Waterstones vs uLIBRARY
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Waterstones
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.
- 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
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- The UK's biggest bookseller at your fingertips. - Sign up to Waterstones Plus in seconds to start earning and redeeming rewards online, in our shops and in our cafes. - Browse, buy or click & collect directly from the app or check stock in your local shop. Please note if no local shops have stock of your item the search results will be blank. - Build multiple wish lists as required: great for saving items for later or building a gifting list. - Find all your local shop information and set your favourite local shop for convenient click & collect options and stock information. - Read reviews from booksellers and customers and write your own. - You can share items with others by sending a link from the product screen. - Plus in your pocket at all times: scan your Plus card straight from your phone, even if you're offline. - Pay by Apple Pay, PayPal or Card.
uLIBRARY
Access your library's digital collection of eAudiobooks and eBooks on your smartphone or tablet. Browse, borrow, and enjoy content for free with your library membership. Features include personalized recommendations, offline listening and reading, and customizable reading and listening experiences.
- Browse and borrow digital library content
- Search by genre and in-depth options
- eAudio and eBook previews
- Personalized recommendations
- Offline listening and reading
- Adjustable font sizes and colors
- Automatic synchronization and bookmarking
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With uLIBRARY you can take your library’s digital collection anywhere – browse, borrow and enjoy the best in eAudiobooks and eBook on your smartphone or tablet. Sign in securely with your library membership to access your library’s full collection of uLIBRARY’s digital content for free – it’s really that simple. Discover your new favourite story - Search for your favourite genre with ease with intuitive genre sliders and in-depth search options. - Try out the title before downloading with eAudio and eBook previews available. - Find recommended reads through our world first integrated book clubs, Talking Books and Bookworms as well as a ‘Next Read’ feature that populates based on the books you’ve previously enjoyed. - Effortlessly renew and return the titles to continue your uLIBRARY journey on your own terms. - Easily locate your previously downloaded titles to enjoy them all over again. Listen Your Own Way - With automatic synchronisation and bookmarking you’ll never lose your place, even if you change devices. - Slow down or speed up the audio as required with a wide-ranging speed function (0.25 to 3.0x) - Reach the conclusion at your own pace with a 30 second skip function or simply select the final chapter with our easy-to-use track selection. - With our integrated sleep function, every audiobook can become a bedtime story – no matter your age. - Listen anywhere, regardless of connectivity with offline listening. Read Your Own Way - Our built in eReader is the most accessible yet with adjustable font sizes, faces (including OpenDyslexic) as well as text and background colour so that everyone can explore the joy of reading. - No need to carry lots of books in your bag, with offline reading available. - Add bookmarks to revisit your favourite sections. Please note that your library’s uLIBRARY collection is curated by your library and not the uLIBRARY digital team.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Waterstones at 63% against uLIBRARY's 16%. Waterstones also leads on ratings volume (61 vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). uLIBRARY's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
uLIBRARY holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waterstones has 61 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Waterstones's written reviews are positive against 16% of uLIBRARY's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Waterstones ships an update every 3 weeks, uLIBRARY every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Waterstones | uLIBRARY |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (61 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.7% of reviews — better | 16.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 61 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Waterstones Booksellers Ltd | Ulverscroft Group Ltd |
Customer experience
Waterstones
uLIBRARY
In-app purchases
Waterstones
No in-app purchases
uLIBRARY
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Waterstones free?
Is uLIBRARY free?
Which has better reviews, Waterstones or uLIBRARY?
Do Waterstones or uLIBRARY have ads?
Which is updated more often, Waterstones or uLIBRARY?
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