# NLB Mobile vs Books Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Books Reader at 4.7 against NLB Mobile's 3.3. NLB Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Books Reader sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. NLB Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

Books Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 22 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of NLB Mobile's written reviews are positive against 38% of Books Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

NLB Mobile ships an update monthly, Books Reader every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NLB Mobile | Books Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nlb-mobile/id1147053983/reviews) | **[4.7 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/books-reader-pocket-library/id1550557954/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **35** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | **41.3% of reviews** | 37.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 123 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [National Library Board Singapore](https://appshunter.io/developer/411883166) | [Villow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1550558286) |

## What reviewers say

### NLB Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nlb-mobile/id1147053983)

Access a vast collection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and newspapers. Borrow physical items, take online courses, and manage your library account and family's accounts easily. Discover new digital resources and log in securely with QR Login.

**Highlights:** Read ebooks and audiobooks, Access eMagazines and eNewspapers, Take online courses, Borrow physical library items, Manage library accounts, QR Login for easy sign-in

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Books Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/books-reader-pocket-library/id1550557954)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Regular donation | $1.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $3.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $5.99 | per month |
| Regular donation | $9.99 | per month |
| Donation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $3.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $5.99 | one-time |
| Donation | $9.99 | one-time |
| Custom Fonts & Themes | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NLB Mobile free?

NLB Mobile 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, NLB Mobile or Books Reader?

Books Reader is rated higher. NLB Mobile averages 3.3 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Books Reader averages 4.7 from 22 ratings.

### Do NLB Mobile or Books Reader have ads?

Neither NLB Mobile nor Books Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NLB Mobile or Books Reader?

NLB Mobile ships an update monthly, and Books Reader every 3 months. Most recently, NLB Mobile was updated on October 29, 2026 and Books Reader on October 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.*