievements, pace, and reading patterns. This data is available in one centralized location for review. ### What devices is BookOrbit available on? BookOrbit is available on Apple Watch, iPhone, and other compatible devices. It requires access to a compatible self-hosted BookOrbit server for full functionality. ### How often is BookOrbit updated? The latest version of BookOrbit is 1.0.2, which was last updated on September 20, 2026. Updates are released to improve functionality and add new features. ### Is BookOrbit suitable for children? BookOrbit has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for younger users. The app provides a private reading space for various types of content. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.4.0 — 2026-10-07 NEW • A new Notebook brings each book's highlights, notes, bookmarks, review and journal together • Search and review your Notebook across the library, star favourite highlights and name your colours • A rebuilt Search on iPhone and iPad, with a top result, quick actions and clearer filters • Review uploads before sending, with book previews and a library choice for each file • Choose an upload library from the share extension • Scan a book's ISBN barcode to find it or request it • Request managers can approve and reject requests, pick releases and follow downloads • A reading timeline for every book and Listening History in the audiobook player • Read KEPUB books online and offline • Choose edge taps, one-handed tapping or swipe-only navigation for ebooks and comics • An optional page footer shows pages left in the chapter • Read Along gains Voice Boost and an option to turn off automatic playback • At the end of an ebook, PDF or audiobook, open the next book in the series • Home shows available app updates and server updates for administrators FIXES • Smoother ebook page turns and transitions into the next chapter • Nearby chapters load ahead of time in streamed ebooks • KEPUB books open with their own saved progress and compatible shared annotations • CarPlay opens Now Playing when the book is ready and keeps chapter and speed controls current • Read Along progress stays intact when using text to speech • Clearing a highlight note and editing EPUB bookmarks sync correctly • Cached covers stay visible when switching between them • Upload queues keep moving after a file is refused • Book Request searches, queue updates and decisions stay in step • Clearer feedback when a book cannot be deleted ### 1.3.0 — 2026-10-04 NEW • Lifetime owners can now add Family Sharing with the Lifetime Family upgrade • CarPlay: listen to your audiobooks in the car • PDF and comic settings move to a compact tune bar, so the page stays in view • At the end of a comic, open the next issue in the series • Comic pages slide under your finger on iPhone • A rebuilt book page on iPhone, lit by the book's cover • Downloads on iPhone is now a list sorted by reading progress • Chapter progress on the Lock Screen and in Control Center • A new Silver Orbit app icon for Premium FIXES • Pinch to zoom on comics stays anchored under your fingers • Read Along starts from the page you are on and shows its chapter and cover in Now Playing • Resuming a Read Along book opens the right file • Recently opened PDFs open faster • Comics keep your page in scroll and webtoon modes • Downloaded audiobooks play from Home without your server • Audiobook playback stops when you sign out or remove its download • Audiobook chapter countdown and resume position are more accurate • Playback speeds are kept per book for each account • Clearer messages when an audiobook download cannot start • Fewer repeated controls across the readers and player ### 1.2.0 — 2026-09-30 BookOrbit now runs natively on iPad. iPAD • Every screen is designed for the larger display and follows your window in portrait, landscape, and resizable windows • Two pages side by side in the reader, with a side panel for contents, notes, and search • PDF and comic readers with page spreads, a Pages panel, and find in PDF • A Library with a sidebar of libraries, series, authors, smart scopes, and collections • Book Details that keep the cover and actions in view • Now Playing, Downloads, Activity, Search, Book Requests, and Settings rebuilt for iPad • Keyboard shortcuts, trackpad swipes, and pointer support NEW • A Home Screen and Lock Screen widget to pick up your current book • Home adds Up Next in Series, Want to Read, pinned smart scopes and collections, and a daily Discover pick • Open books with the reading controls hidden • Choose the statistic shown in the page footer • Set page margins in 1% steps • Zoom and pan images in books • Turn off the offer to return to your last listening position • An author's books are listed in series order by default • Hide Book Requests when your library does not use them FIXES • An open book no longer rolls back reading progress made on another device • Tapping a highlight no longer also turns the page • Manga and other fixed-layout books turn pages with edge taps and swipes • Changing the page direction no longer leaves a book stuck on "Opening book" • Comic pages no longer disappear while you read • PDF search results are marked on the page ### 1.1.0 — 2026-09-25 Customize EPUB reading with new display controls, per-book settings, and more font choices. Manga EPUBs now have improved reading options. Enjoy refreshed audiobook screens on iPhone and Apple Watch, plus confirmation before removing downloads. This update also improves downloaded EPUB playback and includes reliability fixes. ### 1.0.2 — 2026-09-20 Added a first-party More tab, offline controls across readers, refreshed Activity styling, clearer reader chapter ticks, and simpler Home customization. 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User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-13.*