Libro.fm Audiobooks vs BKLYN Library
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
BKLYN Library
Access and manage your library account from your mobile device. Browse physical and digital collections, manage checkouts and holds, and utilize mobile checkout features. The app also supports managing multiple library cards.
- Browse physical and digital collections
- Manage checkouts and holds
- Mobile checkout
- Manage multiple library cards
- Create booklists
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-Browse the library's physical and digital collection -Manage your checkouts, holds, and booklists. -Mobile checkout -Manage multiple library cards
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Libro.fm Audiobooks at 4.9 against BKLYN Library's 4.2. Libro.fm Audiobooks also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 61%) and ratings volume (41K vs 104). BKLYN Library's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Libro.fm Audiobooks holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Libro.fm Audiobooks has 41K ratings behind it against 104, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Libro.fm Audiobooks's written reviews are positive against 61% of BKLYN Library's.
Libro.fm Audiobooks ships an update monthly, BKLYN Library every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Libro.fm Audiobooks | BKLYN Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (41K ratings) — better | 4.2 (104 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.8% of reviews — better | 61.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 41K — better | 104 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #103 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Libro.fm | Brooklyn Public Library |
Customer experience
Libro.fm Audiobooks
BKLYN Library
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)
BKLYN Library
From 104 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🚀 Efficient mobile checkout
- 💡 Scan ISBN barcode to find books
- 💡 Digital library card
- 👍 Great for placing holds
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 🐛 App becomes slow and unusable
- 🐛 Requires frequent re-downloads
- 🐛 Blank screen or loading issues
- 🐛 Books disappear from checkouts/holds
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
BKLYN Library
Reported bugs
13 issues- App broken, page blank, books overdue
- App stops working after a while, needs re-download
- Mobile checkout involves buffering
- Constantly signing out, need to re-enter details
- Added accounts disappear after re-login
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- App doesn't load, says not connected to internet
- App stuck on blank screen, no sign-in option
- Books disappear under Checkouts and Holds
- App is super slow and glitchy
- App doesn't load, gets stuck, can't change accounts
- App stops working after a few days, kicks user off
- Cannot get app to work on library WiFi
- Age restricted to 17+
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back location finder with hours
- Keep users logged in
- Improve branch hours/closures display
- Allow offline access to library card
In-app purchases
Libro.fm Audiobooks
No in-app purchases
BKLYN Library
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Libro.fm Audiobooks free?
Is BKLYN Library free?
Which has better reviews, Libro.fm Audiobooks or BKLYN Library?
Do Libro.fm Audiobooks or BKLYN Library have ads?
Which is updated more often, Libro.fm Audiobooks or BKLYN Library?
Other comparisons
