Bookshop.org vs Seattle Public Library
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bookshop.org
Read millions of ebooks and support independent bookstores with every purchase. This app offers a customizable reader, extensive browsing, and tools to organize your reading list and notes.
- Customizable ebook reader
- Browse millions of titles
- Organize TBR into custom shelves
- Highlight in five colors
- Add notes to highlights
- Save titles to wishlist
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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.
Seattle Public Library
Access the library's catalog, manage your account, and check out books from your mobile device. You can also find branches, reserve rooms, and explore library resources.
- Search catalog and place holds
- Digital library card
- Instant checkout by scanning
- Manage account and borrowing
- Scan ISBN to find books
- Find branches and hours
- Reserve rooms
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With The Seattle Public Library app, you can search our catalog, check out books and manage your account right from your phone or tablet! - Search our entire catalog and place holds directly from the app, then use your digital library card at a checkout station (you can add it to the wallet on your phone too). Or scan the material with the app to check it out instantly. - Check your account details and manage your borrowing on the go. - Scan an ISBN to quickly find it in our catalog, whether you're browsing in a bookstore or organizing your home collection. - Quickly find the branch nearest to you, and see open hours for every location. - Reserve a room and manage your reservations right from the app. - Switch the language you use to navigate the app to Spanish, Vietnamese or Chinese (Traditional and Simplified). - Explore our resources and see what’s happening at your Library!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bookshop.org at 4.8 against Seattle Public Library's 4.2. Bookshop.org also leads on ratings volume (2.3K vs 26) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Seattle Public Library's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 57%). 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshop.org has 2.3K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Bookshop.org's written reviews are positive against 75% of Seattle Public Library's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Bookshop.org ships an update every 5 days, Seattle Public Library every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bookshop.org | Seattle Public Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.3K ratings) — better | 4.2 (26 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K — better | 26 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #189 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bookshop, Inc. | The Seattle Public Library |
Customer experience
Bookshop.org
Seattle Public Library
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
Seattle Public Library
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bookshop.org
No in-app purchases
Seattle Public Library
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bookshop.org free?
Is Seattle Public Library free?
Which has better reviews, Bookshop.org or Seattle Public Library?
Do Bookshop.org or Seattle Public Library have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bookshop.org or Seattle Public Library?
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