# BookPlayer vs plappa

The clearest difference is ratings volume: BookPlayer at 19K against plappa's 331. BookPlayer also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks) and chart position (#56 vs unranked). plappa's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BookPlayer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and plappa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for BookPlayer against 4.7 for plappa. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookPlayer has 19K ratings behind it against 331, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of BookPlayer's written reviews are positive against 86% of plappa's.

BookPlayer ships an update every 10 days, plappa every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookPlayer | plappa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookplayer/id1138219998/reviews)** | [4.7 (331 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plappa/id6475201956/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 331 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **86.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#56** | — |
| Size | 95 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gianni Carlo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1138219997) | [Leo Wehrfritz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1663611386) |

## What reviewers say

### BookPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookplayer/id1138219998)

**Currently charting:** #56 Top Free · Book, #179 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

This app provides a dedicated listening experience for audiobooks in M4B, M4A, MP3, and FLAC formats. It offers robust import, management, and playback features, including chapter navigation, variable playback speed, and cloud sync for seamless listening across devices.

**Highlights:** Import audiobooks via AirDrop, Files, iTunes, servers, and zip files, Manage library with progress tracking, sorting, and playlists, Advanced playback controls including speed, rewind, and volume boost, Chapter navigation and lock screen controls, Cloud sync for cross-device listening, CarPlay and Apple Watch companion app support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $1.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $2.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $3.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly (1 Month) | $4.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $6.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly (1 Year) | $49.99 | per year |
| Kind tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Kind Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Excellent Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Incredible Tip | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Flawless playback
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Ability to import from various sources
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Remembers playback position

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🐛 Issues with importing or playing certain files
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices
- 🐛 Unreliable performance after updates

**Reported bugs**

- Playback issues with certain audio formats
- Importing problems with large audiobook libraries
- Crashes when deleting books

**Requested features**

- Bookmark management
- Percentage completion tracking
- Improved multi-file book handling
- Customizable sleep timer
- iCloud/cloud sync between devices


### plappa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plappa/id6475201956)

This app is a client for self-hosted media servers like Jellyfin and AudioBookShelf, designed specifically for playing audiobooks. It supports common audio formats, reads metadata, and allows for offline listening with optional in-app purchases for advanced features.

**Highlights:** Jellyfin, Emby, AudioBookShelf client, Supports common audio formats, Saves and syncs playback states, Reads audiobook metadata, Offline listening (via IAP), Podcast and collection support (AudioBookShelf)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription (1 Year) | $1.99 | per year |
| Full Version (Lifetime) | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app with all the same features
- 🚀 Excellent, love download to watch
- 🚀 Works great! Just what I needed!
- 👍 Brilliant app
- 👍 Amazing!

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Great player. Audiobookshelf support needs work
- 🐛 Small bugs, good app

**Reported bugs**

- Can't login Audiobookshelf
- Podcasts library not listing all podcasts

**Requested features**

- Auto download when start playing book
- Auto delete when finished book
- Option to add multiple servers
- More sorting and filtering options in the library section
- Refresh button for libraries


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookPlayer free?

BookPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is plappa free?

plappa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, BookPlayer or plappa?

BookPlayer is rated higher. BookPlayer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while plappa averages 4.7 from 331 ratings.

### Do BookPlayer or plappa have ads?

Neither BookPlayer nor plappa shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookPlayer or plappa?

BookPlayer ships an update every 10 days, and plappa every 5 weeks. Most recently, BookPlayer was updated on September 24, 2026 and plappa on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*