# Tonspur vs Spine

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spine at none against Tonspur's 1. Spine also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (25 vs 6). Tonspur's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 75%). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tonspur sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spine asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Tonspur against 4.8 for Spine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 25 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Tonspur's written reviews are positive against 75% of Spine's.

Tonspur ships an update every 3 weeks, Spine every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tonspur | Spine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tonspur/id6739758347/reviews) | **[4.8 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spine-audiobook-player/id6764636615/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **25** |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 32 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **26.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Tim Olbrich](https://appshunter.io/developer/1623192062) | [Accelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895859588) |

## What reviewers say

### Tonspur

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tonspur/id6739758347)

Listen to your personal audiobook collection with this companion app. Enjoy features like adjustable playback speed, a sleep timer, and easy chapter navigation. Download books for offline listening and sync your progress across devices.

**Highlights:** Variable playback speed, Sleep timer, Offline listening, Chapter navigation, Progress syncing, CarPlay support, Multi-library support

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Downloads | $8.99 | one-time |


### 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 Tonspur free?

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

### Is Spine free?

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

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

Spine is rated higher. Tonspur averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Spine averages 4.8 from 25 ratings.

### Do Tonspur or Spine have ads?

Neither Tonspur nor Spine shows ads.

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

Tonspur ships an update every 3 weeks, and Spine every 4 days. Most recently, Tonspur was updated on August 27, 2026 and Spine on September 17, 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.*