# Waterstones vs BorrowBox

The clearest difference is update cadence: BorrowBox at every 6 days against Waterstones's every 3 weeks. BorrowBox also leads on ratings volume (879 vs 62) and review sentiment (77% vs 63%). Waterstones's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Waterstones against 4.7 for BorrowBox. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BorrowBox has 879 ratings behind it against 62, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Waterstones's written reviews are positive against 77% of BorrowBox's.

Waterstones ships an update every 3 weeks, BorrowBox every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Waterstones | BorrowBox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterstones/id389368414/reviews)** | [4.7 (879 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/borrowbox/id562843562/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 62 | **879** |
| Positive reviews | 62.7% of reviews | **76.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#83** |
| Size | 36 MB | 172 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Waterstones Booksellers Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/389368417) | [Bolinda digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/562843565) |

## What reviewers say

### Waterstones

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterstones/id389368414)

Access the UK's largest bookseller on your mobile device. Browse, buy, and collect books, gifts, and games. Manage wish lists, earn rewards, and find local store information.

**Highlights:** Browse and buy books, gifts, and games, Click & collect from local shops, Earn and redeem Waterstones Plus rewards, Create multiple wish lists, Read and write customer reviews, Scan Plus card from phone

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### BorrowBox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/borrowbox/id562843562)

**Currently charting:** #83 Top Free · Magazines & Newspapers (US App Store)

Access a vast collection of eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers from your local library. Browse, borrow, and enjoy digital content seamlessly across all your devices with features like language browsing and automatic new issue downloads.

**Highlights:** Borrow eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers, Read or listen directly in the app, Curated collections and themes, Multi-language browsing, Automatic new issue downloads for subscriptions, Cross-device sync for reading/listening progress, Adjustable playback speed and sleep timer

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient access to books
- 💡 Free service through local library
- 🎧 Great for audiobooks
- 📚 Wide selection of books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Long wait times for popular books
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
- 🔖 Lack of bookmark/progress tracking features
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🐛 App crashes and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes after recent update
- Loses reading progress when switching devices
- Night mode issues with invisible text
- Audiobook controls not working with Bluetooth
- Inconsistent behavior when using sleep timer

**Requested features**

- Add a wishlist or reading list feature
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement bookmark/progress tracking for audiobooks
- Integrate with Apple CarPlay for safer driving
- Add user reviews and ratings for books


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Waterstones free?

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

### Is BorrowBox free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Waterstones or BorrowBox?

Waterstones is rated higher. Waterstones averages 4.7 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while BorrowBox averages 4.7 from 879 ratings.

### Do Waterstones or BorrowBox have ads?

Neither Waterstones nor BorrowBox shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Waterstones or BorrowBox?

Waterstones ships an update every 3 weeks, and BorrowBox every 6 days. Most recently, Waterstones was updated on November 10, 2026 and BorrowBox on November 11, 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.*