# Counting Bear vs Bookshare Reader

The clearest difference is price: Bookshare Reader at Free against Counting Bear's $0.99. Counting Bear's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.3) and review sentiment (76% vs 36%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Bookshare Reader is free to download; Counting Bear costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Counting Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 85 and 68 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Counting Bear's written reviews are positive against 36% of Bookshare Reader's.

Counting Bear ships an update monthly, Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Counting Bear | Bookshare Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (85 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/counting-bear-easily-learn-how-to-count/id414967966/reviews)** | [3.3 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshare-reader/id1605201737/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **85** | 68 |
| Positive reviews | **76.1% of reviews** | 35.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#197** | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Innovative Investments Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/414603477) | [Benetech](https://appshunter.io/developer/425585906) |

## What reviewers say

### Counting Bear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/counting-bear-easily-learn-how-to-count/id414967966)

**Currently charting:** #197 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

This educational game helps young children learn to count from 1 to 20 through interactive sight, sound, and touch. It allows for personalization with custom voices and items, offering a multi-sensory learning experience for ages 0 to 6.

**Highlights:** Learn numbers 1-20, Count objects by sight, Count by touch with audio feedback, Add custom voice recordings, Personalize with own photos, Adjustable difficulty, Multi-sensory learning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for learning to count
- 🎨 Highly customizable
- 🗣️ Ability to record own voice
- 🖼️ Realistic and nice pictures
- 🧒 Engaging for young children

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Photo loader/custom photos don't work
- 🐛 App freezes or closes unexpectedly
- 🔊 Audio issues (no sound, incorrect counting)
- 🚫 No support from developers

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when adding own pictures
- Photo loader doesn't work
- App crashes when the bear in the corner is touched
- App freezes and doesn't progress
- App crashes on launch after update

**Requested features**

- Allow counting past 20
- Option to delay voice prompts
- Landscape view option
- Confirmation at the end of counting
- Option to create an endpoint or 'play again'


### Bookshare Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshare-reader/id1605201737)

Access a vast library of ebooks designed for individuals with reading barriers. Enjoy high-quality audio narration and customize your reading experience with adjustable fonts, colors, and speeds. Continue reading seamlessly from where you left off.

**Highlights:** Access millions of ebooks, High-quality audio narration, Customizable reading experience, Adjustable font size and colors, Follow along with highlighted text, Offline reading

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for dyslexic readers
- 👍 Realistic text-to-speech voices
- 👍 Offline book downloads
- 👍 Essential for blind users
- 👍 Significant improvements made

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Prolonged pauses in speech
- 🐛 Library not syncing across devices
- 🐛 Reading lists don't sync
- 🐛 Progress not saved across devices
- 🐛 Stuck on copyright page (manga)

**Reported bugs**

- Prolonged pauses in text-to-speech
- Library not syncing across devices
- Reading lists not syncing
- Reading progress not saved across devices
- Manga stuck on copyright page

**Requested features**

- Fix prolonged pauses in text-to-speech
- Sync library across devices
- Sync reading lists across devices
- Save reading progress across devices
- Fix manga page navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Counting Bear free?

Counting Bear costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bookshare Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Counting Bear or Bookshare Reader?

Counting Bear is rated higher. Counting Bear averages 4.5 out of 5 from 85 ratings, while Bookshare Reader averages 3.3 from 68 ratings.

### Do Counting Bear or Bookshare Reader have ads?

Neither Counting Bear nor Bookshare Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Counting Bear or Bookshare Reader?

Counting Bear ships an update monthly, and Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Counting Bear was updated on October 17, 2026 and Bookshare Reader on October 19, 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.*