# BookBub vs COOL Catalog

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BookBub at 54% against COOL Catalog's 0%. BookBub also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (960 vs 1). COOL Catalog's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

BookBub holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookBub has 960 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of BookBub's written reviews are positive against 0% of COOL Catalog's.

BookBub ships an update every 3 weeks, COOL Catalog every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookBub | COOL Catalog |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (960 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbub/id1030894438/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cool-catalog/id6740416233/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **960** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **54.4% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#79** | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pubmark Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1030894437) | [Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688468859) |

## What reviewers say

### BookBub

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

**Currently charting:** #79 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


### COOL Catalog

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cool-catalog/id6740416233)

Access a shared library catalog to search for books, place holds, and renew loans. You can also access ebooks and eaudio. A library card from a participating member library is required to use the app.

**Highlights:** Search shared library catalog, Place holds on books, Renew loans, Access ebooks, Access eaudio

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookBub free?

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

### Is COOL Catalog free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BookBub or COOL Catalog?

BookBub is rated higher. BookBub averages 4.7 out of 5 from 960 ratings, while COOL Catalog averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do BookBub or COOL Catalog have ads?

Neither BookBub nor COOL Catalog shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookBub or COOL Catalog?

BookBub ships an update every 3 weeks, and COOL Catalog every 2 months. Most recently, BookBub was updated on October 13, 2026 and COOL Catalog on October 1, 2026.

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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.*