# Apple Books vs Gutenberg | eBook Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Apple Books at none against Gutenberg | eBook Reader's 6. Apple Books also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (89K vs 713). Gutenberg | eBook Reader's advantage is review sentiment (69% vs 52%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gutenberg | eBook Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Apple Books asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Apple Books against 4.5 for Gutenberg | eBook Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Apple Books has 89K ratings behind it against 713, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of Apple Books's written reviews are positive against 69% of Gutenberg | eBook Reader's.

Apple Books ships an update every 4 months, Gutenberg | eBook Reader every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Apple Books | Gutenberg | eBook Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (89K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apple-books/id364709193/reviews) | **[4.5 (713 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gutenberg-ebook-reader/id1289618861/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **89K** | 713 |
| Positive reviews | 52.0% of reviews | **69.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Webron Software LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1071126548) |

## 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


### Gutenberg | eBook Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gutenberg-ebook-reader/id1289618861)

Access a vast library of public domain e-books and audiobooks from around the world. Explore tens of thousands of titles across numerous languages and categories, including classics and popular works.

**Highlights:** Vast public domain e-book library, Extensive audiobook collection, Thousands of titles available, Multiple languages supported, Categorized book selection, Top 50 e-books listed

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Premium | $39.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Extensive collection of classic literature
- 💰 Free access to thousands of books
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 📖 Page-turning feature mimics physical books
- 🌙 Night mode for comfortable reading

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Search function is unreliable and confusing
- 📱 Poor book organization and browsing
- 💔 Missing many books found on Project Gutenberg website
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- ⚙️ Limited customization options for book format

**Reported bugs**

- Search returns no results or irrelevant results
- Books listed on Project Gutenberg not appearing in app
- App fails to download certain books
- Reading progress not saved between sessions
- Continuous scroll instead of page-by-page display

**Requested features**

- Improved search functionality with better filtering
- Better book organization and categorization system
- Dictionary/word definition feature
- Improved paragraph spacing and text formatting
- Page-by-page navigation instead of chapter-based


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Apple Books free?

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

### Is Gutenberg | eBook Reader free?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Apple Books or Gutenberg | eBook Reader?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader is rated higher. Apple Books averages 4.4 out of 5 from 89K ratings, while Gutenberg | eBook Reader averages 4.5 from 713 ratings.

### Do Apple Books or Gutenberg | eBook Reader have ads?

Gutenberg | eBook Reader shows ads; Apple Books does not.

### Which is updated more often, Apple Books or Gutenberg | eBook Reader?

Apple Books ships an update every 4 months, and Gutenberg | eBook Reader every 6 weeks. Most recently, Apple Books was updated on September 25, 2026 and Gutenberg | eBook 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.*