NLB Mobile vs Synopsia
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NLB Mobile
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.
- Read ebooks and audiobooks
- Access eMagazines and eNewspapers
- Take online courses
- Borrow physical library items
- Manage library accounts
- QR Login for easy sign-in
Read full descriptionHide full description
This application is brought to you by the National Library Board, a Singapore Government Agency. Discover a world of learning with the NLB Mobile app, anywhere, anytime: • Read ebooks and listen to audiobooks • Read current eMagazines and eNewspapers • Access online courses • Borrow physical library items using your mobile device • Discover new digital resources and sign in to our websites easily with QR Login • Manage your library account, and also your family’s accounts
Synopsia
Access key ideas from top books in audio summaries. Learn new concepts quickly, whether you're commuting or relaxing. Offers a vast library, speed control, and offline listening.
- Extensive library of book summaries
- Bionic Reading for faster absorption
- Adjustable font size and speed control
- Subtitles and automatic video player
- Offline book summary downloads
- Learn new words and access key points
Read full descriptionHide full description
Synopsia is your ultimate audio book summary app, offering instant access to the key ideas of the best works. Whether you're on the go, cooking, or just taking a break, Synopsia broadens your horizons by allowing you to quickly discover key concepts. Features: Extended Library: Explore a vast selection of book summaries covering various genres, including business, personal development, health, history, and fiction. Bionic Reading: Speed up your reading and absorb information faster with the Bionic Reading feature. Adjustable Font Size: Customize your reading experience by adjusting the font size to your preferences. Subtitles for Full Immersion: Immerse yourself in the story by activating subtitles on the audio player for an immersive experience. Automatic Video Player: Let the story carry you away with the automatic video player for total immersion in the content. Multiple Languages: Access books in a variety of languages, including French, English, Spanish, Hindi, German, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean. Inspiring Quotes: Explore and share inspiring quotes from books to enrich your reading experience. Speed Control: Customize your reading pace by adjusting the speed of audio books to your preferences. Learn New Words: Enrich your vocabulary by discovering new words through our "Learn New Words" feature. Key Points: Quickly access key points of each book for a deeper understanding in less time. Book Downloads: Download your favorite book summaries for offline listening wherever you are. Synopsia accompanies you on your literary journey, allowing you to learn, grow, and be inspired wherever you are. Download now and dive into an unparalleled reading experience. Apple's Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Synopsia at 4.6 against NLB Mobile's 3.3. Synopsia also leads on review sentiment (69% vs 41%) and ratings volume (290 vs 35). NLB Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Synopsia sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. NLB Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.
Synopsia holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Synopsia has 290 ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of NLB Mobile's written reviews are positive against 69% of Synopsia's.
NLB Mobile ships an update monthly, Synopsia every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NLB Mobile | Synopsia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (35 ratings) | 4.6 (290 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.3% of reviews | 69.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 | 290 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 123 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Library Board Singapore | Devpool |
Customer experience
NLB Mobile
Synopsia
Bugs and requests
NLB Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Synopsia
Reported bugs
9 issues- Error when clicking download
- When I click buy on Amazon it takes me to the French Amazon store
- Cannot get bookmarked titles off my list
- Support website oriented toward business partners, not app users
- There are not any summaries available in this app to listen to
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Attention Arnaque : contenu nul et voix française qui change en espagnol pendant l’écoute
- Attention au bout de quelques minutes l’écoute devient incompréhensible, la voix prononcé en espagnole les mots français, puis lentement, puis on perd le fil du résumé quand il recommence juste après encore à parler en espagnol avec les mots francais
- This App was supposed to be free for the day (from AppAdvice). This garbage app charged me $10.99 when it should have been free.
- This app is a scam. It claimed to be a free book reader on X and there is no book inside.
Requested features
12 requests- Support for Airplay, Carplay, and Chromecast
- Ability to copy and paste summaries and share them
- Requests for books, even in French
- Offline mode feature
- Make Amazon link go to U.S. Amazon store
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Increase number of free books
- Ability to remove bookmarked titles
- Download synopses for offline listening
- Add Shakespeare works like drama
- Add more titles and a greater selection of titles
- Add key points, citations, and AI question feature
- Add space to write notes
In-app purchases
NLB Mobile
No in-app purchases
Synopsia
- Synopsia+ Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Synopsia+ Annual Subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Year
- Buy a book$1.99
- Synopsia+ Lifetime$99.99
Questions
Is NLB Mobile free?
Is Synopsia free?
Which has better reviews, NLB Mobile or Synopsia?
Do NLB Mobile or Synopsia have ads?
Which is updated more often, NLB Mobile or Synopsia?
Other comparisons
