# BookPlayer vs BookThread

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookThread at none against BookPlayer's 5. BookPlayer's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 16.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BookPlayer sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BookThread asks for nothing beyond the download.

BookPlayer ships an update weekly, BookThread every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookPlayer | BookThread |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (244 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookplayer-mp3m4bm4amp4/id6478473640/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **244** | — |
| Positive reviews | 58.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 86 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alevtina Liubimova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732960796) | [Thomas Basso](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480053274) |

## What reviewers say

### BookPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookplayer-mp3m4bm4amp4/id6478473640)

This app is a dedicated audio player for your personal audiobook collection. It supports various audio file formats and offers convenient playback features like automatic bookmarking and sleep timers. Enjoy your audiobooks offline without any advertisements.

**Highlights:** Plays MP3, MP4, M4B, M4A formats, Automatic bookmarking, Quick chapter jumping, Headset controls, Control Center/lock screen integration, Sleep timer

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual | $12.99 | per year |
| Yeraly | $12.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Automatic chapter detection
- ✨ Customizable cover and text
- 🎧 Supports multiple audio formats
- 💡 Good for importing MP3s

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Free version is very limited (30 min/day)
- 🐛 Buggy when uploading MP4s
- 💸 Monthly subscription model disliked
- 💰 Paid version still has issues
- 👎 Support is unresponsive

**Reported bugs**

- Over 100 copies of audiobook created when downloading from iCloud
- Free version doesn't refresh daily
- App forgets Pro purchase, enforcing 30 min limit
- Playback doesn't stop when tapping earphones
- Exporting still one piece after chapter split

**Requested features**

- Add widget support
- Add sorting options
- Add folders to the GUI
- Add bookmark functionality
- Add ability to skip intro/outro


### BookThread

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookthread/id6761524288)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookPlayer free?

BookPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BookThread free?

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

### Do BookPlayer or BookThread have ads?

Neither BookPlayer nor BookThread shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookPlayer or BookThread?

BookPlayer ships an update weekly, and BookThread every 2 months. Most recently, BookPlayer was updated on October 30, 2026 and BookThread on October 25, 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.*