Comparison

BorrowBox vs CYOA

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

CYOA

Create and play interactive text-based adventure stories. Write your own narratives with unlimited chapters and dynamic choices, or explore stories created by others. Save your progress and resume anytime.

Highlights
  • Write custom text adventures
  • Play interactive stories
  • Unlimited chapters and scenes
  • Dynamic choices
  • Bookmark progress
  • Background images
Read full description

Do you remember those classic 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books where it would say "If you open the door, turn to page 16"? This app allows you to recreate the fun of interactive text-based adventure games by playing along to a story, or writing your own and sharing it. Features include: - Write your own choose-your-own-adventure text adventures - Play through interactive stories written by you or your friends - Unlimited chapters / scenes - Dynamic choices based on character conditions, items or random dice rolls. The options are endless! - Icons for each chapter and link - Background images - Bookmark your progress and resume right where you left off next time - Optional biometric authentication to protect your stories And more! *Premium subscription required for some features Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Supplemental Terms of Use: https://walshmedia.net.au/cyoa#terms Privacy Policy: https://walshmedia.net.au/cyoa#privacy

Screenshots

BorrowBox4 screens
CYOA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BorrowBox at 4.7 against CYOA's 1.0. BorrowBox also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. CYOA sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.49 per month. BorrowBox asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BorrowBox holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BorrowBox has 865 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BorrowBox ships an update weekly, CYOA every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
BorrowBox versus CYOA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBorrowBoxCYOA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (865 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews76.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings865 — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank#101 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size166 MB28 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBolinda digitalDaniel Walsh

Customer experience

BorrowBox

All ratings865 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews1,576 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral10.4%
Negative13.0%

CYOA

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

CYOA

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

BorrowBox

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

CYOA

Subscriptions1
  • Premium (1 month)7 Days trial$0.491 Month

Questions

Is BorrowBox free?
BorrowBox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CYOA free?
CYOA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BorrowBox or CYOA?
BorrowBox is rated higher. BorrowBox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 865 ratings, while CYOA averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do BorrowBox or CYOA have ads?
Neither BorrowBox nor CYOA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BorrowBox or CYOA?
BorrowBox ships an update weekly, and CYOA every 3 months. Most recently, BorrowBox was updated on October 16, 2026 and CYOA on October 14, 2026.

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