# BookBub vs Bookshop.org

The clearest difference is update cadence: Bookshop.org at every 5 days against BookBub's every 3 weeks. Bookshop.org also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 4.8 for Bookshop.org. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 960 and 2.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of BookBub's written reviews are positive against 57% of Bookshop.org's.

BookBub ships an update every 3 weeks, Bookshop.org every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookBub | Bookshop.org |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (960 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbub/id1030894438/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshoporg-ebook-reader/id6465290096/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 960 | **2.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 54.4% of reviews | **56.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#63** | #176 |
| Size | 4 MB | 106 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Pubmark Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1030894437) | [Bookshop, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1706515971) |

## What reviewers say

### BookBub

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

**Currently charting:** #63 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


### Bookshop.org

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshoporg-ebook-reader/id6465290096)

**Currently charting:** #176 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Read your ebooks and discover new titles while supporting independent bookstores. All ebook purchases made through this platform directly benefit local bookshops, ensuring their continued success in the digital age.

**Highlights:** Read ebooks from your library, Browse millions of ebooks, Add titles to wishlist, Support local bookstores with purchases, Connect seamlessly with Bookshop

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Great alternative to Amazon
- 👍 Supports local bookstores
- 👍 Clean and pleasing interface
- 👍 Solid app for a new release

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Formatting issues (lack of italics, poor paragraph spacing, etc.)
- 🐛 Buggy page turning and navigation
- 🔧 Limited customization options (fonts, themes, brightness, etc.)
- 🔧 Missing essential features (highlighting, note-taking, search, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to remember last page read
- Scrolling issues and unexpected page skipping
- Formatting problems (stripped italics, weird paragraph spacing)
- Settings not persisting between app sessions

**Requested features**

- More font and theme options
- Ability to adjust line spacing, margins, and other formatting
- Implement highlighting, annotation, and note-taking features
- Add search functionality
- Improve page turning and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookBub free?

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

### Is Bookshop.org free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BookBub or Bookshop.org?

Bookshop.org is rated higher. BookBub averages 4.7 out of 5 from 960 ratings, while Bookshop.org averages 4.8 from 2.1K ratings.

### Do BookBub or Bookshop.org have ads?

Neither BookBub nor Bookshop.org shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookBub or Bookshop.org?

BookBub ships an update every 3 weeks, and Bookshop.org every 5 days. Most recently, BookBub was updated on October 17, 2026 and Bookshop.org on October 18, 2026.

### Which is more popular, BookBub or Bookshop.org?

BookBub currently peaks at #63 in the App Store charts, and Bookshop.org at #176. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

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