Comparison

Scribl Books vs NextRead

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

Head to head
About

Scribl Books

Discover and play original audiobooks, including self-published titles and audiobooks as podcasts. Utilize unique Story Elements to filter content by character, setting, or mood, and explore nonfiction Knowledge Books. Add titles to your library via the website.

Highlights
  • Original audiobooks
  • Podiobooks (audiobooks as podcasts)
  • Self-published content
  • Story Elements search
  • Knowledge Books (nonfiction)
  • Background audio playback
Features
Read full description

Play all the audiobooks you've added to your Scribl library, including paid and free audiobooks and Podiobooks (audiobooks as podcasts). Supports background audio to play whenever and wherever you want. All paid titles feature Scribl's CrowdPricing ($CP), where prices are set by the fans. If you're looking for self-published audiobooks, Scribl has you covered. Use Scribl's Story Elements to find the fiction or true stories you'll love. Search by Elements that define the main character, like gender or religion. Search by Elements that define the setting, like time period, or use of magic or technology. Search by Elements that define the mood of the book, like mystery, humor, and romance. Combine these in any way you want to define your own genres and view only the books that match your preferences. We have recently added Knowledge Books. These are nonfiction books on the topics our self-publishing authors know well. LIMITATIONS WITH THE CURRENT VERSION Only supports playing audiobooks (not yet ebooks) from your Scribl library. You can currently only add titles to your library at Scribl.com. It is not yet possible to add titles to your library from within the app. Does not yet support reading your ebooks or listening to our Podiobook titles, but those will both be coming soon.

About

NextRead

Features
Read full description

Great books, in 15-minute reads. Gripping novels and big ideas, written in our own words, in a reader that turns pages like a real book. Read a chapter on the bus, before bed or while the kettle boils, and finally finish the books you keep meaning to read. 15-MINUTE READS • Novels, told fresh: the plot, the people and the big themes, with a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter • Nonfiction as a page-turner: 5 to 9 key ideas, each with one vivid example and something to try today • Thrillers, romance, fantasy, classics, psychology, money, productivity, history and more, with new reads every week A READER THAT FEELS LIKE A BOOK • Turn real pages with a tap or a swipe, or open two facing pages on iPad • Six page colours, four typefaces, text size, spacing, brightness and warmth • Highlight in four colours, add notes and share your favourite lines • Your place is saved on every page A DAILY READING HABIT • Answer a few questions and get your reading plan • Pick a daily goal of 5, 10 or 15 minutes and a reminder • Keep your streak alive; a streak freeze covers a missed day • Earn XP for every minute you read and every right answer • Climb the weekly leagues, from Paperback to Alexandria REMEMBER WHAT YOU READ • A quick question at the end of each key idea • A 5-question quiz when you finish a read • Daily Recall brings questions back days later, just as you'd start to forget MADE FOR READERS • Search our reads and millions of other books, and keep every book you read in your Library • A community feed: see what other readers finish and cheer them on • Light or dark mode, in English, Deutsch, Español, Français and Română, on iPhone, iPad and the web • No ads NEXTREAD PRO Every chapter of every 15-minute read, offline reading and your For You picks, chosen from what you've read. Monthly or yearly, and new subscribers get 7 days free. Free accounts read the intro of every read and keep streaks, leagues and the community. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. NextRead's 15-minute reads are original works, carefully written by us and reviewed by our editors. They're not affiliated with or endorsed by the books' authors or publishers. Loved one? Read the full book. Terms of Use: https://nextread.club/terms Privacy Policy: https://nextread.club/privacy

Screenshots

Scribl Books4 screens
NextRead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scribl Books at none against NextRead's 2. NextRead's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). 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. NextRead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Scribl Books asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scribl Books ships an update every 5 months, NextRead every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Scribl Books versus NextRead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScribl BooksNextRead
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews11.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB55 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperScribliotech, Inc.Horatiu Radutiu

In-app purchases

None

Scribl Books

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

NextRead

Subscriptions2
  • NextRead Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Scribl Books free?
Scribl Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NextRead free?
NextRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Scribl Books or NextRead have ads?
Neither Scribl Books nor NextRead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scribl Books or NextRead?
Scribl Books ships an update every 5 months, and NextRead every 2 months. Most recently, Scribl Books was updated on October 24, 2026 and NextRead on October 24, 2026.

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