# Amazon Kindle vs Bound

The clearest difference is price: Amazon Kindle at Free against Bound's $4.99. Amazon Kindle also leads on ratings volume (5.9M vs 2K) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Bound's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On review sentiment, ads, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Amazon Kindle is free to download; Bound costs $4.99 up front. Amazon Kindle sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. Bound asks for nothing beyond the download.

Amazon Kindle holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Amazon Kindle has 5.9M ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Amazon Kindle's written reviews are positive against 73% of Bound's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Amazon Kindle ships an update fortnightly, Bound every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Amazon Kindle | Bound |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.9 (5.9M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amazon-kindle-reading-app/id302584613/reviews)** | [4.6 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bound-audiobook-player/id1041727137/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.9M** | 2K |
| Positive reviews | 67.7% of reviews | **72.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | #7 |
| Size | 206 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMZN Mobile LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/297606954) | [Deadpan, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1521868530) |

## What reviewers say

### Amazon Kindle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amazon-kindle-reading-app/id302584613)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access a vast library of eBooks, magazines, and comics on your mobile device. Customize your reading experience with adjustable text, brightness, and page-turning options. Look up words, track progress, and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Read purchased eBooks, Access Kindle Unlimited, Customizable text and display, Built-in dictionary and lookup, Track reading progress, Sync reading across devices, Listen to Audible books

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kindle Unlimited | $13.99 | per month |
| Kindle Unlimited | $13.99 | per month |
| 140 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $1.39 | one-time |
| 100 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $1.39 | one-time |
| 140 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $1.99 | one-time |
| 368 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $3.49 | one-time |
| 300 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $3.99 | one-time |
| 368 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $4.99 | one-time |
| 770 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $6.99 | one-time |
| 770 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $9.99 | one-time |
| 900 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $11.49 | one-time |
| 2000 Tokens - Kindle Vella(US) | $23.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Huge library of books
- 📱 Portable and convenient
- 🔍 Useful features like dictionary lookup and highlighting
- 🌙 Adjustable reading settings (font, brightness, etc.)
- 🔁 Seamless syncing across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🛒 Cannot purchase books directly in the app
- 🗂️ Difficulty organizing and managing large book libraries
- 🔍 Inconsistent behavior when highlighting/taking notes
- 🔄 Unreliable syncing between devices
- 🔌 Drains device battery quickly

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes when switching between apps
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Dictionary lookup feature not working reliably

**Requested features**

- Ability to create and manage collections/folders for books
- Option to easily see which books have been read vs unread
- Improved highlighting and note-taking functionality
- Better syncing between Kindle devices and apps
- Dark mode and other customization options


### Bound

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bound-audiobook-player/id1041727137)

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Paid · Book (US App Store)

Listen to your DRM-free audiobooks with a modern interface. Import files from cloud services or your computer, manage your library, and enjoy features like automatic playback saving, adjustable speed, and chapter support.  Includes CarPlay integration and a sleep timer.

**Highlights:** Import from cloud services (Dropbox, OneDrive), Web uploader via WiFi, Automatic playback position saving, Adjustable playback speed (0.5x-3.0x), Chapter support, Sleep timer, CarPlay support

**Features:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app!
- 👍 Excellent audiobook player
- 💡 Seamless cloud storage integration
- 🚀 Efficient and reliable
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🐛 Issues with cloud storage connectivity
- 🐛 Inconsistent playback behavior
- 🐛 Trouble with large audiobook files
- 🐛 Missing features like folders/playlists

**Reported bugs**

- Audiobooks disappearing from library after device restart
- Inability to delete audiobooks from library
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
- Playback issues with multi-part audiobooks
- Problems with web uploader functionality

**Requested features**

- Add support for Apple Watch
- Implement search and filtering options
- Allow bookmarks with notes/labels
- Add Chromecast support
- Introduce dark mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Amazon Kindle free?

Amazon Kindle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bound free?

Bound costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Amazon Kindle or Bound?

Amazon Kindle is rated higher. Amazon Kindle averages 4.9 out of 5 from 5.9M ratings, while Bound averages 4.6 from 2K ratings.

### Do Amazon Kindle or Bound have ads?

Neither Amazon Kindle nor Bound shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Amazon Kindle or Bound?

Amazon Kindle ships an update fortnightly, and Bound every 2 months. Most recently, Amazon Kindle was updated on October 31, 2026 and Bound on October 29, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Amazon Kindle or Bound?

Amazon Kindle currently peaks at #3 in the App Store charts, and Bound at #7. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*