Scuba vs Scriptorium
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β 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 Beatsβ’, 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 β’ Story Beatsβ’ designed for reading on your phone β’ Natural vertical swiping β’ Story So Far recaps to help you dive back in β’ Adjustable text size, themes and page design β’ Home Screen widget for your current book β’ Offline reading β’ A curated bookstore of classic books Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Scriptorium
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Scriptorium is a living radio station for the world's great books. Tune in to a channel β Hearth (cozy & comic), Shadows (dark & literary), Wonder (sci-fi & adventure), or Nursery (tales for children) β and hear a beautifully narrated classic, always on, in sync with every other listener. It's live radio: there's always something playing. Or browse the Library and listen to any book on demand β from the beginning, or right where you left off. β’ Read along β a candlelit teleprompter lights each word as it's spoken β’ Continue where you left off β every book remembers your place β’ Sleep timer for bedtime listening β’ CarPlay β take the station on the road β’ A Home Screen widget showing what's on now β’ Apple TV β an ambient reading room for the big screen Every book is a public-domain classic, freely narrated. No account, no ads, no clutter β just great literature, read aloud.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scriptorium at none against Scuba's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Scuba sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Scriptorium asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Scuba | Scriptorium |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | β |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | β |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No β better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | β |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tim Brown | Christopher Sivori |
In-app purchases
Scuba
- Scuba Reading Pass$4.991 Month
- Scuba Reading Pass7 Days trial$24.991 Year
Scriptorium
No in-app purchases









