Libby, the library app vs Book Haven
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Libby, the library app
Access millions of free ebooks and audiobooks from your local library. Borrow titles instantly with your library card, download for offline enjoyment, and enjoy a customizable reading and listening experience.
- Borrow ebooks and audiobooks
- Download for offline access
- Send ebooks to Kindle
- Adjust reader settings
- Customize audio player
- Create book lists
Read full descriptionHide full description
All over the world, local libraries offer millions of ebooks and audiobooks. You can borrow them — for free, instantly — with a library card and Libby: the award-winning, much-loved app for libraries. • Browse your library’s digital catalog of books — from classics to NYT best-sellers • Borrow and enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines • Download titles for offline reading, or stream them to save space • Send ebooks to your Kindle (U.S. libraries only) • Listen to audiobooks via Apple CarPlay • Use tags to create your must-read list and any other book lists you want • Keep your reading position automatically synced on all your devices In our beautiful, intuitive ebook reader: • Adjust text size, background color, and book design • Zoom into magazines and comic books • Define and search for words and phrases • Read and listen to read-alongs with your kids • Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights In our ground-breaking audio player: • Slow down or speed up the audio (0.6 to 3.0x) • Set a sleep timer • Simply swipe to skip forward and backward • Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights Libby is built by the team at OverDrive, in support of local libraries everywhere. Happy reading!
Book Haven
A free, minimalist ebook reader and digital library for classic literature. It offers AI-assisted reading, note-taking, and quizzes, with all books pre-downloaded for offline access. Expand your knowledge with a personal collection of timeless stories.
- AI-assisted reading
- Digital library of classics
- Note-taking functionality
- In-app quizzes
- Offline reading support
- Minimalist interface
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your free, minimalist, AI assisted ebook reader, and digital library for classic books. Read easily on your phone across a variety of topics, take notes, ask questions, and take quizzes. All books come pre-downloaded making it great for offline use. Expand your knowledge and dive into classics with your own personal Book Haven.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Book Haven at every 4 days against Libby, the library app's monthly. Libby, the library app's advantage is ratings volume (4.4M vs 2) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). 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 Libby, the library app against 5.0 for Book Haven. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Libby, the library app has 4.4M ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Libby, the library app ships an update monthly, Book Haven every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Libby, the library app | Book Haven |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (4.4M ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4.4M — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #2 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 99 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | OverDrive, Inc. | Gov Glance Foundation Inc. |
Customer experience
Libby, the library app
Book Haven
Bugs and requests
Libby, the library app
Reported bugs
5 issues- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Issues with downloading and syncing content
- Unreliable playback controls for audiobooks
- Inconsistent behavior when placing holds
- Disappearing reading history and bookmarks
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to search across multiple libraries
- Custom reading/listening speed controls
- Improved recommendation and discovery tools
- Option to purchase unavailable titles
- Customizable reading experience (fonts, themes)
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Integration with other e-book/audiobook services
Book Haven
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Libby, the library app
No in-app purchases
Book Haven
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Libby, the library app free?
Is Book Haven free?
Which has better reviews, Libby, the library app or Book Haven?
Do Libby, the library app or Book Haven have ads?
Which is updated more often, Libby, the library app or Book Haven?
Other comparisons
