# Bookshop.org vs Bindery Books

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bindery Books at 100% against Bookshop.org's 57%. Bindery Books also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Bookshop.org's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 34). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Bindery Books holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshop.org has 2.3K ratings behind it against 34, 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 100% of Bindery Books's.

Bookshop.org ships an update every 5 days, Bindery Books every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshop.org | Bindery Books |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshoporg-ebook-reader/id6465290096/reviews) | **[5.0 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bindery-books/id6747425349/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.3K** | 34 |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#181** | — |
| Size | 111 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Bookshop, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1706515971) | [Bindery Books, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1821413317) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshop.org

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshoporg-ebook-reader/id6465290096)

**Currently charting:** #181 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Read ebooks from your library, Browse millions of ebooks, Add titles to wishlist, Support local bookstores with purchases, Connect seamlessly with Bookshop

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Great alternative to Amazon
- 👍 Supports local bookstores
- 👍 Clean and pleasing interface
- 👍 Solid app for a new release

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Formatting issues (lack of italics, poor paragraph spacing, etc.)
- 🐛 Buggy page turning and navigation
- 🔧 Limited customization options (fonts, themes, brightness, etc.)
- 🔧 Missing essential features (highlighting, note-taking, search, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Bindery Books

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bindery-books/id6747425349)

Discover new books and connect with fellow readers through curated content and community features. Explore recommendations from trusted tastemakers and participate in the creation of new literary voices.

**Highlights:** Bookish content and commentary, Personalized reading recommendations, Thematic book collections, Join book communities and clubs, Participate in new author publishing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshop.org free?

Bookshop.org is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bindery Books free?

Bindery Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bookshop.org or Bindery Books?

Bindery Books is rated higher. Bookshop.org averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Bindery Books averages 5.0 from 34 ratings.

### Do Bookshop.org or Bindery Books have ads?

Neither Bookshop.org nor Bindery Books shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshop.org or Bindery Books?

Bookshop.org ships an update every 5 days, and Bindery Books every 2 weeks. Most recently, Bookshop.org was updated on October 30, 2026 and Bindery Books on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*