Comparison

Scuba vs bookworm

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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/

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Scuba4 screens
bookworm4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Scuba sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. bookworm asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scuba ships an update every 2 days, bookworm every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Scuba versus bookworm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScubabookworm
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB105 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTim BrownLucas Abroms

Customer experience

Scuba

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

bookworm

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Scuba

Subscriptions2
  • Scuba Reading Pass$4.991 Month
  • Scuba Reading Pass7 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

bookworm

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scuba free?
Scuba is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is bookworm free?
bookworm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Scuba or bookworm have ads?
Neither Scuba nor bookworm shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scuba or bookworm?
Scuba ships an update every 2 days, and bookworm every 2 weeks. Most recently, Scuba was updated on November 5, 2026 and bookworm on November 5, 2026.

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