Comparison

BARD Mobile vs Vox libri

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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/

About

Vox libri

This app offers a flexible and personalized reading experience for books and documents. It supports various reading methods including text-to-speech, braille displays, and customizable on-screen options. Enjoy your content comfortably and accessibly, with features like AI translation and smart navigation.

Highlights
  • High-quality text-to-speech
  • Braille display compatibility
  • Customizable reading screen
  • Support for multiple document formats
  • Fully accessible interface
  • Smart navigation
  • On-device AI translation and summarization
Features
Read full description

Read your way: accessible, comfortable, and without barriers. Vox Libri is designed to help anyone read books and documents in a flexible, personalized, and fully accessible way. Whether you prefer reading on screen, using a braille display, or listening with high-quality text-to-speech, enjoying your content has never been easier. Lightweight, fast, and built for readers who want a comfortable, distraction-free, and inclusive reading experience. Key Features • High-quality text-to-speech for natural and expressive read-aloud. This application uses the voices installed on your device. • Braille reading mode, fully compatible with braille displays. • Customizable reading screen with adjustable font, size, colors, spacing, and themes. • Support for major document formats, including TXT, PDF, DOCX, RTF, HTML, Markdown, and EPUB. • Fully accessible interface, optimized for blind users, low-vision users, and people with reading difficulties. • Smart navigation through chapters, headings, pages, bookmarks, and document sections. • Hands-free reading via headphone controls. • On-device AI translation, summarization, and simplification when supported by the device. • Full Spanish, English, Italian, French and Greek support across the interface and reading experience. Vox Libri is perfect for people with dyslexia, low vision, braille users, students, professionals, or anyone who wants a more comfortable and customizable reading experience. Carry your entire library with you and read however you prefer.

Screenshots

BARD Mobile2 screens
Vox libri4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BARD Mobile at Free against Vox libri's $4.99. BARD Mobile also leads on ratings volume (203 vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Vox libri's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (100% vs 58%). On ads, in-app purchases 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

BARD Mobile is free to download; Vox libri costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Vox libri holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BARD Mobile has 203 ratings behind it against 2, 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 Vox libri's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BARD Mobile ships an update every 3 months, Vox libri every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
BARD Mobile versus Vox libri: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBARD MobileVox libri
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating3.9 (203 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings203 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB39 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLibrary Of CongressJonathan Chacon Barbero

Customer experience

BARD Mobile

All ratings153 ratings
Positive62.7%
Neutral15.7%
Negative21.6%
Written reviews132 reviews
Positive57.6%
Neutral18.9%
Negative23.5%

Vox libri

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
Show 15 more
  • 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
Show 13 more
  • 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

Vox libri

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

BARD Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Vox libri

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BARD Mobile free?
BARD Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vox libri free?
Vox libri costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BARD Mobile or Vox libri?
Vox libri is rated higher. BARD Mobile averages 3.9 out of 5 from 203 ratings, while Vox libri averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do BARD Mobile or Vox libri have ads?
Neither BARD Mobile nor Vox libri shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BARD Mobile or Vox libri?
BARD Mobile ships an update every 3 months, and Vox libri every 11 days. Most recently, BARD Mobile was updated on November 1, 2026 and Vox libri on November 5, 2026.

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