# Bookshop.org vs Fox River Valley Library

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshop.org | Fox River Valley Library |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshoporg-ebook-reader/id6465290096/reviews) | **[4.9 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fox-river-valley-library/id6748152349/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.3K** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#172** | — |
| Size | 111 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bookshop, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1706515971) | [Capira Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/1010559443) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshop.org

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

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Customizable ebook reader, Browse millions of titles, Organize TBR into custom shelves, Highlight in five colors, Add notes to highlights, Save titles to wishlist

**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


### Fox River Valley Library

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fox-river-valley-library/id6748152349)

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.

**Highlights:** Search library catalog, Reserve items, Manage checkouts, Manage holds, View upcoming events, Access online resources

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, 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 Fox River Valley Library free?

Fox River Valley Library is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bookshop.org or Fox River Valley Library?

Fox River Valley Library is rated higher. Bookshop.org averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Fox River Valley Library averages 4.9 from 26 ratings.

### Do Bookshop.org or Fox River Valley Library have ads?

Neither Bookshop.org nor Fox River Valley Library shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshop.org or Fox River Valley Library?

Bookshop.org ships an update every 5 days, and Fox River Valley Library every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bookshop.org was updated on November 12, 2026 and Fox River Valley Library on November 8, 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.*