Comparison

Hardcover.app vs Lorecaster App

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

Head to head
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/

About

Lorecaster App

Stream your entire audiobook library from your Mac to your iPhone without subscriptions or cloud lock-in. Listen at home or download for offline playback, with features like accurate resume and adjustable playback speed.

Highlights
  • Private audiobook server
  • Stream to iPhone
  • Offline playback
  • Accurate resume
  • Adjustable playback speed
  • Sleep timer
  • Syncs progress
Features
Read full description

Lorecaster turns your Mac into your own private audiobook server and streams your entire library straight to your iPhone — no subscriptions, no cloud lock-in, no accounts to hand your data to. Point Lorecaster at the free Lorecaster server (available on the Mac App Store), and your whole collection appears instantly: covers, chapters, and where you left off. Listen at home over your network, or download books to take them anywhere — on a flight, a run, or anywhere without signal. Built entirely in Swift and designed for the latest iPhone, Lorecaster is fast, lightweight, and effortless. It launches quickly, scrolls smoothly, and sips battery — so nothing gets between you and the next chapter. Beautiful to look at, effortless to use • Gorgeous, full-resolution cover art across a clean, modern library • Simple, focused controls — play, skip, and navigate chapters without hunting through menus • A distraction-free player that puts the story first Made for listening • Stream over your local network, or download for full offline playback • Accurate resume — pick up exactly where you left off, every time • Chapter navigation, adjustable speed (0.5×–2×), and a sleep timer (including End of Chapter) • Smart Rewind nudges you back a few seconds after a pause, so you never lose the thread • Full lock screen, Control Center, and headphone controls • Your progress syncs back to your Mac automatically Private by design • Your library lives on your Mac — not on someone else's servers • Connects automatically on your network, or by simple address entry • Optional multi-user sign-in lets you share your library and keeps everyone's progress separate Lorecaster requires the free Lorecaster companion app for Mac, available on the Mac App Store.

Screenshots

Hardcover.app4 screens
Lorecaster App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lorecaster App at 5.0 against Hardcover.app's 4.2. Lorecaster App also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 months). Hardcover.app's advantage is ratings volume (66 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). 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. Hardcover.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Lorecaster App sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lorecaster App holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hardcover.app has 66 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, Lorecaster App every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hardcover.app versus Lorecaster App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHardcover.appLorecaster App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (66 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings66 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB11 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHardcover LLCJustin James

Customer experience

Hardcover.app

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

Lorecaster App

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hardcover.app

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

Lorecaster App

One-time1
  • Lorecaster Plus$9.99

Questions

Is Hardcover.app free?
Hardcover.app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lorecaster App free?
Lorecaster App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hardcover.app or Lorecaster App?
Lorecaster App is rated higher. Hardcover.app averages 4.2 out of 5 from 66 ratings, while Lorecaster App averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Hardcover.app or Lorecaster App have ads?
Neither Hardcover.app nor Lorecaster App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hardcover.app or Lorecaster App?
Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, and Lorecaster App every 3 days. Most recently, Hardcover.app was updated on October 30, 2026 and Lorecaster App on October 10, 2026.

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