Libro.fm Audiobooks vs Bookshop.org
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Libro.fm Audiobooks
Access a vast library of audiobooks while supporting local bookstores. Purchase audiobooks with credits, enjoy DRM-free downloads, and listen on the go with features like playback speed control and a sleep timer. Your purchases directly benefit independent booksellers.
- Explore 600,000+ audiobooks
- Use audiobook credits
- Apple Watch listening
- Automatic sync across devices
- Bookmarks and playback speed
- Sleep timer
- DRM-free downloads
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Looking to read audiobooks, and love supporting your local bookshop? We’re Libro.fm, an employee-owned audiobook company that shares profits with more than 4,000 indie bookshops around the globe. Whether you’re starting a membership or grabbing one of our 600,000+ audiobooks à la carte, every purchase supports your chosen store. • DRM-free (accessible audiobooks) • Reader-friendly features: Create bookmarks, set a sleep timer, adjust playback speed, create and assign tags, and automatically sync your spot across devices • Use your Libro.fm credits to redeem audiobooks in app • Supports Apple Watch and CarPlay • Recommendations from real booksellers As a Social Purpose Corporation and Certified B Corp™, we're proud to put time and resources into supporting indie bookshops and getting more folks to read—even if those goals may at times conflict with our financial interests. We care about the reading ecosystem and want it to thrive. Our privacy policy can be found at https://libro.fm/privacy Our terms of use can be found at https://libro.fm/terms
Bookshop.org
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.
- Read ebooks from your library
- Browse millions of ebooks
- Add titles to wishlist
- Support local bookstores with purchases
- Connect seamlessly with Bookshop
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Bookshop.org’s mission is simple: We help local, independent bookstores thrive by giving more than 80% of our profits back to our network of 3,000+ stores. In our app, you can read millions of ebooks - and every purchase supports an independent bookstore near you! In the Bookshop app you can: - Read your ebooks in our customizable ebook reader. - Browse millions of titles and discover your next favorite read in romance, thrillers, mystery, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and more. - Organize your TBR into custom shelves. - Highlight in five different colors, and add notes to your highlighted passages. - Sort & filter highlights and notes by date created, book order, and more. - Save titles to your wishlist so you can read them later. - Shop knowing that over 80% of the profit goes directly to local, independent bookstores. We’re a Certified B Corp, and we’ve raised more than $50 million for independent bookstores nationwide since 2020. Download the Bookshop.org app to support bookstores, not billionaires.
Screenshots
Verdict
Libro.fm Audiobooks and Bookshop.org both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Libro.fm Audiobooks's written reviews are positive against 57% of Bookshop.org's. Libro.fm Audiobooks also leads on ratings volume (41K vs 2.2K). Bookshop.org's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
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 — 4.9 for Libro.fm Audiobooks against 4.8 for Bookshop.org. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Libro.fm Audiobooks has 41K ratings behind it against 2.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Libro.fm Audiobooks's written reviews are positive against 57% of Bookshop.org's.
Libro.fm Audiobooks ships an update monthly, Bookshop.org every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Libro.fm Audiobooks | Bookshop.org |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (41K ratings) — better | 4.8 (2.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.8% of reviews — better | 56.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 41K — better | 2.2K |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #89 — better | #172 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 111 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Libro.fm | Bookshop, Inc. |
Customer experience
Libro.fm Audiobooks
Bookshop.org
User reviews
Libro.fm Audiobooks
From 41K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Support for local bookstores
- 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
- 💡 DRM-free audiobooks
- 🎨 Great user interface
- 🎁 Generous membership benefits
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy playback and syncing issues
- 🔍 Limited search and browsing functionality
- 💰 Audiobook prices can be high
- 🤔 Lack of certain features (e.g. chapters, in-app purchases)
Bookshop.org
From 2.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Great alternative to Amazon
- 👍 Supports local bookstores
- 👍 Clean and pleasing interface
- 👍 Solid app for a new release
Room to improve
- 🐛 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.)
Bugs and requests
Libro.fm Audiobooks
Reported bugs
3 issues- Playback stops when device goes to sleep
- Inability to download audiobooks on cellular data
- App crashes and loses progress in books
Requested features
4 requests- Add chapter support for audiobooks
- Improve search and browsing capabilities
- Allow in-app purchases and account management
- Implement syncing across devices
Bookshop.org
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
7 requests- 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
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- Provide better dark mode/night reading experience
- Sync reading progress across devices
In-app purchases
Libro.fm Audiobooks
No in-app purchases
Bookshop.org
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Libro.fm Audiobooks free?
Is Bookshop.org free?
Which has better reviews, Libro.fm Audiobooks or Bookshop.org?
Do Libro.fm Audiobooks or Bookshop.org have ads?
Which is updated more often, Libro.fm Audiobooks or Bookshop.org?
Which is more popular, Libro.fm Audiobooks or Bookshop.org?
Other comparisons
