Comparison

BookPlayer vs tale.fyi

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BookPlayer

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
Read full description

A wonderful player for your M4B/M4A/MP3/FLAC based audiobooks. Import – Using AirDrop from your Mac or iOS device – From Files and other apps on your device – Via File Sharing in iTunes on your Mac or PC – From your own AudibookShelf or Jellyfin server – Zip files with your folders and books Manage – Maintain and see progress of your books – Mark books as finished – Drag & Drop to sort your library – Create playlists – Automatically play items in turn – Play the first unfinished file by tapping on the playlist artwork – Move files to playlists from the library or import them directly – Edit your book details (title, author, artwork) – Connect to your Hardcover.app account, and track your library progress Listen – Control audio playback from the lock screen, control center or from the companion app on the Apple Watch – Play and navigate books with Chapters – Jump to start of the current book – Change playback speed – Smart rewind – Volume Boost – Support for remote events from headset buttons and the lock screen – Sleep timer with adjustable duration – CarPlay support – VoiceOver support – Dolby Atmos support – Dark mode for night owls – Continue listening across your devices with Cloud Sync, including stand alone playback on your Apple Watch Supported M4B/M4A/MP3 BookPlayer is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0. The source code and a list of all its contributors can be found on the GitHub page of this project at www.github.com/TortugaPower/BookPlayer You can see our Privacy policy and terms of use in the following links: – https://github.com/TortugaPower/BookPlayer/blob/main/PRIVACY_POLICY.md – https://github.com/TortugaPower/BookPlayer/blob/main/TERMS_CONDITIONS.md For help and ways to contribute to the project see the support section in the Settings screen of BookPlayer or visit www.bookplayer.app If you enjoy BookPlayer, we would be glad if you consider writing a review.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Read classic novels
  • Listen to audiobooks
  • Offline download
  • Minimalist design
  • No signup required
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

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

BookPlayer4 screens
tale.fyi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: tale.fyi at none against BookPlayer's 15. tale.fyi also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). BookPlayer's advantage is ratings volume (20K vs 3) and chart position (#57 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

tale.fyi holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookPlayer has 20K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of BookPlayer's written reviews are positive against 100% of tale.fyi's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookPlayer ships an update every 10 days, tale.fyi every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
BookPlayer versus tale.fyi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookPlayertale.fyi
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (20K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#57 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB11 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGianni CarloSamuel Cole

Customer experience

BookPlayer

All ratings19,501 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews1,298 reviews
Positive82.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative12.4%

tale.fyi

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

BookPlayer

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

6 requests
  • Bookmark management
  • Percentage completion tracking
  • Improved multi-file book handling
  • Customizable sleep timer
  • iCloud/cloud sync between devices
Show 1 more
  • Siri/Shortcuts integration

tale.fyi

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

BookPlayer

Subscriptions7
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$1.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$2.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$3.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Pro Monthly (1 Month)$4.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$6.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$9.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly (1 Year)$49.991 Year
One-time4
  • Kind tip$2.99
  • Kind Tip$2.99
  • Excellent Tip2 variants$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Incredible Tip2 variants$9.99
None

tale.fyi

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BookPlayer free?
BookPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is tale.fyi free?
tale.fyi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BookPlayer or tale.fyi?
tale.fyi is rated higher. BookPlayer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while tale.fyi averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do BookPlayer or tale.fyi have ads?
Neither BookPlayer nor tale.fyi shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookPlayer or tale.fyi?
BookPlayer ships an update every 10 days, and tale.fyi every 3 days. Most recently, BookPlayer was updated on October 20, 2026 and tale.fyi on October 7, 2026.

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