# Apple Books vs Serial Reader

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Serial Reader at 95% against Apple Books's 52%. Serial Reader also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4). Apple Books's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (89K vs 4.1K). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Serial Reader sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Apple Books asks for nothing beyond the download.

Serial Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Apple Books has 89K ratings behind it against 4.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Apple Books's written reviews are positive against 95% of Serial Reader's.

Apple Books ships an update every 4 months, Serial Reader every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Apple Books | Serial Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (89K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apple-books/id364709193/reviews) | **[4.8 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/serial-reader-daily-book-bits/id1077180804/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **89K** | 4.1K |
| Positive reviews | 52.0% of reviews | **94.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 17 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Michael Schmitt](https://appshunter.io/developer/832063887) |

## What reviewers say

### Apple Books

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apple-books/id364709193)

Discover, read, and listen to millions of books and audiobooks. Browse curated collections, personalized recommendations, and bestsellers. Customize your reading experience with various themes and settings, and set reading goals to build a habit. Share your library with family.

**Highlights:** Discover millions of books and audiobooks, Personalized recommendations and curated collections, Customizable reading experience (fonts, themes, spacing), Reading goals and progress tracking, Family Sharing for books and audiobooks, Apple CarPlay and Apple Watch integration

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless integration across devices
- 📚 Vast library of books available
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🎧 Exceptional audiobook experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Books get deleted from local storage
- 🐛 Unreliable syncing between devices
- 🔒 Lack of audio closed captions
- 🤔 Pricing concerns for some books
- 🤔 Frustrating UI changes in recent updates

**Reported bugs**

- Books randomly deleted from device
- Syncing issues between iPhone and iPad
- Scrolling and navigation glitches
- Inconsistent font and formatting issues
- Inability to download books over cellular data

**Requested features**

- Audio closed captions for audiobooks
- Ability to organize books by series
- Custom font and highlighter color options
- Syncing for audiobooks across devices
- Integration with book review platforms


### Serial Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/serial-reader-daily-book-bits/id1077180804)

Read classic literature in daily, manageable segments. This app breaks down over 900 books into daily issues, each readable in 20 minutes or less, helping you build reading habits and tackle lengthy classics. Customize your reading experience with various themes, fonts, and sync options.

**Highlights:** Daily book installments, Over 900 classic books, Serialize your own EPUBs, Sync with Goodreads/Readwise, Word lookup, Reading streaks and badges

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip Jar - Essay | $1.99 | one-time |
| Serial Premium | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar - Short Story | $4.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar - Novel | $9.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar - Epic | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Bite-sized reading
- 📚 Wide selection of classics
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💰 Free with affordable premium upgrade
- 🎉 Motivating achievements and badges

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues across devices
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🕰️ Inflexible delivery schedule
- 🤔 Lack of modern/non-classic book selection

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when changing fonts
- Issues with new chapter delivery not working

**Requested features**

- Add more modern/non-classic book options
- Improve sync functionality across devices
- Allow more customization of reading experience
- Provide flexible delivery schedule options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Apple Books free?

Apple Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Serial Reader free?

Serial Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Apple Books or Serial Reader?

Serial Reader is rated higher. Apple Books averages 4.4 out of 5 from 89K ratings, while Serial Reader averages 4.8 from 4.1K ratings.

### Do Apple Books or Serial Reader have ads?

Neither Apple Books nor Serial Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Apple Books or Serial Reader?

Apple Books ships an update every 4 months, and Serial Reader every 3 months. Most recently, Apple Books was updated on September 25, 2026 and Serial Reader on September 23, 2026.

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