Comparison

Simon & Schuster Books vs ReadTale

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Simon & Schuster Books

Access your purchased ebooks and audiobooks from simonandschuster.com. Enjoy offline reading and listening with features like bookmarking, customizable text, and a sleep timer. Seamlessly continue your reading across devices.

Highlights
  • Offline access to purchased content
  • Audiobook player with sleep timer
  • Ebook reader with customizable fonts
  • Cross-device bookmarking
  • Full text search
  • Background audiobook playback
Features
Read full description

An ebook and audiobook app designed exclusively for purchases made at simonandschuster.com. Welcome to the Simon & Schuster books app, powered by Glassboxx. We are delighted to offer you an easy and secure way to enjoy your ebook and audiobook purchases. No password required – you can either use our social sign on with Apple or Google, or simply log in with the email address used to buy the book and enter the verification code sent to your email – and your content awaits in the ‘My books’ area of the app, with formats clearly labelled. With the content in the cloud, downloading requires an initial internet connection. Once downloaded, you can access your books and enjoy them offline. THE EREADER ALLOWS FOR: • Page book-marking, opening the title at the right place when you pick up, even across multiple devices • Font-size and font face changes, as well as dyslexic-friendly font • Page colour themes (white, dark, and sepia) • Full text search • Highlighting • Annotations THE AUDIO-PLAYER WILL: • Auto-save your current position in the book – so that you can pick up right where you left off, even if listening on different devices • Allow for skip forward/backward to recap where relevant • Offer sleep timer option • Play on lock-screen, enabling easy access to playback controls • Play in background whilst browsing other apps • Play immediately, and download in the background (provided internet access is available) • Display accompanying materials for the audiobook • Integrate with Apple Car Play • Connect to Airplay devices

About

ReadTale

Features
Read full description

Create beautiful book review cards in seconds—then save, organize, and share your favorite quotes and thoughts as polished images. ReadTale turns your reading into share-ready cards. Pick a style, add your thoughts, and export an image perfect for social feeds and reading communities. What you can create: • Review cards — Star rating (1–5) plus an emotion meter (0–5) to capture how a book made you feel. • Quote cards — Highlight your favorite lines with matching typography. • Recommendation cards — Share your opinion with a clean, card-style layout. Make it yours: • Templates — Styles like Dark Academia and Fantasy to match your vibe. • Optional watermark — Add a subtle signature when sharing. • Your library — Cards stay on your device, editable anytime. Export & share: Save images to your Photos or share anywhere—perfect for BookTok, Bookstagram, or your personal reading journal. Whether it’s a five-star review or a quote you love, ReadTale helps you capture it in one tap. Create your next reading card today.

Screenshots

Simon & Schuster Books4 screens
ReadTale4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simon & Schuster Books at none against ReadTale's 1. Simon & Schuster Books also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). ReadTale's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ReadTale sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simon & Schuster Books asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simon & Schuster Books ships an update every 3 months, ReadTale daily. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Simon & Schuster Books versus ReadTale: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimon & Schuster BooksReadTale
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (116 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings116 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGlassboxx LimitedHamza Boulahfa

In-app purchases

None

Simon & Schuster Books

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ReadTale

One-time1
  • Lifetime$4.99

Questions

Is Simon & Schuster Books free?
Simon & Schuster Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ReadTale free?
ReadTale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simon & Schuster Books or ReadTale have ads?
Neither Simon & Schuster Books nor ReadTale shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simon & Schuster Books or ReadTale?
Simon & Schuster Books ships an update every 3 months, and ReadTale daily. Most recently, Simon & Schuster Books was updated on October 15, 2026 and ReadTale on October 3, 2026.

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