BARD Mobile vs Islam By Touch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BARD Mobile
Access a vast digital library of audiobooks, electronic braille books, magazines, and music scores. This service is provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled to eligible US residents and citizens abroad who cannot read standard print.
- Tens of thousands of books
- Current best sellers and classics
- Popular magazines
- Music instruction and scores
- Audio and electronic braille formats
- New selections added daily
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CARRY A LIBRARY IN YOUR POCKET Access tens of thousands of books—from current best sellers to much-loved classics, popular magazines, and music instruction and scores—in audio and electronic braille, with new selections added daily. WHO IS ELIGIBLE? BARD Mobile is a service of NLS. NLS provides free audio and braille reading materials to residents of the US and American citizens living abroad who cannot read regular print. If you are blind or have temporary or permanent low vision or a physical or reading disability that prevents you from holding or reading the printed page, you may be eligible for this program. For more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/eligibility-for-nls-services. HOW DO I GET STARTED? This app allows access for eligible users who have enrolled in the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress. To enroll, call 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323) and follow the prompts to find your state. Or to learn more at https://www.loc.gov/thatallmayread. If you are already an NLS patron, contact your cooperating NLS library to request a BARD account. You can find your library by visiting https://www.loc.gov/nls/find-a-local-library/. SUPPORT For support and help with BARD account issues, or to report bugs, email NLSDownload@loc.gov. For FAQ, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/bard-access/nls-bard-frequently-asked-questions/. For the User Guides: https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/bard-access/bard-mobile-ios-version/
Islam By Touch
This app provides a comprehensive Islamic library, featuring e-books and the English translation of the Quran. It is fully compatible with Voice Over for the visually impaired, offering a simple interface with large text and customizable color schemes for an accessible reading experience.
- Voice Over compatibility
- English Quran translation
- Customizable display (color, font size)
- Bookstore for discovery
- Bookmark and favorite lines
- User-friendly interface
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First Islamic library platform that is fully compatible with the iPhone Voice Over feature for the visually impaired. The Islam By Touch App is full of E-Books about Islam including the English translation of the Quran. This App is made has a very simple display which makes reading books very easy for everyone! • IBT has been completely redesigned to to make it fully compatible with the iPhone Voice Over feature • IBT App is specifically made for the visually impaired making it easy for users to invert the color and make the font extra big • The new Book Store makes it easy to read and discover new books • The App is 100% FREE • This App makes it very easy for users to bookmark and favorite lines in the book they are reading and it is 100% compatible with the Voice Over rotter • The App has the option to display white text on a black background or black text on a white background • This App is user friendly, and is enabled with large buttons and text Help IBT grow, donate at: http://islambytouch.com/donate/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Islam By Touch at 5.0 against BARD Mobile's 3.8. Islam By Touch also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 58%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). BARD Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (187 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Islam By Touch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BARD Mobile has 187 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of BARD Mobile's written reviews are positive against 100% of Islam By Touch's.
BARD Mobile ships an update every 3 months, Islam By Touch monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BARD Mobile | Islam By Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (187 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 187 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Library Of Congress | Islam By Touch Inc. |
Customer experience
BARD Mobile
Islam By Touch
Bugs and requests
BARD Mobile
Reported bugs
20 issues- Login credentials cannot be decrypted error
- Device registration failed when logging in from different locations
- Downloads stuck in queue indefinitely
- App crashes on iOS 26 and recent iOS versions
- VoiceOver focus jumping unexpectedly
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- Braille books display gibberish or won't advance properly
- Search results disappear when switching apps or receiving calls
- Playback stops when screen turns off
- Wireless headset stop button not responding
- Sleep timer not working correctly
- Books not syncing across multiple devices
- Account marked as suspended without reason
- Password reset functionality broken
- Airplay 2 compatibility issues
- Siri commands inconsistent
- Playback lag and stuttering
- Books fail to extract after download
- Recent downloads cannot be cleared
- Braille display connection issues
- Tone adjustment button not functioning
Requested features
18 requests- Genre and category filtering for book browsing
- Cross-device synchronization of bookmarks and reading position
- Equalizer and pitch shifter controls
- More playback speed options
- Volume control within the app
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- Rewind/fast-forward button customization
- Favorites list feature
- Book request/suggestion feature
- Web browser access within the app
- Braille text display alongside audio
- Dark mode for reduced brightness
- Table of contents for short story collections
- Customizable reading lists
- Ability to cleanup recent downloads
- USB flash drive support for storage
- Better book series organization
- Faster book addition to library
- Book sharing feature between patrons
Islam By Touch
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BARD Mobile
No in-app purchases
Islam By Touch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BARD Mobile free?
Is Islam By Touch free?
Which has better reviews, BARD Mobile or Islam By Touch?
Do BARD Mobile or Islam By Touch have ads?
Which is updated more often, BARD Mobile or Islam By Touch?
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