Barnes & Noble vs APLApp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Barnes & Noble
Access a vast selection of books, eBooks, audiobooks, and more. Discover new releases, bestsellers, and personalized recommendations. Shop for toys, gifts, and home items, with options for home delivery or in-store pickup.
- Shop millions of books
- Browse eBooks and audiobooks
- Discover new releases and bestsellers
- Scan barcodes for product details
- Digital member card
- Store locator
- Manage account and wishlists
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The Barnes & Noble app is the ideal companion for book lovers who want quick and easy access to the world of books. Search, browse and shop our massive selection of books, eBooks, audiobooks, NOOK eReaders & tablets, toys, games, home items, gifts and much more. Ship your items directly to your door, or use our store locator to find the nearest Barnes & Noble bookstore to pick up your order on your own schedule. As an added convenience for Barnes & Noble Members, the app includes a scannable digital Member card for instant access to your Member benefits when shopping in-store. (Please note that in order to provide the best pricing for our customers, we are currently unable to provide an in-app purchasing experience for Digital Content, including eBooks and digital audiobooks.) SHOP Explore our massive selection of millions of Books, Kids' books, Magazines, Manga, CDs, Vinyl, DVDs, Blu-ray, Toys & Games, Home & Gift items, Gift Cards and much more. Buy books from a variety of bestselling genres including astrology, biographies, business, children's books, classics, comics and graphic novels, cookbooks, history, horror, manga, mystery & crime, religion & bibles, romance, sci-fi & fantasy, self-help, teens & YA, test prep books, true crime. Access unique Barnes & Noble content including Product Details, Product Images, Bookseller Reviews, Customer Reviews, Editorial Reviews, Best Sellers, NOOK devices and much more. Fully secure. All purchases go through the secure Barnes & Noble systems. DISCOVER Wondering what to read next? Browse through new releases, classics, best sellers, and book recommendations curated especially for you by our experienced booksellers! Explore a large assortment of eBooks and audiobooks and add them to your Wishlist for easy purchasing on the Barnes and Noble website. Enhance your search by using your camera as a barcode scanner and instantly pull up the product details, book reviews, and more. VISIT YOUR LOCAL B&N Find your closest Barnes & Noble bookstore with our new store locator to browse with our expert booksellers in person or pick up your recent purchase. YOUR ACCOUNT Barnes & Noble Members have direct access to their membership benefits in-store with a scannable digital membership card. Access your online purchase history and manage your Barnes & Noble account all through the app. Access and add items to your Wishlist for easy access across all of your devices.
APLApp
Access your local library's catalog, manage your account, and discover events and resources on the go. Reserve items, track checkouts, and explore online learning materials from your mobile device.
- Search library catalog
- Reserve items
- Manage multiple library accounts
- View and register for events
- Access online learning resources
- View library hours and locations
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Take the Appleton Public Library everywhere you go! -Search the library catalog and reserve items -Add one or more library accounts to your device, allowing you to manage holds, checkouts and more -View and register for events at the library -See information about hours, locations and services offered -Access online learning resources and so much more!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: APLApp at 3.4 against Barnes & Noble's 1.8. APLApp also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Barnes & Noble's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 8) and chart position (#10 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
APLApp holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Barnes & Noble has 2.4K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 8% of Barnes & Noble's written reviews are positive against 0% of APLApp's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Barnes & Noble | APLApp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (2.4K ratings) | 3.4 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 7.7% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #10 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Barnes & Noble | Capira Technologies, LLC. |
Customer experience
Barnes & Noble
APLApp
Bugs and requests
Barnes & Noble
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes frequently
- Cart items disappearing
- Inability to log in or stay logged in
- Inconsistent behavior across features
Requested features
4 requests- Add Face ID/Touch ID login
- Improve search and filtering options
- Integrate order tracking and digital receipts
- Allow in-app ebook purchases
APLApp
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Barnes & Noble
No in-app purchases
APLApp
No in-app purchases
