# Booken vs Spine

The clearest difference is update cadence: Spine at every 4 days against Booken's every 2 months. Spine also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (30 vs 8). Booken's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, 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.

Spine holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 30 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Booken's written reviews are positive against 87% of Spine's.

Booken ships an update every 2 months, Spine every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Booken | Spine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booken/id6550895937/reviews) | **[4.8 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spine-audiobook-player/id6764636615/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **30** |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **86.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 24 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Riley Brookins](https://appshunter.io/developer/1704731895) | [Accelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895859588) |

## What reviewers say

### Booken

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booken/id6550895937)

This app provides a simple and efficient way to listen to your audiobook files. It offers features for importing, managing, and tracking your listening progress, with playback controls accessible from your phone and Apple Watch.

**Highlights:** Import own audiobook files, Track listening progress, Mark books as finished, Lock screen playback controls, Apple Watch companion app, Variable scrubbing speed, Adjustable playback speed

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Spine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spine-audiobook-player/id6764636615)

This app enhances audiobook listening with features like listener levels, daily streaks, and shareable year-end recaps. It offers a beautiful, integrated player and syncs with Hardcover, all while keeping your data private on-device.

**Highlights:** Integrated audiobook player, Listener levels and daily streaks, Hardcover sync, On-device AI summaries, Shareable year-in-review recap, Lock screen and widget controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Booken free?

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

### Is Spine free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Booken or Spine?

Spine is rated higher. Booken averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Spine averages 4.8 from 30 ratings.

### Do Booken or Spine have ads?

Neither Booken nor Spine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Booken or Spine?

Booken ships an update every 2 months, and Spine every 4 days. Most recently, Booken was updated on October 30, 2026 and Spine on November 1, 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.*