Comparison

Bardley vs FilmCrawler

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

Head to head
About

Bardley

An audiobook player designed for privacy, allowing users to own their books and enjoy them without tracking or subscriptions. It offers powerful tools for organization, metadata enrichment, and a distraction-free listening experience.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first design with zero data collection
  • Instant metadata search from multiple sources
  • Built-in PDF companion viewer
  • Advanced series organization and tracking
  • Enhanced listening experience with variable speed and smart timer
  • Professional library management with various import and sorting options
  • Accessibility features including VoiceOver support
Features
Read full description

Bardley keeps your listening habits completely private while giving you the power to organize, enrich, and enjoy your audiobook library — no account required. NO SUBSCRIPTION. Start with up to 5 audiobooks. Upgrade to Bardley Pro once to unlock an unlimited library, iCloud sync, JellyFin, LibriVox access, and every future premium feature — forever. No monthly fees, no tricks. COMPLETE PRIVACY PROTECTION Zero data collection. No tracking. No accounts. Your audiobooks and listening history stay with you where they belong. While other apps harvest your data for profit, Bardley respects your privacy by default — every network feature is opt-in, never forced. INSTANT METADATA SEARCH Search Open Library, PodcastIndex, and Audnexus simultaneously to find the right cover art, author, narrator, series info, and chapter names. One tap to apply everything. Your sideloaded books deserve proper metadata. BUILT-IN PDF COMPANION VIEWER Attach study guides, liner notes, or companion PDFs directly to any audiobook. Full PDF viewer with page navigation, table of contents, and thumbnails — all without leaving the app. It remembers your last page, too. SERIES ORGANIZATION THAT ACTUALLY WORKS Tired of scrolling through random book lists trying to find Book 3? Bardley groups series books together and lets you set custom reading order. Filter by series, track progress across entire collections, and never lose your place in multi-book stories again. ENHANCED LISTENING EXPERIENCE Variable playback speed from 0.5x to 2.0x. Smart sleep timer that pauses at chapter endings — not mid-sentence. Configurable skip controls. Detailed bookmarks with notes. Chapter navigation with progress tracking. Seamless resume every time you reopen the app. PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY MANAGEMENT Import through Files, AirDrop, or sharing. Supports MP3, M4A, M4B, AIFF, and WAV. Automatic chapter detection. Add custom artwork while keeping originals safe. Switch between grid and list views. Filter by progress, group by author or series, sort seven different ways. BUILT FOR ACCESSIBILITY Bardley adapts to your settings. Five levels of adaptive layout sizing, full VoiceOver support with rich playback announcements, and haptic feedback for every control — so the app works the way you do. CLEAN, DISTRACTION-FREE DESIGN Choose from multiple UI styles to match your taste. Powerful search and filtering. Progress indicators on every book. No ads, no clutter, no distractions — just your audiobooks. Your audiobooks. Your privacy. Your way.

About

FilmCrawler

Explore movies, actors, and creators through an interactive visual graph. Start with any film and uncover connections, discover new films, and build a personalized watchlist. Share your movie maps with others.

Highlights
  • Interactive film and actor graph
  • Explore cast, crew, and filmographies
  • Discover related films
  • Build and save watchlists
  • Export graphs and watchlists
  • Visual movie maps
Features
Read full description

FilmCrawler is a visual film explorer that lets you navigate movies, actors, and creators as an interactive graph. Start with any film, and instantly expand its cast and crew. Tap on an actor, director, or writer to explore their other work. Follow connections across films and uncover relationships you didn’t know existed. It’s like going down a movie rabbit hole—except you can see the entire journey. Explore Like Never Before: - Search for any movie and expand its full cast & crew - Tap any person to reveal their filmography - Continue exploring infinitely across connected films - Visually trace relationships between movies and creators Discover What to Watch Next: - Find films connected by shared actors or directors - Spot surprising overlaps between unrelated movies - Perfect for answering: “What else were they in?” Build Your Watchlist: - Save movies as you explore - Keep track of discoveries in one place - Export your watchlist to Letterboxd Visual Graph Experience: - Interactive, dynamic movie maps - Zoom, pan, and explore freely - Save and reload your exploration sessions Share Your Discoveries - Export your graph as PNG or PDF - Share your movie maps with friends FilmCrawler transforms movie discovery into an experience—turning curiosity into exploration. Movie data provided by TMDb. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.

Screenshots

Bardley4 screens
FilmCrawler4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FilmCrawler at none against Bardley's 1. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Bardley sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. FilmCrawler asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Bardley against 5.0 for FilmCrawler. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bardley ships an update every 8 days, FilmCrawler every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Bardley versus FilmCrawler: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBardleyFilmCrawler
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoseph PoirierSigma Venturi LLC

Customer experience

Bardley

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

FilmCrawler

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bardley

One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$5.99
None

FilmCrawler

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bardley free?
Bardley is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FilmCrawler free?
FilmCrawler is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bardley or FilmCrawler?
Bardley and FilmCrawler are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Bardley or FilmCrawler have ads?
Neither Bardley nor FilmCrawler shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bardley or FilmCrawler?
Bardley ships an update every 8 days, and FilmCrawler every 4 days. Most recently, Bardley was updated on September 18, 2026 and FilmCrawler on September 10, 2026.

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