# Leanpub vs BookPlayer

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.

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

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.

Leanpub ships an update monthly, BookPlayer every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Leanpub | BookPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leanpub/id913517110/reviews)** | [4.8 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookplayer/id1138219998/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **20K** |
| Positive reviews | 12.5% of reviews | **82.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#55** |
| Size | 33 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Leanpub](https://appshunter.io/developer/913517113) | [Gianni Carlo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1138219997) |

## What reviewers say

### Leanpub

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leanpub/id913517110)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### BookPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookplayer/id1138219998)

**Currently charting:** #55 Top Free · Book, #160 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $1.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $2.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $3.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly (1 Month) | $4.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $6.99 | per month |
| Support Monthly (1 Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly (1 Year) | $49.99 | per year |
| Kind tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Kind Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Excellent Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Incredible Tip | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Flawless playback
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Ability to import from various sources
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Remembers playback position

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🐛 Issues with importing or playing certain files
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices
- 🐛 Unreliable performance after updates

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Bookmark management
- Percentage completion tracking
- Improved multi-file book handling
- Customizable sleep timer
- iCloud/cloud sync between devices


## Frequently asked 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 17, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*