Comparison

OpenLibrary Browser vs Books Reader

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

Head to head
About

OpenLibrary Browser

Access a vast catalog of books directly from your mobile device. Search for titles, browse collections, and download public domain works for free.

Highlights
  • Search book catalog
  • Browse book collections
  • Download public domain works
  • Mobile client for OpenLibrary
Features
Read full description

A mobile client for the OpenLibrary website. Users can search and browse for books, and download available public domain works.

About

Books Reader

This app provides a seamless e-reading experience, managing your ebook collection and offering customizable reading settings. It supports various formats and includes features like bookmarking, note-taking, and a read/unread tracker.

Highlights
  • Supports multiple ebook formats (epub, fb2, mobi, PDF)
  • Manages and organizes ebook collections
  • Customizable text size, color, theme, and brightness
  • Progress tracking and bookmarking
  • Note-taking and excerpt selection
  • Read/unread book tracker
  • Filtering and search functionality
Features
Read full description

Books Reader - its a perfect e-reading experience. Overdrive your reading skills everyday. For everyone reader we gift free books and e-reading collections. Books Reader is a laconic pocket library and intuitive tool for a perfect reading experience. Without extra fluff or complexity, it takes care of all the basic needs: managing your ebook collections, getting the text on the screen and letting you interact with it as you go at your prime reading. For a start, the app builds a library for you by rounding up all the book files stored on the device. Books Reader works with most popular ebooks formats (epub, fb2, mobi etc.), including zip archives. If necessary, you can tweak the list manually, by adding or removing specific titles for ibooks. However big your collection gets, browsing will remain easy thanks to a provided set of filters. Besides, the system is keeping track of your history to display the books in order of relevance. Viewing the book, you can adjust the settings for the best effect: change size and color of the text, pick the right theme and brightness level, use various controls options for turning pages. The combination of a progress bar, bookmarking and a search tool help to navigate the text effortlessly. Make sure to select the excerpts that stayed with you and import them to Notes with just a couple of taps. Books Reader offers: - A variety of ebook formats (epub, fb2,PDF, mobi and others); - Auto unpacking of zip archives; - A smart manager of the books stored on your device; - Read/unread books tracker; - Filtering system (by author, by date added or read, etc.); - Adjustable page/text settings (brightness, size, color, theme and more); - Several controls methods (scrolling, tapping or using buttons); - Marking pages and taking notes. Privacy Policy: https://villow.studio/privacy Term Of Use: https://villow.studio/terms

Screenshots

OpenLibrary Browser4 screens
Books Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Books Reader at 4.7 against OpenLibrary Browser's 1.4. Books Reader also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 0%). OpenLibrary Browser's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Books Reader sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. OpenLibrary Browser asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Books Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of OpenLibrary Browser's written reviews are positive against 38% of Books Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
OpenLibrary Browser versus Books Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenLibrary BrowserBooks Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.4 (39 ratings)4.7 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews37.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings39 — better22
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert WakefieldVillow

Customer experience

OpenLibrary Browser

All ratings39 ratings
Positive7.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative92.3%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Books Reader

All ratings22 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral4.5%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral25.0%
Negative37.5%

In-app purchases

None

OpenLibrary Browser

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Books Reader

Subscriptions4
  • Regular donation$1.991 Month
  • Regular donation$3.991 Month
  • Regular donation$5.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Regular donation$9.991 Month
One-time5
  • Donation$1.99
  • Donation$3.99
  • Donation$5.99
Show 2 more
  • Donation$9.99
  • Custom Fonts & Themes$9.99

Questions

Is OpenLibrary Browser free?
OpenLibrary Browser is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Books Reader free?
Books Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, OpenLibrary Browser or Books Reader?
Books Reader is rated higher. OpenLibrary Browser averages 1.4 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Books Reader averages 4.7 from 22 ratings.
Do OpenLibrary Browser or Books Reader have ads?
Neither OpenLibrary Browser nor Books Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenLibrary Browser or Books Reader?
OpenLibrary Browser ships an update every 3 months, and Books Reader every 3 months. Most recently, OpenLibrary Browser was updated on October 6, 2026 and Books Reader on October 10, 2026.

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