# Leanpub vs BookWatch

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BookWatch at 51% against Leanpub's 13%. BookWatch also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (14K vs 1). Leanpub's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 23) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BookWatch sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Leanpub asks for nothing beyond the download.

Leanpub holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookWatch has 14K 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 51% of BookWatch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Leanpub ships an update monthly, BookWatch every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Leanpub | BookWatch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leanpub/id913517110/reviews)** | [4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookwatch-visual-learning/id1660054787/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **14K** |
| Positive reviews | 12.5% of reviews | **50.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#129** |
| Size | 33 MB | 82 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Leanpub](https://appshunter.io/developer/913517113) | [Morfosis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1660054789) |

## 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


### BookWatch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookwatch-visual-learning/id1660054787)

**Currently charting:** #129 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

This app transforms books into engaging video summaries, allowing you to watch fiction and non-fiction content like movies. Learn key insights from best-selling books through animated 30-minute videos, making learning fun and easy.

**Highlights:** Animated video book summaries, Learn from fiction and non-fiction, 30-minute video learning, Whiteboard animation style, Access best-selling books

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $8.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| BookWatch Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| BookWatch Premium 86% Offer | $19.99 | per year |
| Morfosis Premium | $24.99 | per month |
| BookWatch Premium Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| BookWatch Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| BookWatch Premium Free Trial Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| BookWatch Premium Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| BookWatch 7 day trial | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| BookWatch Premium Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $69.99 | per year |
| Bookwatch 7 day trial | $69.99 | per year |
| Annual Package - 7 Day Trial | $79.99 | per year |
| Annual Plan - 7 Days Trial | $89.99 | per year |
| 3 Day Trial - BookWatch Premium | $89.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription Free trial | $99.99 | per year |
| 3 Day Trial - BookWatch Premium | $139.99 | per year |
| BookWatch Premium Free Trial Annual | $139.99 | per year |
| 7 Day Trial - Yearly Plan | $197.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Helpful for visual learners
- 👍 Convenient and easy to use
- 🚀 Time-saving summaries
- 👍 Great content and animated videos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent search functionality
- 🐛 Incomplete book access after subscription
- 🔒 Questionable subscription practices
- 🐛 Lack of English subtitles/captions

**Reported bugs**

- Intro content not fully accessible
- Subscription issues and lack of refunds

**Requested features**

- Background listening mode
- Web/desktop version
- Improved visualization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Leanpub free?

Leanpub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BookWatch free?

BookWatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Leanpub or BookWatch?

Leanpub is rated higher. Leanpub averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while BookWatch averages 4.7 from 14K ratings.

### Do Leanpub or BookWatch have ads?

BookWatch shows ads; Leanpub does not.

### Which is updated more often, Leanpub or BookWatch?

Leanpub ships an update monthly, and BookWatch every 3 days. Most recently, Leanpub was updated on October 8, 2026 and BookWatch on October 15, 2026.

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