Beanstalk vs Bardley
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Beanstalk
Discover and organize videos, podcasts, music, and photos from popular online sites and your Apple device libraries. Seamlessly search and play content from services like Apple Music and Netflix without leaving the app.
- Search multiple media sites simultaneously
- Organize content into query albums
- Create multi-media playlists
- Play Apple Music playlists
- View Apple photo albums and videos
- Background audio playback
- Windowed mode on iPad/Mac
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A unique app for finding and organizing videos, podcasts, music, photos and more from popular internet sites and from your Apple device's photo, video and music libraries. If you are a subscriber to Apple Music, the entire Apple Music Catalog is included in searches. If you are a Netflix subscriber, search for your favorite titles and watch them without having to navigate through the Netflix interface. You can play your Apple Music playlists and watch slideshows of your Apple photo albums and your Apple videos inside the app. Features: - Search a dozen popular media sites at once or limit searches to video, audio , image or book sites - Browse all results in 'query albums' containing tracks of music, podcasts, videos, photos or books - Save favorite queries for quickly re-playing tracks and updating query results from a source - Combine individual tracks into multi-media playlists. For example, save podcast shows or episodes, music tracks and music videos by or about a single artist in a single playlist - Browse existing song playlists from your Apple device's Music app and play them inside of Beanstalk - Browse photo albums from your Apple device's Photos app and view them inside of Beanstalk - Browse videos in your Photos app and play them - Apple Podcast show and Podcast Index episodes are included in searches - YouTube videos are included in searches, and can be saved in playlists and played via an embedded YouTube player - Audio tracks in playlists and favorite query albums can play in background mode, with automatic skipping from track to track within the playlist or query album - The app works in windows mode on iPads and Macs running OS26, allowing you to play videos, music or podcasts while using other apps - Photos are presented as individual tracks and combined into a scrolling 'gallery' track for a playlist of query album - 'Sign in with Apple' option enables quick registration and sign in using facial recognition, touch ID or device password - Stay logged in to Beanstalk between launches
Bardley
An audiobook player designed for privacy, allowing users to own their books and enjoy them without tracking or subscriptions. It offers powerful tools for organization, metadata enrichment, and a distraction-free listening experience.
- Privacy-first design with zero data collection
- Instant metadata search from multiple sources
- Built-in PDF companion viewer
- Advanced series organization and tracking
- Enhanced listening experience with variable speed and smart timer
- Professional library management with various import and sorting options
- Accessibility features including VoiceOver support
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Bardley keeps your listening habits completely private while giving you the power to organize, enrich, and enjoy your audiobook library — no account required. NO SUBSCRIPTION. Start with up to 5 audiobooks. Upgrade to Bardley Pro once to unlock an unlimited library, iCloud sync, JellyFin, LibriVox access, and every future premium feature — forever. No monthly fees, no tricks. COMPLETE PRIVACY PROTECTION Zero data collection. No tracking. No accounts. Your audiobooks and listening history stay with you where they belong. While other apps harvest your data for profit, Bardley respects your privacy by default — every network feature is opt-in, never forced. INSTANT METADATA SEARCH Search Open Library, PodcastIndex, and Audnexus simultaneously to find the right cover art, author, narrator, series info, and chapter names. One tap to apply everything. Your sideloaded books deserve proper metadata. BUILT-IN PDF COMPANION VIEWER Attach study guides, liner notes, or companion PDFs directly to any audiobook. Full PDF viewer with page navigation, table of contents, and thumbnails — all without leaving the app. It remembers your last page, too. SERIES ORGANIZATION THAT ACTUALLY WORKS Tired of scrolling through random book lists trying to find Book 3? Bardley groups series books together and lets you set custom reading order. Filter by series, track progress across entire collections, and never lose your place in multi-book stories again. ENHANCED LISTENING EXPERIENCE Variable playback speed from 0.5x to 2.0x. Smart sleep timer that pauses at chapter endings — not mid-sentence. Configurable skip controls. Detailed bookmarks with notes. Chapter navigation with progress tracking. Seamless resume every time you reopen the app. PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY MANAGEMENT Import through Files, AirDrop, or sharing. Supports MP3, M4A, M4B, AIFF, and WAV. Automatic chapter detection. Add custom artwork while keeping originals safe. Switch between grid and list views. Filter by progress, group by author or series, sort seven different ways. BUILT FOR ACCESSIBILITY Bardley adapts to your settings. Five levels of adaptive layout sizing, full VoiceOver support with rich playback announcements, and haptic feedback for every control — so the app works the way you do. CLEAN, DISTRACTION-FREE DESIGN Choose from multiple UI styles to match your taste. Powerful search and filtering. Progress indicators on every book. No ads, no clutter, no distractions — just your audiobooks. Your audiobooks. Your privacy. Your way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Beanstalk at none against Bardley's 1. Bardley's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. Bardley sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Beanstalk asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Beanstalk against 5.0 for Bardley. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.
Beanstalk ships an update every 6 weeks, Bardley every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Beanstalk | Bardley |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Beanstalk Technologies LLC | Joseph Poirier |
Customer experience
Beanstalk
Bardley
In-app purchases
Beanstalk
No in-app purchases
Bardley
- Lifetime Pro$5.99









