Comparison

Literal vs Hardcover.app

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

Head to head
About

Literal

This app transforms reading into an engaging group chat experience. It presents books with profile pictures and speech bubbles, making it easy to follow conversations. Users can read alone or invite friends to discuss books in real-time.

Highlights
  • Group chat reading format
  • Interactive book discussions
  • Invite friends to read together
  • Track reading progress
  • Access classic and modern titles
  • Suitable for educators
Features
Read full description

Wish you read more books? Literal is what would happen if your favorite messaging app and ebook app had a baby. We make the books you love even more addictive. Literal lets you read the world's best content (Books) in the world's most engaging format (Group Chat). Read for Free or upgrade to access even more books! Read like you chat and Never get lost or confused in a story again. Literal adds profile pictures and speech bubbles to an author’s original text. This makes it super simple to understand who is speaking and what they said. Even if you're an excellent reader. Literal delivers books in a format that will keep you more engaged throughout the entire book! Start a book group and read together. Invite your friends to join a book with you the same way that you would invite them to a group chat. See where everyone is in the story, chat, laugh, and comment. Together. Browse or binge – the choice is yours. No time to read? No problem. At home or on the go, Literal makes it easy. Browse or binge through our library of titles whenever and wherever you want. Unlike other chat fiction apps, Literal lets you read real books. This makes it ideal for English teachers, ELA instructors and literacy educators to provide an alternative reading format to students who need a modern way to read. Read classics like Shakespeare, pride and Prejudice and Alice in Wonderland. Or Enjoy modern tiles from our publishing partners.

About

Hardcover.app

This app helps you organize and discover books. Track what you've read, create custom lists, and see what friends are reading. Set reading goals and share your thoughts on books.

Highlights
  • Track read and to-read books
  • Organize with lists and tags
  • See friends' reading activity
  • Discover trending books
  • Rate and review books
  • Set reading goals
  • Track reading statistics
Features
Read full description

Hardcover is a book tracking app with a social side, built for readers, not algorithms. Add books you’ve read or want to read. Keep your library tidy with lists and tags. See what your friends are reading, explore trending picks, and discover hidden gems through curated lists. Rate, review, and share your thoughts. Make your profile public, private, or friends-only—your reading, your rules. Set goals, track your stats, and find your reading rhythm. We use Apple's standard Terms of Service (EULA). https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Literal4 screens
Hardcover.app4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Literal at 4.8 against Hardcover.app's 4.2. Literal also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 52%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Hardcover.app's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 20 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hardcover.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Literal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Literal holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 66 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Literal's written reviews are positive against 52% of Hardcover.app's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Literal ships an update every 20 months, Hardcover.app every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Literal versus Hardcover.app: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLiteralHardcover.app
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (33 ratings) — better4.2 (66 ratings)
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews — better52.2% of reviews
Number of ratings3366 — better
Update frequencyEvery 20 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB6 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperLiteral LLCHardcover LLC

Customer experience

Literal

All ratings32 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

Hardcover.app

All ratings66 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral15.2%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive52.2%
Neutral21.7%
Negative26.1%

In-app purchases

None

Literal

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Hardcover.app

Subscriptions2
  • Supporter - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Supporter - Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Literal free?
Literal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hardcover.app free?
Hardcover.app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Literal or Hardcover.app?
Literal is rated higher. Literal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Hardcover.app averages 4.2 from 66 ratings.
Do Literal or Hardcover.app have ads?
Neither Literal nor Hardcover.app shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Literal or Hardcover.app?
Literal ships an update every 20 months, and Hardcover.app every 6 months. Most recently, Literal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Hardcover.app on November 3, 2026.

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