Comparison

BorrowBox vs Dear Jane

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

Dear Jane

Engage with Jane Austen's world through AITA-style confessions, personality quizzes, and novel knowledge tests. Progress through Meryton society by earning Society Honours for your wit and judgment. This app is crafted for dedicated fans of Jane Austen's literature.

Highlights
  • AITA-style confessions from Austen's world
  • Personality quizzes
  • Novel knowledge tests
  • Progress tracking for scandals and quizzes
  • Society Honours system
  • Debate participation
Features
Read full description

For those who know Jane Austen by heart. Read AITA-style confessions from Austen's world, pass judgement, then name the culprit. Discover who you'd be with personality quizzes, test your knowledge of the novels, and weigh in on the debates. As you play, rise from a new arrival in Meryton to an Austen aficionado, tracking your completed scandals, finished quizzes, and Society Honours earned for your judgement, wit, and thorough reading. Made independently by a lifelong Jane Austen fan, for everyone who never quite left Meryton. The assembly awaits!

Screenshots

BorrowBox4 screens
Dear Jane4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: BorrowBox at free against Dear Jane's free with in-app purchases. BorrowBox also leads on ratings volume (861 vs 2) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). Dear Jane's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 76%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dear Jane holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BorrowBox has 861 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of BorrowBox's written reviews are positive against 100% of Dear Jane's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BorrowBox ships an update weekly, Dear Jane every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
BorrowBox versus Dear Jane: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBorrowBoxDear Jane
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (861 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings861 — better2
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#87 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size146 MB53 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBolinda digitalFrances Maxwell

Customer experience

BorrowBox

All ratings861 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews1,556 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral10.5%
Negative13.0%

Dear Jane

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Dear Jane

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

BorrowBox

No in-app purchases

None

Dear Jane

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BorrowBox free?
BorrowBox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dear Jane free?
Dear Jane is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BorrowBox or Dear Jane?
Dear Jane is rated higher. BorrowBox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 861 ratings, while Dear Jane averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do BorrowBox or Dear Jane have ads?
Neither BorrowBox nor Dear Jane shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BorrowBox or Dear Jane?
BorrowBox ships an update weekly, and Dear Jane every 2 weeks. Most recently, BorrowBox was updated on October 1, 2026 and Dear Jane on September 27, 2026.

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