Comparison

GutenbergListen vs Codex Books

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

Head to head
About

GutenbergListen

Features
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GutenbergListen's raison d'Γͺtre is to provide simple access to the Project Gutenberg website of 70,000 plus books to blind user or to anyone using a screen reader to by providing a succinct browsing experience (declutered, to use the vernacular) to speed navigation. Everyone is, of course, welcome to use it. It is provided without out charge under the agpl-3.0 license. Selected eBooks and audio books are downloaded to the user's phone or tablet and remain until deleted by the user. Downloaded books can be accessed on or offline. eBooks are spoken in a user select-able voice that can be managed by speed, pitch and other basic controls including a sleep timer. Audio books are played at a user select-able speed and the basic controls also include a sleep timer. No personal data is collected, no account creation is required, no location or device information is collected, your location is not tracked and there are no analytics used.

About

Codex Books

Features
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Codex helps you build and organize a personal book library from the books around you. Scan a book cover with your camera, pick a photo from your library, scan an ISBN barcode, or search by title, author, or ISBN. Codex retrieves book details such as title, author, year, cover, description, and ISBN, then saves them into your library for quick browsing and lookup. Your collection can be sorted by author, year, or category, and books can be grouped into genres and adjusted manually when needed. You can also export your full library as JSON for backup or sharing. Features: - Scan book covers with OCR-based search - Scan ISBN barcodes with the camera - Search manually by title, author, or ISBN - Save title, author, year, category, description, cover, and ISBN - Organize books by author, year, and category - Edit categories and remove books from the library - Export your collection as JSON - Sync your library through iCloud - Codex is designed for readers who want a fast way to catalog physical books without maintaining a spreadsheet by hand.Note:In order to function, the app needs Google API with Books API access which can be configured via the app settings.

Screenshots

GutenbergListen3 screens
Codex Books4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GutenbergListen at none against Codex Books's 1. Codex Books's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks). 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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Codex Books sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GutenbergListen asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GutenbergListen ships an update every 6 weeks, Codex Books every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
GutenbergListen versus Codex Books: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGutenbergListenCodex Books
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size2 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrank D DucrestShinro OU

In-app purchases

None

GutenbergListen

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Codex Books

One-time1
  • Unlimited Library (Lifetime)$5.99

Questions

Is GutenbergListen free?
GutenbergListen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Codex Books free?
Codex Books is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do GutenbergListen or Codex Books have ads?
Neither GutenbergListen nor Codex Books shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GutenbergListen or Codex Books?
GutenbergListen ships an update every 6 weeks, and Codex Books every 5 days. Most recently, GutenbergListen was updated on October 6, 2026 and Codex Books on October 7, 2026.

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