# Gutenberg | eBook Reader vs African Books

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: African Books at none against Gutenberg | eBook Reader's 6. African Books also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.5). Gutenberg | eBook Reader's advantage is ratings volume (758 vs 2). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gutenberg | eBook Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. African Books asks for nothing beyond the download.

African Books holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gutenberg | eBook Reader has 758 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Gutenberg | eBook Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, African Books every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gutenberg | eBook Reader | African Books |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (758 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gutenberg-ebook-reader/id1289618861/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/african-books/id1643168727/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **758** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 69.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 48 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Webron Software LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1071126548) | [AfricanBooks.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/1643168729) |

## What reviewers say

### Gutenberg | eBook Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gutenberg-ebook-reader/id1289618861)

Access a vast library of public domain e-books and audiobooks from around the world. Explore tens of thousands of titles across numerous languages and categories, including classics and popular works.

**Highlights:** Vast public domain e-book library, Extensive audiobook collection, Thousands of titles available, Multiple languages supported, Categorized book selection, Top 50 e-books listed

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Premium | $39.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Extensive collection of classic literature
- 💰 Free access to thousands of books
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 📖 Page-turning feature mimics physical books
- 🌙 Night mode for comfortable reading

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Search function is unreliable and confusing
- 📱 Poor book organization and browsing
- 💔 Missing many books found on Project Gutenberg website
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- ⚙️ Limited customization options for book format

**Reported bugs**

- Search returns no results or irrelevant results
- Books listed on Project Gutenberg not appearing in app
- App fails to download certain books
- Reading progress not saved between sessions
- Continuous scroll instead of page-by-page display

**Requested features**

- Improved search functionality with better filtering
- Better book organization and categorization system
- Dictionary/word definition feature
- Improved paragraph spacing and text formatting
- Page-by-page navigation instead of chapter-based


### African Books

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/african-books/id1643168727)

Discover a diverse collection of eBooks and audiobooks from African authors and publishers. Amplify the African voice globally with stories spanning various genres, age categories, languages, and regions. Find your next read from a curated selection of literature.

**Highlights:** eBook and audiobook platform, Focus on African authors and publishers, Global selection with African connections, Diverse genres and age categories, Multiple languages and regions, Amplify African voices

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gutenberg | eBook Reader free?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is African Books free?

African Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Gutenberg | eBook Reader or African Books?

African Books is rated higher. Gutenberg | eBook Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 758 ratings, while African Books averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Gutenberg | eBook Reader or African Books have ads?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader shows ads; African Books does not.

### Which is updated more often, Gutenberg | eBook Reader or African Books?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader ships an update every 6 weeks, and African Books every 2 months. Most recently, Gutenberg | eBook Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and African Books on October 15, 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.*