# bambü vs Novelwave

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Novelwave at 67 against bambü's 1. bambü's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

bambü holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Novelwave has 67 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

bambü ships an update every 2 days, Novelwave every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | bambü | Novelwave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambu/id6621188327/reviews)** | [4.8 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novelwave-an-audiobook-player/id6720100886/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **67** |
| Positive reviews | — | 90.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 21 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bryan May](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761256704) | [Mihai Petrenco](https://appshunter.io/developer/1566847213) |

## What reviewers say

### bambü

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambu/id6621188327)

This app helps book lovers discover new titles, manage their reading lists, and track progress. It provides detailed book information, allows for easy organization, and ranks books based on ratings and reading time.

**Highlights:** Book discovery, Reading list tracking, Progress management, Book ranking algorithm, Detailed book information, Library organization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Novelwave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novelwave-an-audiobook-player/id6720100886)

This app allows you to play your own DRM-free audiobooks on various Apple devices. Organize your library, customize playback speed, set sleep timers, and track your listening statistics. It offers seamless integration with Apple Watch, CarPlay, and Siri for an enhanced listening experience.

**Highlights:** Import DRM-free audio files (M4B, MP3, etc.), Customizable playback speed (0.5x to 6x), Sleep timer with various options, Chapter navigation and bookmarks, Apple Watch and CarPlay integration, Listening statistics and progress tracking, Organize books into custom shelves

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is bambü free?

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

### Is Novelwave free?

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

### Which has better reviews, bambü or Novelwave?

bambü is rated higher. bambü averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Novelwave averages 4.8 from 67 ratings.

### Do bambü or Novelwave have ads?

Neither bambü nor Novelwave shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, bambü or Novelwave?

bambü ships an update every 2 days, and Novelwave every 5 days. Most recently, bambü was updated on November 4, 2026 and Novelwave on November 12, 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.*