Comparison

Leanpub vs BookPlayer

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

Head to head
About

Leanpub

Access your entire ebook library on your mobile device. Discover new titles, take notes, and switch between reading modes. Authors can also write and publish their own books directly through the platform.

Highlights
  • Read Leanpub ebooks
  • Discover new ebooks
  • Sync notes across devices
  • Dark and Light Mode reading
  • Write and publish books
  • Read ebook samples
Features
Read full description

Leanpub is the world's best platform for reading and writing ebooks. Download the app to read and listen to all the ebooks in your Leanpub library on your iPhone and iPad. Discover new authors and ebooks in the Leanpub store. Take Leanpub courses right in the app, with lessons, videos, and quizzes. Write and publish your own books using powerful features for authors — now including real-time collaborative writing. With the Leanpub app you can: Read all your Leanpub ebooks, including PDF books, with full offline support Listen to your books with Read Aloud: background playback with follow-along highlighting Take courses with video lessons and quizzes with instant feedback Discover new Leanpub ebooks, courses, and bundles Take notes and highlights within books and sync them across devices Share favorite passages as beautiful quote cards Keep reading from your Home Screen with widgets like Continue Reading, The Shelf, and Passage of the Day Join the conversation in your books' community forums Write on the go: draft chapters, edit visually, and preview and publish new versions Write together with your co-authors in real time Manage co-authors, browse your royalties, and organize collections in the Author studio Choose between Dark Mode and Light Mode for comfortable reading Read samples of ebooks, where available Use credits to add new books to your library Write and publish reviews of books right from your library By using this app, you agree to the Leanpub Terms of Service (https://leanpub.com/terms), Privacy Policy (https://leanpub.com/privacy), Copyright Policy (https://leanpub.com/takedown) and Refund Policy (https://leanpub.com/refunds).

About

BookPlayer

This app provides a dedicated listening experience for audiobooks in M4B, M4A, MP3, and FLAC formats. It offers robust import, management, and playback features, including chapter navigation, variable playback speed, and cloud sync for seamless listening across devices.

Highlights
  • Import audiobooks via AirDrop, Files, iTunes, servers, and zip files
  • Manage library with progress tracking, sorting, and playlists
  • Advanced playback controls including speed, rewind, and volume boost
  • Chapter navigation and lock screen controls
  • Cloud sync for cross-device listening
  • CarPlay and Apple Watch companion app support
Features
Read full description

A wonderful player for your M4B/M4A/MP3/FLAC based audiobooks. Import – Using AirDrop from your Mac or iOS device – From Files and other apps on your device – Via File Sharing in iTunes on your Mac or PC – From your own AudibookShelf or Jellyfin server – Zip files with your folders and books Manage – Maintain and see progress of your books – Mark books as finished – Drag & Drop to sort your library – Create playlists – Automatically play items in turn – Play the first unfinished file by tapping on the playlist artwork – Move files to playlists from the library or import them directly – Edit your book details (title, author, artwork) – Connect to your Hardcover.app account, and track your library progress Listen – Control audio playback from the lock screen, control center or from the companion app on the Apple Watch – Play and navigate books with Chapters – Jump to start of the current book – Change playback speed – Smart rewind – Volume Boost – Support for remote events from headset buttons and the lock screen – Sleep timer with adjustable duration – CarPlay support – VoiceOver support – Dolby Atmos support – Dark mode for night owls – Continue listening across your devices with Cloud Sync, including stand alone playback on your Apple Watch Supported M4B/M4A/MP3 BookPlayer is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0. The source code and a list of all its contributors can be found on the GitHub page of this project at www.github.com/TortugaPower/BookPlayer You can see our Privacy policy and terms of use in the following links: – https://github.com/TortugaPower/BookPlayer/blob/main/PRIVACY_POLICY.md – https://github.com/TortugaPower/BookPlayer/blob/main/TERMS_CONDITIONS.md For help and ways to contribute to the project see the support section in the Settings screen of BookPlayer or visit www.bookplayer.app If you enjoy BookPlayer, we would be glad if you consider writing a review.

Screenshots

Leanpub4 screens
BookPlayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BookPlayer at 83% against Leanpub's 13%. BookPlayer also leads on ratings volume (20K vs 1) and update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). Leanpub's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. BookPlayer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Leanpub asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Leanpub holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookPlayer has 20K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 13% of Leanpub's written reviews are positive against 83% of BookPlayer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Leanpub ships an update monthly, BookPlayer every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Leanpub versus BookPlayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLeanpubBookPlayer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.8 (20K ratings)
Positive reviews12.5% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings120K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#55 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.518.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLeanpubGianni Carlo

Customer experience

Leanpub

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative87.5%

BookPlayer

All ratings19,501 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews1,294 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral4.9%
Negative12.4%

Bugs and requests

Leanpub

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

BookPlayer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Playback issues with certain audio formats
  • Importing problems with large audiobook libraries
  • Crashes when deleting books

Requested features

6 requests
  • Bookmark management
  • Percentage completion tracking
  • Improved multi-file book handling
  • Customizable sleep timer
  • iCloud/cloud sync between devices
Show 1 more
  • Siri/Shortcuts integration

In-app purchases

None

Leanpub

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

BookPlayer

Subscriptions7
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$1.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$2.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$3.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Pro Monthly (1 Month)$4.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$6.991 Month
  • Support Monthly (1 Month)$9.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly (1 Year)$49.991 Year
One-time4
  • Kind tip$2.99
  • Kind Tip$2.99
  • Excellent Tip2 variants$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Incredible Tip2 variants$9.99

Questions

Is Leanpub free?
Leanpub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookPlayer free?
BookPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Leanpub or BookPlayer?
Leanpub is rated higher. Leanpub averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while BookPlayer averages 4.8 from 20K ratings.
Do Leanpub or BookPlayer have ads?
Neither Leanpub nor BookPlayer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Leanpub or BookPlayer?
Leanpub ships an update monthly, and BookPlayer every 10 days. Most recently, Leanpub was updated on October 8, 2026 and BookPlayer on October 16, 2026.

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