Libby, the library app vs tale.fyi
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
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Libby connects you to your local library’s collection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more. With just your library card, you can instantly read or listen to books on your phone or tablet — for free, thanks to your public library! Browse and borrow everything from timeless classics to the latest New York Times bestsellers, and enjoy your next great read anytime, anywhere. What You Can Do with Libby - Browse your library’s digital catalog of books - Borrow and enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines - Send ebooks to your Kindle (U.S. libraries only) - Listen to audiobooks through Apple CarPlay - Download titles for offline reading, or stream them to save space - Use tags to create to-be--read lists or organize your favorite titles - Keep your reading position with automatic syncing across all your devices A Beautiful Reading Experience Enjoy a seamless reading experience with Libby’s elegant, easy-to-use ebook reader: - Adjust text size, background color, and book design to fit your preferences - Zoom into magazines, comics, and graphic novels - Define and search for words or phrases instantly - Read and listen to interactive read-alongs with your kids - Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights to personalize your reading An Immersive Audiobook Player Libby’s audiobook player makes listening effortless and enjoyable: - Slow down or speed up playback (0.6x to 3.0x) - Set a sleep timer for nighttime listening - Swipe easily to skip forward or backward - Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights as you listen Read Anywhere, Anytime Libby is designed for everyone, including kids, teens, and adults. Whether you’re exploring new stories, catching up on bestsellers, or revisiting your favorite books, Libby keeps reading simple, fun, and accessible. Built by OverDrive, Libby proudly supports public libraries and the joy of reading for all. Download Libby today and turn your device into your personal library.
tale.fyi
Immerse yourself in classic literature with this minimalist app. Read or listen to entire novels, with options to download content for offline access. Enjoy a distraction-free experience without signups, ads, or purchases.
- Read classic novels
- Listen to audiobooks
- Offline download
- Minimalist design
- No signup required
- Ad-free experience
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Read (or listen to) whole classic novels set in a beautiful minimalist app designed for focus. Download the text or the audio to take with you anywhere. No signup required, no purchases, no ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: tale.fyi at every 3 days against Libby, the library app's monthly. tale.fyi also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 84%). Libby, the library app's advantage is ratings volume (4.6M vs 3) and chart position (#3 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 tale.fyi. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Libby, the library app has 4.6M ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Libby, the library app's written reviews are positive against 100% of tale.fyi's.
Libby, the library app ships an update monthly, tale.fyi every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Libby, the library app | tale.fyi |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (4.6M ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.6M — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #3 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | OverDrive, Inc. | Samuel Cole |
Customer experience
Libby, the library app
tale.fyi
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)
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- Integration with other e-book/audiobook services
tale.fyi
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Libby, the library app
No in-app purchases
tale.fyi
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Libby, the library app free?
Is tale.fyi free?
Which has better reviews, Libby, the library app or tale.fyi?
Do Libby, the library app or tale.fyi have ads?
Which is updated more often, Libby, the library app or tale.fyi?
Other comparisons
