# BookBound vs ReadTale

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookBound at none against ReadTale's 1. ReadTale's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

BookBound ships an update every 4 months, ReadTale daily. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookBound | ReadTale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Daily** |
| Size | 10 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steve Scott](https://appshunter.io/developer/1090707150) | [Hamza Boulahfa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884960307) |

## What reviewers say

### BookBound

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbound-reading-tracker/id6758109356)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ReadTale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readtale/id6761625334)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookBound free?

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

### Is ReadTale free?

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

### Do BookBound or ReadTale have ads?

Neither BookBound nor ReadTale shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookBound or ReadTale?

BookBound ships an update every 4 months, and ReadTale daily. Most recently, BookBound was updated on October 31, 2026 and ReadTale on November 5, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*
