Comparison

Bound vs Issa Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bound

Listen to your DRM-free audiobooks with a modern interface. Import files from cloud services or your computer, manage your library, and enjoy features like automatic playback saving, adjustable speed, and chapter support. Includes CarPlay integration and a sleep timer.

Highlights
  • Import from cloud services (Dropbox, OneDrive)
  • Web uploader via WiFi
  • Automatic playback position saving
  • Adjustable playback speed (0.5x-3.0x)
  • Chapter support
  • Sleep timer
  • CarPlay support
Features
Read full description

Listen to your favorite DRM-free audiobooks with Bound. Bound allows you to import audio files from various cloud services and play them back in a beautiful modern interface. Bound will automatically save your listening position so that you never lose your place. Supported Audio File Types (DRM-free only): .mp3, .m4a, .m4b, .aac Download - Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive. - Apple Files. - Web Uploader for importing from your computer via WiFi. Manage - Move audio files between books. - Change cover art. - Sort based on author, title, recently added, and recently played. - Rename title and author. - Choose between a number of fun themes. - Dark mode support. Play - Automatically saves playback location as you progress through the book. - Independently configure seek forward and seek backward times. - Chapter support for audio files with embedded chapters (.m4a / .m4b / OverDrive .mp3). - Change playback speed from 0.5X to 3.0X. - Smart Rewind when returning to your book after a while. - Sleep Timer with configurable time or at the end of a chapter. - Manually bookmark locations that you want to return to. - CarPlay support. If you enjoy using Bound, please consider writing a review.

About

Issa Reader

This app synchronizes your ebooks with audiobooks from a self-hosted server, allowing seamless transitions between reading and listening. It features a native typesetting engine, customizable reading options, and advanced playback controls for an immersive experience.

Highlights
  • Seamless read-to-listen transition
  • Native typesetting engine
  • Customizable reading faces and themes
  • Variable speed audiobook playback
  • CarPlay integration
  • Offline library access
  • Home Screen widget
Features
Read full description

Issa Reader is a native reader for Storyteller, the self-hosted server that lines an ebook up with its audiobook so you can move between reading and listening without losing your place. REQUIRES A STORYTELLER SERVER Issa Reader is a client, not a bookshop. It has no catalogue of its own and nothing to sell you. Point it at a Storyteller server you run, sign in, and read your own library. Without a server, there is nothing here to show you. READ A real typesetting engine, not a web view. Pages are laid out natively, so turning one is instant and the type is properly set. Six bundled reading faces, including Literata, Source Serif 4 and OpenDyslexic, or add a font of your own. Four page themes for daylight, lamplight and the middle of the night. Size, line spacing and justification are yours to set, per book or for everything. LISTEN Variable speed with pitch correction, chapter and sentence navigation, skip controls, a sleep timer, and full Now Playing support on the Lock Screen and in Control Centre. READ ALONG This is what Storyteller is for. Where a book has narration aligned to its text, the words light up as they are spoken, the page turns itself to follow, and tapping any line starts the narrator there. Stop reading, keep listening, and pick up on the same sentence — the two stay in step. IN THE CAR CarPlay gives you your shelves and chapters as proper lists, with Now Playing and a resume that lands on the sentence you left, not somewhere near it. Steering-wheel buttons, headphone controls and on-screen controls can each be remapped independently, so the same button can do different things in different places. YOUR WHOLE LIBRARY, ON DEVICE The catalogue is fetched once and kept locally, so searching by title, author, narrator, series or tag is instant and works with no signal at all. Shelves are built on your device from what you actually have. Download books to read and listen offline. ON EVERY SCREEN A Home Screen widget with your current book, chapter and progress. Native apps for Apple TV and the Mac are included with the same purchase, and Handoff carries your place between them. BUILT FOR THESE PLATFORMS Written in Swift for iPhone and iPad, using the system's own text engine, audio stack and accessibility support throughout. Dynamic Type, VoiceOver and reduced motion are respected, not retrofitted. Issa Reader is an independent client and is not affiliated with the Storyteller project.

Screenshots

Bound4 screens
Issa Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Issa Reader at Free against Bound's $4.99. Issa Reader also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Bound's advantage is ratings volume (2K vs 1) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Issa Reader is free to download; Bound costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Issa Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bound has 2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bound ships an update every 2 months, Issa Reader every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Bound versus Issa Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoundIssa Reader
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (2K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings2K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeadpan, LLCBenjamin Issa

Customer experience

Bound

All ratings1,992 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews519 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral7.9%
Negative19.5%

Issa Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Bound

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Audiobooks disappearing from library after device restart
  • Inability to delete audiobooks from library
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Playback issues with multi-part audiobooks
  • Problems with web uploader functionality

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add support for Apple Watch
  • Implement search and filtering options
  • Allow bookmarks with notes/labels
  • Add Chromecast support
  • Introduce dark mode
Show 1 more
  • Improve cloud storage management

Issa Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bound

No in-app purchases

None

Issa Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bound free?
Bound costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Issa Reader free?
Issa Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bound or Issa Reader?
Issa Reader is rated higher. Bound averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Issa Reader averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Bound or Issa Reader have ads?
Neither Bound nor Issa Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bound or Issa Reader?
Bound ships an update every 2 months, and Issa Reader every 5 days. Most recently, Bound was updated on October 13, 2026 and Issa Reader on October 2, 2026.

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