# Apple Books vs Rah Book Reader

The clearest difference is monetization model: Rah Book Reader at free against Apple Books's free with in-app purchases. Rah Book Reader also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (72% vs 52%). Apple Books's advantage is ratings volume (89K vs 9.1K) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Rah Book Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Apple Books has 89K ratings behind it against 9.1K, 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 72% of Rah Book Reader's.

Apple Books ships an update every 4 months, Rah Book Reader every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Apple Books | Rah Book Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (89K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apple-books/id364709193/reviews) | **[4.7 (9.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rah-book-reader/id1460837083/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **89K** | 9.1K |
| Positive reviews | 52.0% of reviews | **71.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#197** |
| Size | 17 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Majid Sharifi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1150885699) |

## 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


### Rah Book Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rah-book-reader/id1460837083)

**Currently charting:** #197 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

This application allows users to download and read PDF documents and audiobooks. It offers a simple and free experience for accessing digital content on mobile devices.

**Highlights:** Download PDF documents, Read audiobooks, Simple interface, Free to use, iPhone and iPad compatible

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Excellent selection of books
- 🎧 Great audiobook experience
- 💰 Affordable pricing
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🌟 Highly rated by users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- ⏱️ Slow loading times for some users
- 🔒 Lack of account management features
- 📚 Limited book selection in some genres

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes after recent update
- Books disappear from user library
- Playback issues with audiobooks

**Requested features**

- Add support for ePub format
- Implement highlighting and note-taking features
- Improve syncing across devices
- Optimize for tablet and landscape mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Apple Books free?

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

### Is Rah Book Reader free?

Rah Book Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Apple Books or Rah Book Reader?

Rah Book Reader is rated higher. Apple Books averages 4.4 out of 5 from 89K ratings, while Rah Book Reader averages 4.7 from 9.1K ratings.

### Do Apple Books or Rah Book Reader have ads?

Neither Apple Books nor Rah Book Reader shows ads.

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

Apple Books ships an update every 4 months, and Rah Book Reader every 5 months. Most recently, Apple Books was updated on September 25, 2026 and Rah Book Reader on September 24, 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.*