Comparison

BookSpoken vs Codex Books

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

Head to head
About

BookSpoken

Transform any printed book into an audiobook with natural narration and word highlighting. Ideal for auditory learners, those with dyslexia, or anyone who prefers listening while reading. Enjoy offline functionality and complete privacy.

Highlights
  • Scan printed pages to audio
  • Natural, human-sounding voice
  • Word-by-word highlighting
  • Works offline
  • Complete privacy
  • One-time purchase
Features
Read full description

BookSpoken turns any printed book into a read-along audiobook, right on your iPhone. Point your camera at the pages. BookSpoken reads them aloud in a natural, human-sounding voice and highlights each word as it speaks, so your eyes and ears stay in the same place. Hearing and seeing a sentence at once is how reading clicks. It is made for anyone who reads better by ear: people with dyslexia, readers learning English, students working through a dense chapter, tired eyes at the end of a long day, or anyone who simply prefers to listen. WHY BOOKSPOKEN A real voice, not a robot. The natural on-device voice sounds nothing like the built-in phone reader. Follow along. Every word is highlighted as it is spoken, so you never lose your place. Works on paper. Scan a physical book, a textbook, a magazine, a printout, anything printed. Completely private. Your photos of the pages and the text never leave your phone. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is tracked. Works offline. The voice runs entirely on your device, so no signal is needed. HOW IT WORKS 1. Snap the cover, then the pages. 2. BookSpoken reads the text and tidies it up. 3. Press play and follow along, word by word. FREE TO TRY Read the first pages of any book for free. A single one-time purchase unlocks every page of every book you scan, forever. No subscription, no account.

About

Codex Books

Features
Read full description

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

BookSpoken4 screens
Codex Books4 screens

Verdict

The call

BookSpoken and Codex Books are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. BookSpoken sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Codex Books sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
BookSpoken versus Codex Books: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookSpokenCodex Books
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size468 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoe MurfinShinro OU

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BookSpoken

One-time1
  • BookSpoken Unlimited$9.99
1 purchases

Codex Books

One-time1
  • Unlimited Library (Lifetime)$5.99

Questions

Is BookSpoken free?
BookSpoken is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Codex Books free?
Codex Books is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BookSpoken or Codex Books have ads?
Neither BookSpoken nor Codex Books shows ads.

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