BorrowBox vs Bushido
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Bushido
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The classics that built disciplined minds — finally in language you can use. Bushido: The Path is a library of the great manuals of strategy, business, discipline, and self-command, each rewritten in a clear modern voice for entrepreneurs, creators, and builders. No academic distance. No museum prose. Every chapter ends in something you can carry into Monday morning. THE LIBRARY • Hagakure — Yamamoto Tsunetomo's 1716 manual of resolve, in 102 distilled chapters. Free, complete, text and audio. • The Book of Five Rings — Miyamoto Musashi's treatise on strategy, in 62 chapters. One-time unlock. • Meditations — Marcus Aurelius's private journal of self-command, in 163 chapters. One-time unlock. The app is free, and Hagakure is yours in full at no cost — every chapter and every hour of its narration. The other two volumes are one-time purchases, not a subscription. Nothing renews, and you keep what you buy. READ IT, OR HEAR IT Every chapter is fully narrated — over 35 hours of audio across the library. Switch between reading and listening anytime. Download chapters and listen offline, with lock-screen controls and background play. BUILT FOR PRACTICE, NOT ADMIRATION • Every chapter: a principle, its teaching, its shadow side, and concrete practices • A journal to capture what lands — with formatting, highlights, and iCloud sync • Streaks and challenges to keep the practice daily • Insights to track your reading practice • A calm, luminous reading experience designed for long-form focus Your journal stays yours. Entries live on your device and in your own private iCloud — we never receive them. Create a free account to carry your progress across devices, keep a streak, and join the challenges. Sign in with Apple is all it takes. Download and begin. The way is walked, not admired.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BorrowBox at none against Bushido's 5. BorrowBox also leads on chart position (#92 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. Bushido sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. BorrowBox asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | BorrowBox | Bushido |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (875 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 875 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #92 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 165 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Bolinda digital | Filmtelligentsia, Inc. |
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
Bushido
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BorrowBox
No in-app purchases
Bushido
- Coffee$2.99
- Supporter$5.99
- Five Rings Modern$5.99
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- Meditations Modern Edition$9.99
- Patron$9.99









