Scuba vs bookworm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scuba
Discover and read classic books with a modern, mobile-first approach. This app breaks down stories into digestible beats, using vertical swipes for natural phone navigation. Story recaps and offline reading features help you maintain your reading habit.
- Story beats for easier reading
- Recaps to remember story progress
- Vertical swiping for phone reading
- Home screen widget for current book
- Offline reading support
- Curated bookstore
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Scuba is a new way to read books on your phone. Browse a curated bookstore, then read with Story Beats™, a new reading experience designed for your phone. Natural vertical swiping, beautifully designed pages and Story So Far recaps make books feel at home on your screen. Your first book is free. Features • Story Beats™ designed for reading on your phone • Natural vertical swiping • Story So Far recaps to help you dive back in • Adjustable text size, themes and page design • Home Screen widget for your current book • Offline reading • A curated bookstore of classic books Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
bookworm
Track your reading, rank books with personalized comparisons, and build custom lists. Connect with friends to see their favorites and discover new books through personalized recommendations and curated shelves.
- Rank books with personalized comparisons
- Build and customize reading lists
- Add notes and reviews
- Set reading goals and track streaks
- Import Goodreads shelves
- Follow friends' reading activity
- Create book clubs
- Personalized book recommendations
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Bookworm helps book lovers reimagine their reading. An independent, community-first home for your reading life: track what you read, rank it honestly, see what your friends are loving, and discover new favorites. Your reading, reimagined: ⁃ Rank, don’t rate. Sort each book into Loved, Liked, or OK, then answer a few quick comparisons to get a ranking that reflects your real taste. ⁃ Build reading lists and shape them your way ⁃ Capture your thoughts through notes and reviews ⁃ Set a reading goal and keep your reading streak alive ⁃ Bring your whole library with you —import Goodreads shelves and ratings in one tap Connect with others ⁃ Follow friends and see what they’re reading, ranking, and loving ⁃ Start a book club and share your progress chapter by chapter ⁃ Stay in control with privacy settings for your shelf, activity, and reviews Find new favorites ⁃ Get personalized recommendations curated to your taste ⁃ Explore curated shelves, hand-picked by our team of readers just like you! Let’s start a new chapter… join Bookworm!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: bookworm at none against Scuba's 2. Scuba's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support 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. Scuba sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. bookworm asks for nothing beyond the download.
Scuba ships an update every 2 days, bookworm every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Scuba | bookworm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 105 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tim Brown | Lucas Abroms |
Customer experience
Scuba
bookworm
In-app purchases
Scuba
- Scuba Reading Pass$4.991 Month
- Scuba Reading Pass7 Days trial$24.991 Year
bookworm
No in-app purchases









