Comparison

BorrowBox vs Reading House

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Reading House

Features
Read full description

An ebook and audiobook app designed exclusively for purchases made at https://thereadinghouse.co.uk/. Welcome to The Reading House app, powered by Glassboxx. We are delighted to offer you an easy and secure way to enjoy your ebook and audiobook purchases. No password required — simply use social sign on with Apple or Google, or log in with the email address you used to buy the book on the https://www.thereadinghouse.co.uk website and enter the verification code sent to your email. Your purchased content can be found in the “My Books” area of the app. An internet connection is required to download the content. Once content has been downloaded, you can access and enjoy it offline. AUDIOBOOK PLAYER • Auto-saves your current position in the book so you can pick up right where you left off, even if listening on multiple devices • Skips forward and backward • Sleep timer • Plays on lock-screen, enabling easy access to playback controls • Plays in the background while you browse other apps • Plays immediately and downloads in the background (if internet access is available) • Display accompanying materials for the audiobook • Integrate with Apple Car Play • Connect to Airplay devices EBOOK READER • Page book-marking, opening the title at the right place when you pick up, even across multiple devices • Font-size and font face changes, as well as dyslexic-friendly font • Selection of page colour themes (white, dark, sepia) • Full text search • Highlighting • Annotations

Screenshots

BorrowBox4 screens
Reading House4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BorrowBox at every 6 days against Reading House's every 5 weeks. BorrowBox also leads on chart position (#77 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BorrowBox ships an update every 6 days, Reading House every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
BorrowBox versus Reading House: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBorrowBoxReading House
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (869 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings869 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#77 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size165 MB35 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBolinda digitalGlassboxx Limited

Bugs and 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

Reading House

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

BorrowBox

No in-app purchases

None

Reading House

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BorrowBox free?
BorrowBox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reading House free?
Reading House is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BorrowBox or Reading House have ads?
Neither BorrowBox nor Reading House shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BorrowBox or Reading House?
BorrowBox ships an update every 6 days, and Reading House every 5 weeks. Most recently, BorrowBox was updated on October 21, 2026 and Reading House on October 18, 2026.

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