Barnes & Noble vs Codex Reader Early Access
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.
Codex Reader Early Access
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Codex Reader turns the books you already own into one library you can read and listen to. Connect your own sources — Plex, Audiobookshelf, OPDS catalogs, and Storyteller — or bring files straight in from the Files app. Your EPUBs, M4Bs, and MP3 audiobooks all land in a single shelf. READ AND LISTEN, TOGETHER Readalouds keep the text and the narration in sync, highlighting each line as it's spoken. Switch between reading and listening whenever you like and pick up exactly where you left off. BUILT FOR iOS CarPlay for the drive. Siri and Spotlight to jump straight into a book. Home Screen widgets and a Live Activity for what you're in the middle of. Everything works offline once downloaded. MADE YOURS Choose your app icon, tune typography and playback to taste, organize shelves and reading lists, and follow authors or servers to hear about new arrivals. Codex Premium adds iCloud sync so your place in a book follows you between devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Barnes & Noble at none against Codex Reader Early Access's 1. Barnes & Noble also leads on chart position (#11 vs unranked). Codex Reader Early Access's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). 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
Both are free to download. Codex Reader Early Access sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Barnes & Noble asks for nothing beyond the download.
Barnes & Noble ships an update every 3 weeks, Codex Reader Early Access weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Barnes & Noble | Codex Reader Early Access |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (2.3K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 7.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #11 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Barnes & Noble | Cameron Green |
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
Codex Reader Early Access
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Barnes & Noble
No in-app purchases
Codex Reader Early Access
- Codex Premium$6.99
Questions
Is Barnes & Noble free?
Is Codex Reader Early Access free?
Do Barnes & Noble or Codex Reader Early Access have ads?
Which is updated more often, Barnes & Noble or Codex Reader Early Access?
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