# BookPlayer vs Shiori Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shiori Reader at none against BookPlayer's 15. Shiori Reader also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 83%). BookPlayer's advantage is ratings volume (20K vs 14) and chart position (#55 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BookPlayer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Shiori Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for BookPlayer against 4.7 for Shiori Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookPlayer has 20K ratings behind it against 14, 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 100% of Shiori Reader's.

BookPlayer ships an update every 10 days, Shiori Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookPlayer | Shiori Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookplayer/id1138219998/reviews)** | [4.7 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiori-reader/id6744979827/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **20K** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | 82.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#55** | — |
| Size | 94 MB | 310 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gianni Carlo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1138219997) | [Clint Russell Graviet Jr](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810290576) |

## What reviewers say

### BookPlayer

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

**Currently charting:** #55 Top Free · Book, #160 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


### Shiori Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiori-reader/id6744979827)

This EPUB reader is designed for Japanese language learners. It offers one-tap dictionary lookups, vocabulary saving, and Anki integration to help users expand their Japanese vocabulary and improve reading comprehension.

**Highlights:** One-tap dictionary lookup, Yomitan dictionary import, Seamless EPUB reading, Vocabulary list saving, Anki integration, Context-aware learning, Smart Japanese text support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookPlayer free?

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

### Is Shiori Reader free?

Shiori Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BookPlayer or Shiori Reader?

BookPlayer is rated higher. BookPlayer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while Shiori Reader averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.

### Do BookPlayer or Shiori Reader have ads?

Neither BookPlayer nor Shiori Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookPlayer or Shiori Reader?

BookPlayer ships an update every 10 days, and Shiori Reader weekly. Most recently, BookPlayer was updated on October 16, 2026 and Shiori Reader on October 2, 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.*