RYA Books vs BorrowBox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RYA Books
Explore enhanced digital books with interactive features like animations, videos, and tools. Try free tasters before purchasing full editions, supporting RYA training courses for various boating levels. Optimized for tablets and smartphones.
- Interactive eBooks
- Embedded animations and videos
- 360° tools for navigation and regulations
- Animated examples for VHF procedures
- Tidal curve simulation tool
- Bookmarking and note-taking
- Free taster versions
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We have enhanced our digital editions (where possible) to bring the content to life by embedding animations, video and interactive tools to help illustrate the key points and skills from our popular books. Download this free app to browse the eBook editions – you can also try free taster versions of many eBooks, so you can try before you buy. These eBooks are a great resource supporting our world famous RYA Training Courses such as those within the trademark RYA Yachtmaster Scheme, the RYA Powerboat Scheme and the RYA Dinghy Sailing & Windsurfing Schemes among others. You will find eBooks of essential and recommended titles along with plenty of further reading and development, whether you’re starting to sail by taking a Competent Crew course, taking things further with a Day Skipper course or taking your RYA Yachtmaster exam – whatever you need, we’ve got it covered! There are great examples throughout our range of our use of interactive content in areas such as seamanship, boat handling, passage planning, knots and stability but you’ll find something very special in our editions for: • Collision Regulations – where we've developed over twenty interactive 360° lights and shapes tool to provide readers a more realistic way of viewing how vessels will actually present themselves in a wide variety of contexts, at four different times of day covering both day and night. • VHF – where we’ve created animated examples of the voice procedures in the RYA VHF Handbook and also linked the content to sample questions to help students pass the RYA SRC exam. • Navigation – where we’ve developed a special tool to replicate using the tidal curves in the RYA Training Almanacs to help students taking shorebased navigation courses. Although these eBooks are designed for tablets, we’re still keeping smart phones very much in mind. This way, you’ll still be able to access the enhanced interactive content on the smaller devices even if you feel you wouldn't read a book on something so small. There’s plenty for instructors as well with not only the interactive content, that can be used as demonstrations and enhanced learning on and off the water. There are also a whole host of useful features, (which we’re always evolving) such as bookmarking, note taking and inter-edition linking that will help you manage the content you want to support the way you teach. This updated version of the app now includes a wider range of boating categories to make it easier for you to navigate all the new content that we are regularly adding: • Sail • Dinghy • Sail Racing • Sail Cruising • Windsurfing • Power • Powerboating • Motor Cruising • Personal Watercraft • Inland Waterways
BorrowBox
Access a vast digital library of eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers from your local library. Browse, borrow, and enjoy content on any device with seamless syncing and personalized features.
- Borrow eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers
- All library formats in one app
- Read and listen directly in the app
- Curated collections and themes
- Multi-language browsing
- Automatic new issue downloads
- Cross-device syncing
- Adjustable playback speed and sleep timer
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Discover the Ultimate Library Experience – Borrow eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers – All in One Place. With BorrowBox, browsing, borrowing, reading, or listening has never been simpler. Take your library with you, wherever you go, whenever you want. If your local library offers BorrowBox, simply sign in with your membership details to unlock a world of digital reading and listening. ALL YOUR LIBRARY FAVOURITES, ONE APP Explore eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers – all the formats your library offers, all in one place. EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE Read or listen to your borrowed titles directly in the app. No extra downloads, no extra steps. MADE FOR YOU Enjoy curated collections and themes that make discovering your next read and listen a breeze. BROWSE IN ANY LANGUAGE Our Language Browsing feature makes it simple to find content in multiple languages, tailored for different audiences. NEVER MISS A RELEASE Subscribe to your favourite eMagazines or eNewspapers, and they’ll be borrowed and downloaded automatically as new issues arrive. STAY IN SYNC Your reading and listening progress seamlessly follows you across all your devices. TAILORED TO YOU Set a sleep timer for your eAudiobooks, add your favourites to your reading lists, and adjust playback speed to suit your listening style.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BorrowBox at 77% against RYA Books's 27%. BorrowBox also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 38). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. RYA Books sells 37 one-off in-app purchases. BorrowBox asks for nothing beyond the download.
BorrowBox holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BorrowBox has 865 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of RYA Books's written reviews are positive against 77% of BorrowBox's.
RYA Books ships an update every 3 months, BorrowBox every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.
| Parameter | RYA Books | BorrowBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (2 ratings) | 4.7 (865 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.0% of reviews | 76.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 865 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #91 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 110 MB | 165 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Royal Yachting Association | Bolinda digital |
Customer experience
RYA Books
BorrowBox
Bugs and requests
RYA Books
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
BorrowBox
Reported bugs
5 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
In-app purchases
RYA Books
- Guide to Boating Knots (E-G60)$3.99
- First Aid (E-FAB)$6.99
- Instructor Handbook (E-G27)$9.99
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- Handy Guide to CEVNI (E-G106)$9.99
- Intro to Radar (E-G34)$9.99
- Euro Waterways Regs (E-G17)$9.99
- Training Almanac North (E-TAN)$9.99
- Stability and Buoyancy (E-G23)$9.99
- Yachtmaster Quizzes (E-G79)$11.99
- ICC Handbook (E-G81)$12.99
- Racing Rules of Sailing ERRS25$12.99
- Day Skipper Practical(E-DSPCN)$12.99
- Day Skipper Shorebased (E-DSN)$14.99
- Yachtmaster Shorebased (E-YSN)$14.99
- Comp Crew Skills (E-CCPCN)$14.99
- Collision Regulations (E-G2)$14.99
- Intro to Navigation (E-G77)$14.99
- Astro Navigation Handbook (E-G78)$14.99
- Day Skipper Shorebased(E-G113)$14.99
- Start to Race (E-G66)$14.99
- Passage Planning (E-G69)$17.99
- Dinghy Techniques (E-G93)$17.99
- Boat Safety Handbook (E-G103)$17.99
- Day Skipper – Motor (E-G97)$19.99
- Advanced Powerboat (E-G108)$19.99
- Diesel Engine (E-G25)$19.99
- VHF Handbook (E-G31)$19.99
- Yachtmaster Handbook (E-G70)$19.99
- Navigation Handbook (E-G6)$19.99
- Day Skipper Sail (E-G71)$19.99
- Multihull Handbook (E-G92)$19.99
- Offshore Sailing (E-G87)$19.99
- Sail Trim Handbook (E-G99)$19.99
- Boat Handling Sail Power E-G68$19.99
- Electrics Handbook (E-G67)$19.99
- Weather Handbook (E-G133)$19.99
- Manual of Seamanship (E-G36)$22.99
BorrowBox
No in-app purchases









