Comparison

Safe APU vs Bookshare Reader

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

Head to head
About

Safe APU

This official university safety app provides students, faculty, and staff with enhanced security on campus. It delivers critical safety alerts, offers direct access to campus safety resources, and includes tools for emergency contact and location sharing.

Highlights
  • Emergency Contacts
  • Mobile Bluelight with real-time location
  • Friend Walk location sharing
  • Tip Reporting to campus security
  • Safety Toolbox with location sharing and 'I'm OK!'
  • Campus and Crime Maps
  • Offline Emergency Plans
Features
Read full description

Safe APU is the official safety app of Azusa Pacific University. It is the only app that integrates with Azusa Pacific University's safety and security systems. Campus Safety has worked to develop a unique app that provides students, faculty and staff with added safety on the Azusa Pacific University campus. The app will send you important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources. Safe APU features include: - Emergency Contacts: Contact the correct services for the Azusa Pacific University area in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern - Mobile Bluelight: Send your location to Azusa Pacific University security in real-time in case of a crisis - Friend Walk: Send your location to a friend through email or SMS on your device. Once the friend accepts the Friend Walk request, the user picks their destination and their friend tracks their location in real time; they can keep an eye on them to make sure they make it safely to their destination. - Tip Reporting: Multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to Azusa Pacific University security. - Safety Toolbox: Enhance your safety with the set of tools provided in one convenient app.       - Notification History: Find previous Push Notifications for this app with the date and time.       - Share Map with your Location: Send your location to a friend by sending them a map of your position.       - I’m OK!: Send your location and a message indicating that “You’re OK” to a recipient of your choosing. - Maps       - Campus Map: Navigate around the Azusa Pacific University area.       - Crime Map: View recent crimes that have occurred on and near campus. - Emergency Plans: Campus emergency documentation that can prepare you for disasters or emergencies. This can be accessed even when users aren’t connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data. - Support Resources: Access support resources in one convenient app to enjoy a successful experience at Azusa Pacific University. - Safety Notifications: Receive instant notifications and instructions from Azusa Pacific University safety when on-campus emergencies occur. Download today to ensure you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.

About

Bookshare Reader

Access a vast library of ebooks designed for individuals with reading barriers. Enjoy high-quality audio narration and customize your reading experience with adjustable fonts, colors, and speeds. Continue reading seamlessly from where you left off.

Highlights
  • Access millions of ebooks
  • High-quality audio narration
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Adjustable font size and colors
  • Follow along with highlighted text
  • Offline reading
Features
Read full description

Get the official Bookshare Reader app. Access millions of ebooks from Bookshare, the world's largest library of ebooks for people with reading barriers like dyslexia, blindness, low vision, and physical disabilities. Listen to books in high quality audio and customize your reading experience in ways that work for you. Read bestsellers, new releases, textbooks and educational books, children’s books, young adult, mysteries, biographies, and more. Read your way with these customizable features: • Listen to books in high quality audio • Adjust reading speed, font size, and colors • Follow along with highlighted text • Navigate by page and chapter • Stop reading and pick up from your last spot • Download books and read offline To use Bookshare Reader, you must have a Bookshare membership. Learn more by visiting the Bookshare website.

Screenshots

Safe APU4 screens
Bookshare Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Safe APU at 5.0 against Bookshare Reader's 3.3. Safe APU also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.4). Bookshare Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (67 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Safe APU holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshare Reader has 67 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Safe APU ships an update every 9 months, Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Safe APU versus Bookshare Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSafe APUBookshare Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better3.3 (67 ratings)
Positive reviews—35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings267 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAzusa Pacific UniversityBenetech

Customer experience

Safe APU

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bookshare Reader

All ratings67 ratings
Positive52.2%
Neutral13.4%
Negative34.3%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral21.4%
Negative42.9%

Bugs and requests

Safe APU

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Bookshare Reader

Reported bugs

42 issues
  • Prolonged pauses in text-to-speech
  • Library not syncing across devices
  • Reading lists not syncing
  • Reading progress not saved across devices
  • Manga stuck on copyright page
Show 37 more
  • Pages disappear during reading
  • Trouble downloading books
  • Frequent app crashes
  • App won't load books
  • App shuts down when typing
  • App crashing repeatedly
  • Books disappearing from library
  • Cannot download added books
  • Search tab closes the app
  • Poor VoiceOver compatibility
  • App crashes on any click
  • Text-to-speech voice change kicks user out
  • Copyright issues preventing audio playback
  • Download errors
  • Playback stops when screen is locked
  • Clunky user interface
  • Picture books not displaying images
  • Unable to play videos from other sources
  • Form controls not coded correctly for VoiceOver
  • Cannot delete searched titles from library
  • App requires screen to be on for reading
  • Blank screen after orientation change
  • Too many bugs and crashes
  • Next chapter fails to load
  • Blank white page after pausing and resuming
  • Table of Contents only shows first few chapters
  • App displays as phone screen on iPad
  • Cannot access reading lists
  • Synthesized speech has limited control
  • Speech randomly cuts off
  • Reading stops if phone ringer is off
  • Pause/Play restarts from chapter beginning
  • Text-to-speech voices do not indicate language
  • Voice selection process is cumbersome
  • No functional stop and start button
  • Limited speaking speed options
  • Paragraph by paragraph reading limitation

Requested features

38 requests
  • Fix prolonged pauses in text-to-speech
  • Sync library across devices
  • Sync reading lists across devices
  • Save reading progress across devices
  • Fix manga page navigation
Show 33 more
  • Fix disappearing pages bug
  • Improve book download reliability
  • Fix app crashes
  • Fix app shutdown when typing
  • Improve VoiceOver compatibility
  • Allow adjustment of speaking rate by specific value
  • Make reading lists accessible
  • Add highlighting for textbooks
  • Improve navigation of Contents menu
  • Highlight current location in Contents menu
  • Include missing video content in textbooks
  • Fix copyright issues for audio playback
  • Allow background playback
  • Add ability to listen to human-narrated audiobooks
  • Add 'Read Now' for periodicals
  • Add VoiceOver gestures for page turning
  • Add percentage of reading completed on mobile devices
  • Make downloaded books tab default on opening app
  • Fix inability to delete searched titles
  • Add 'where am I' feature (page/percentage)
  • Fix blank screen after orientation change
  • Make app accessible for students without teacher assignment
  • Fix next chapter loading issue
  • Fix blank white page after pause
  • Fix incomplete Table of Contents
  • Improve app scaling on iPad
  • Fix inability to access reading lists
  • Allow users to choose which word reader begins reading
  • Fix paragraph by paragraph reading limitation
  • Indicate language for text-to-speech voices
  • Improve voice selection process
  • Add functional stop and start button
  • Increase speed options for text-to-speech

In-app purchases

None

Safe APU

No in-app purchases

None

Bookshare Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Safe APU free?
Safe APU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bookshare Reader free?
Bookshare Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Safe APU or Bookshare Reader?
Safe APU is rated higher. Safe APU averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bookshare Reader averages 3.3 from 67 ratings.
Do Safe APU or Bookshare Reader have ads?
Neither Safe APU nor Bookshare Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Safe APU or Bookshare Reader?
Safe APU ships an update every 9 months, and Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Safe APU was updated on October 1, 2026 and Bookshare Reader on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons