Bookshop.org vs Ebook Central
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bookshop.org
Read your ebooks and discover new titles while supporting independent bookstores. All ebook purchases made through this platform directly benefit local bookshops, ensuring their continued success in the digital age.
- Read ebooks from your library
- Browse millions of ebooks
- Add titles to wishlist
- Support local bookstores with purchases
- Connect seamlessly with Bookshop
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Bookshop.org’s mission is simple: We help local, independent bookstores thrive by giving more than 80% of our profits back to our network of 3,000+ stores. In our app, you can read millions of ebooks - and every purchase supports an independent bookstore near you! In the Bookshop app you can: - Read your ebooks in our customizable ebook reader. - Browse millions of titles and discover your next favorite read in romance, thrillers, mystery, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and more. - Organize your TBR into custom shelves. - Highlight in five different colors, and add notes to your highlighted passages. - Sort & filter highlights and notes by date created, book order, and more. - Save titles to your wishlist so you can read them later. - Shop knowing that over 80% of the profit goes directly to local, independent bookstores. We’re a Certified B Corp, and we’ve raised more than $50 million for independent bookstores nationwide since 2020. Download the Bookshop.org app to support bookstores, not billionaires.
Ebook Central
Read downloaded ebooks from your library securely and accessibly, anytime and anywhere. This app offers a modern reading experience with streamlined authentication and an intuitive interface, syncing your progress across devices for uninterrupted research, even offline.
- Offline reading
- Secure reading experience
- Streamlined authentication
- Intuitive interface
- Cross-device syncing
- Accessible reading
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The Ebook Central Reader App makes it easier than ever to read ebooks from your library—anytime, anywhere. It features a secure, accessible and modern reading experience for downloaded Ebook Central titles, with streamlined authentication and an intuitive interface. Whether you’re catching up on reading between classes or on a flight to your next getaway, you can continue your research uninterrupted, even without an internet connection. The Ebook Central app syncs across desktop and mobile devices, making it easy to manage your reading and research when you’re on the go. It’s the perfect companion app to the Ebook Central online platform, which is used to search and select books for download. The Ebook Central app has robust security features to ensure library collections and users' privacy are protected. Download the Ebook Central app today and start researching your way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bookshop.org at 57% against Ebook Central's 0%. Bookshop.org also leads on rating (4.8 vs 1.5) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). Ebook Central's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). 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.
Bookshop.org holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshop.org has 2.3K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Bookshop.org's written reviews are positive against 0% of Ebook Central's.
Bookshop.org ships an update every 5 days, Ebook Central every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bookshop.org | Ebook Central |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.3K ratings) — better | 1.5 (39 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K — better | 39 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #181 | #175 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bookshop, Inc. | Clarivate Analytics (US) LLC |
Customer experience
Bookshop.org
Ebook Central
Bugs and requests
Bookshop.org
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to remember last page read
- Scrolling issues and unexpected page skipping
- Formatting problems (stripped italics, weird paragraph spacing)
- Settings not persisting between app sessions
Requested features
7 requests- More font and theme options
- Ability to adjust line spacing, margins, and other formatting
- Implement highlighting, annotation, and note-taking features
- Add search functionality
- Improve page turning and navigation
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- Provide better dark mode/night reading experience
- Sync reading progress across devices
Ebook Central
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bookshop.org
No in-app purchases
Ebook Central
No in-app purchases
