# Fry Words vs Bookshare Reader

The clearest difference is price: Bookshare Reader at Free against Fry Words's $0.99. Bookshare Reader also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 35 months). Fry Words's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 36%) and rating (3.6 vs 3.3). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Fry Words holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 68 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Fry Words's written reviews are positive against 36% of Bookshare Reader's.

Fry Words ships an update every 35 months, Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fry Words | Bookshare Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.6 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fry-words/id470926345/reviews)** | [3.3 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshare-reader/id1605201737/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 44 | **68** |
| Positive reviews | **75.9% of reviews** | 35.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 35 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#170** | — |
| Size | 43 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Innovative Mobile Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/420345423) | [Benetech](https://appshunter.io/developer/425585906) |

## What reviewers say

### Fry Words

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fry-words/id470926345)

**Currently charting:** #170 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

This app helps young children learn to read by providing flashcards for the most common words. It offers customizable lists, engaging audio, and multiple game modes to make learning fun and effective for ages 1-4.

**Highlights:** Customizable word lists, Record your own voice, Multiple game modes, Adjustable speed and font, Continuous looping, Infant mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Highly customizable word lists
- 👍 Excellent for learning Fry words
- 👍 Good variety of modes (flashcard, game)
- 👍 Useful for various age groups (kindergarten to adult)
- 👍 Offers spoken pronunciation of words

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sound issues (not working, low volume)
- 🐛 App freezes/crashes frequently
- 🐛 Recording feature doesn't work
- 🐛 Basic functionality, lacks instructions
- 🐛 Some words not capitalized correctly

**Reported bugs**

- Sound unavailable/not working
- Volume is too low
- App freezes often
- Recording option doesn't work
- Sound does not remain on in settings

**Requested features**

- Ability to mark mastered cards
- Option to create quick lists from all words
- Improvement to the recording section
- Update app for new iOS compatibility
- Correct capitalization of 'I'


### 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 Fry Words free?

Fry Words 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, Fry Words or Bookshare Reader?

Fry Words is rated higher. Fry Words averages 3.6 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Bookshare Reader averages 3.3 from 68 ratings.

### Do Fry Words or Bookshare Reader have ads?

Neither Fry Words nor Bookshare Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fry Words or Bookshare Reader?

Fry Words ships an update every 35 months, and Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Fry Words 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.*