Bookshop.org vs Fox River Valley 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.
Fox River Valley Library
Access your local library's catalog, manage checkouts and holds, and discover upcoming events. Explore online resources and connect with library staff directly from your mobile device.
- Search library catalog
- Reserve items
- Manage checkouts
- Manage holds
- View upcoming events
- Access online resources
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Take the Fox River Valley Libraries everywhere you go! Use the library app on the go to: -Search the library catalog and reserve items -Manage your checkouts and holds -View upcoming events at the library -Access online resources -Contact library staff and so much more!
Screenshots
Verdict
Bookshop.org and Fox River Valley Library both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Fox River Valley Library's written reviews are positive against 57% of Bookshop.org's. Bookshop.org's advantage is ratings volume (2.3K vs 26) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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.
Fox River Valley Library holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.8. 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 point the same way: 57% of Bookshop.org's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fox River Valley Library's.
Bookshop.org ships an update every 5 days, Fox River Valley Library every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bookshop.org | Fox River Valley Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.3K ratings) | 4.9 (26 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews | 100.0% 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 | #171 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bookshop, Inc. | Capira Technologies |
Customer experience
Bookshop.org
Fox River Valley 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
Fox River Valley Library
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bookshop.org
No in-app purchases
Fox River Valley Library
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bookshop.org free?
Is Fox River Valley Library free?
Which has better reviews, Bookshop.org or Fox River Valley Library?
Do Bookshop.org or Fox River Valley Library have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bookshop.org or Fox River Valley Library?
Other comparisons
