BorrowBox vs uLIBRARY
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.
uLIBRARY
Access your library's digital collection of eAudiobooks and eBooks on your smartphone or tablet. Browse, borrow, and enjoy content for free with your library membership. Features include personalized recommendations, offline listening and reading, and customizable reading and listening experiences.
- Browse and borrow digital library content
- Search by genre and in-depth options
- eAudio and eBook previews
- Personalized recommendations
- Offline listening and reading
- Adjustable font sizes and colors
- Automatic synchronization and bookmarking
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With uLIBRARY you can take your library’s digital collection anywhere – browse, borrow and enjoy the best in eAudiobooks and eBook on your smartphone or tablet. Sign in securely with your library membership to access your library’s full collection of uLIBRARY’s digital content for free – it’s really that simple. Discover your new favourite story - Search for your favourite genre with ease with intuitive genre sliders and in-depth search options. - Try out the title before downloading with eAudio and eBook previews available. - Find recommended reads through our world first integrated book clubs, Talking Books and Bookworms as well as a ‘Next Read’ feature that populates based on the books you’ve previously enjoyed. - Effortlessly renew and return the titles to continue your uLIBRARY journey on your own terms. - Easily locate your previously downloaded titles to enjoy them all over again. Listen Your Own Way - With automatic synchronisation and bookmarking you’ll never lose your place, even if you change devices. - Slow down or speed up the audio as required with a wide-ranging speed function (0.25 to 3.0x) - Reach the conclusion at your own pace with a 30 second skip function or simply select the final chapter with our easy-to-use track selection. - With our integrated sleep function, every audiobook can become a bedtime story – no matter your age. - Listen anywhere, regardless of connectivity with offline listening. Read Your Own Way - Our built in eReader is the most accessible yet with adjustable font sizes, faces (including OpenDyslexic) as well as text and background colour so that everyone can explore the joy of reading. - No need to carry lots of books in your bag, with offline reading available. - Add bookmarks to revisit your favourite sections. Please note that your library’s uLIBRARY collection is curated by your library and not the uLIBRARY digital team.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BorrowBox at 77% against uLIBRARY's 16%. BorrowBox also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (858 vs 2). uLIBRARY's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
uLIBRARY holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BorrowBox has 858 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of BorrowBox's written reviews are positive against 16% of uLIBRARY's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BorrowBox ships an update every 6 days, uLIBRARY every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BorrowBox | uLIBRARY |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (858 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews — better | 16.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 858 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #90 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 146 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Bolinda digital | Ulverscroft Group Ltd |
Customer experience
BorrowBox
uLIBRARY
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
uLIBRARY
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BorrowBox
No in-app purchases
uLIBRARY
No in-app purchases









