ARC vs Booksie
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ARC
Engage with stories by making choices that shape the narrative and lead to unique endings. Explore various genres, from romance to fantasy, with both short reads and full-length books. An AI companion can help guide your decisions.
- Interactive stories with branching paths
- Short stories for quick reads
- Full-length books with multiple endings
- AI companion for decision guidance
- Audio narration for chapters
- Regularly added new stories
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Stories you don't just read, you control. No gems. No ads. No walls. Try the first chapter of all the books on ARC. One flat price unlocks every chapter of every book. Make choices that change what happens next. Follow branching paths across romance, thriller, fantasy, mystery, and more — with endings that are genuinely yours. Got five minutes? ARC Shorts are complete interactive stories built for your next break. Want to go deeper? Full-length books with multiple endings are waiting. Features: • Interactive stories where your choices matter • 3–10 minute story shorts for quick, immersive reads • Full-length interactive books with multiple endings • Kiro AI companion to guide your decisions • Audio narration available for every chapter • New stories added regularly Pick a story, make your choices, and see where your path leads. Perfect for fans of interactive stories, story-driven games, and readers who want a more immersive experience. Download ARC and start your first story today. Every choice is yours. Every ending is earned. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Booksie
Experience stories like never before with stunning scene visualizations and exclusive content. Turn passages into images and short videos, discover new authors, and explore curated romance, fantasy, and fiction stories. Share your creations and connect with a community of readers.
- Visualize any scene from text
- Create short video clips
- Discover exclusive content
- Immersive reading experience
- Explore community visualizations
- Browse by genre
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Booksie brings exclusive favorite books to life with stunning scene visualization. VISUALIZE ANY SCENE • Turn any passage into stunning images • Create short video clips from your favorite moments • Share your visualizations with the community DISCOVER EXCLUSIVE CONTENT • Read stories from authors testing new material on Booksie • Be the first to experience upcoming releases • Find your next favorite book before anyone else IMMERSIVE READING • Curated romance, fantasy, and fiction stories • Chapter-by-chapter progression with unlocks SCENES FEED • Explore visualizations created by other readers • Like and save scenes that inspire you • Share your own creations BROWSE BY GENRE • Editor's picks and trending books • Romance, Fantasy, Thriller & more • Save favorites to your personal library Experience stories like never before. BOOKSIE PRO SUBSCRIPTION Subscription required to use Booksie. • Monthly: $9.99/month • Yearly: $59.99/year (save 50%) Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://booksie.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://booksie.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Booksie at 4.6 against ARC's 4.0. Booksie also leads on ratings volume (103 vs 8) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). ARC's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. ARC sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Booksie sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Booksie holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Booksie has 103 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ARC ships an update every 2 weeks, Booksie every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ARC | Booksie |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) | 4.6 (103 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 103 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | — |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 191 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Fishybear LLC | MapleSoft LLC |
In-app purchases
ARC
- ARC Reader7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- ARC Reader Plus7 Days trial$24.991 Month
- ARC Reader7 Days trial$99.991 Year
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- ARC Reader Plus7 Days trial$199.991 Year
Booksie
- Booksie Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- Booksie Pro Yearly$59.991 Year
- 10 Sparks$0.99
- 55 Sparks$3.99
- 125 Sparks$7.99
