# BookBub vs The Palace Project

BookBub and The Palace Project both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 54% of BookBub's written reviews are positive against 27% of The Palace Project's. The Palace Project's advantage is ratings volume (5.5K vs 961) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BookBub against 4.6 for The Palace Project. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Palace Project has 5.5K ratings behind it against 961, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of BookBub's written reviews are positive against 27% of The Palace Project's.

BookBub ships an update every 3 weeks, The Palace Project fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookBub | The Palace Project |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (961 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbub/id1030894438/reviews)** | [4.6 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-palace-project/id1574359693/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 961 | **5.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **54.4% of reviews** | 27.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#59** | #104 |
| Size | 4 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Pubmark Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1030894437) | [The Palace Project](https://appshunter.io/developer/1574359695) |

## What reviewers say

### BookBub

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbub/id1030894438)

**Currently charting:** #59 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Discover daily deals on bestselling and free ebooks across all genres. Track your wishlist and receive price alerts for your favorite titles, ensuring you never miss a sale on books you want to read.

**Highlights:** Daily ebook deals, Hundreds of free ebooks, Personalized recommendations, Wishlist tracking, Price alerts, Genre and price filtering

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Great deals on books
- 📚 Variety of genres and authors
- 💰 Affordable and free books
- 🔍 Personalized recommendations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited to Apple Books only
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 📝 Inability to leave reviews
- 🔁 Repeated email subscriptions

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes during use
- Sign-up and login issues
- Incompatibility with certain devices or operating systems

**Requested features**

- Add support for Kindle and other ebook platforms
- Implement search and filtering options
- Allow users to manage their reading lists and leave reviews
- Improve email subscription management


### The Palace Project

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-palace-project/id1574359693)

**Currently charting:** #104 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access and enjoy e-books and audiobooks from your local library for free. Discover new titles, borrow them instantly with your library card, and read or listen anywhere. Even without a participating library, enjoy a collection of free books.

**Highlights:** Borrow e-books and audiobooks, Access local library collections, Read or listen to books, Free Palace Bookshelf collection, Requires library card for full access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great selection of books
- 💡 Convenient access to library books
- 👍 Simple and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 🤯 Inconsistent user experience

**Reported bugs**

- Books not downloading properly
- Losing place in audiobooks
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Incompatibility with certain devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to track read/listened books
- Improved audiobook playback controls
- Dark mode option
- Integration with Kindle


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookBub free?

BookBub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Palace Project free?

The Palace Project is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BookBub or The Palace Project?

BookBub is rated higher. BookBub averages 4.7 out of 5 from 961 ratings, while The Palace Project averages 4.6 from 5.5K ratings.

### Do BookBub or The Palace Project have ads?

Neither BookBub nor The Palace Project shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookBub or The Palace Project?

BookBub ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Palace Project fortnightly. Most recently, BookBub was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Palace Project on October 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, BookBub or The Palace Project?

BookBub currently peaks at #59 in the App Store charts, and The Palace Project at #104. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*