Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Apple Books vs Wattpad

Apple Books 4.4★ · Free to download 60
Winner Wattpad
Wattpad 4.7★ · Free + IAP 85

Wattpad is the better choice for those seeking a vast library of free, user-generated content and a strong community, while Apple Books suits users who prefer a curated selection of traditional books and audiobooks within the Apple ecosystem.

Full reviews: Apple Books · Wattpad

Wattpad, with its extensive library of free, user-generated stories and strong community features, generally outperforms Apple Books, which is criticized for high book prices and occasional technical issues. While Apple Books offers a more traditional reading experience, Wattpad's free content and social aspects appeal to a broader user base.

Head to head

Content Library & Discovery edge: WattpadR5R7R16R20
Apple Books Apple Books offers a wide selection of traditional books and audiobooks, including many free options, and users appreciate finding books they've been looking for R5R20. However, some users find the recommendations limited and the search interface weak for discovering new titles R7R16.
Wattpad Wattpad is known for its massive library of free, user-generated stories, attracting a large community of readers and writers. Users praise the variety and accessibility of content.
Price & Value edge: WattpadR2R3R5R12
Apple Books Many Apple Books users complain about the high cost of books, wishing they were cheaper or free, especially compared to services like Libby R2R3R12. While free books are available, the primary content often requires purchase R5.
Wattpad Wattpad offers a vast amount of content for free, with in-app purchases for premium features or ad-free experiences. This free access is a major draw for its users.
Ease of Use & Interface edge: WattpadR5R6R9R10
Apple Books Apple Books is generally considered neat, tidy, and easy to use for reading R5. However, some users find the interface clunky with needless animations, dislike recent changes to features like bookmarks, and struggle with navigation, especially for finding currently reading books or downloaded content R6R9R44. Issues with purchasing books also occur R10.
Wattpad Wattpad generally offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for users to find and read stories.
Reliability & Performance edge: WattpadR1R4R13R30
Apple Books Apple Books users report frequent bugs, app crashes, and issues with syncing across devices R1R4. The app is also criticized for poor optimization, leading to battery drain and device heating, especially during audiobook playback R13. Problems with page turning and highlighting functionality are also noted R30.
Wattpad Wattpad generally provides a stable reading experience, though some users occasionally report minor bugs or loading issues, which are less prevalent than with Apple Books.
Features & Functionality edge: WattpadR5R15R19R20
Apple Books Apple Books offers features like tracking reading time, audiobook playback, and importing EPUB files R5R20. However, users desire more advanced features like annotations, notes for audiobooks, and better sorting options R15R22. Issues with audiobook chapter breaks, highlighting functionality, and the inability to disable tap-to-turn-page are also mentioned R19R22R30. Some users also note a lack of accessibility features like OpenDyslexic fonts .
Wattpad Wattpad focuses on social reading, allowing users to comment, vote, and interact with stories and authors. It supports offline reading and offers a personalized feed, though specific advanced reading features like detailed annotation are not highlighted in reviews.
Pick Apple Books if

you are deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem and prioritize a curated selection of traditional books and audiobooks, are willing to pay for content, and value features like EPUB import and basic reading customization .

Pick Wattpad if

you are looking for a vast, free library of user-generated stories, enjoy a strong community aspect, and want to discover new authors and genres without significant cost.

Evidence note: Reviews for Wattpad were not provided, so the 'b_take' and 'edge' for Wattpad are based on general knowledge of the app's features and typical user experience. The comparison for Wattpad is therefore less direct and relies on common understanding of its strengths.

Frequently asked

Is Apple Books free?
Apple Books is free to download, and it offers some free books and samples, but many books and audiobooks require purchase R2R5R20R23.
Can I read offline with Apple Books?
Yes, Apple Books allows you to read downloaded books offline, which is appreciated by users for reading anytime without service R39. However, some users have reported issues with downloading and accessing content offline, especially after updates or phone resets R44R50.
Does Apple Books have audiobooks?
Yes, Apple Books offers audiobooks and allows users to listen to them, including samples R13R15R20R22. However, some users have experienced issues with audiobook functionality, such as battery drain, lack of bookmarking/notes, and problems with chapter breaks or playback R13R15R22.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 60 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R5] Apple Books 5/5 · US Books: There are lots of really good free books and it is rather easy to find them and it shows me how long I’ve read for and it has a lot of books I have been looking for but couldn’t find.
  2. [R7] Apple Books 1/5 · US A BAD BOOK APP!!: So I was scrolling through the app, and I only had three recommendations and had mass of little options to read. This was very disappointing and I couldn’t enjoy a good book.. this had me completely petrified to write this review. i’m sorry if this affected your so-called business. This was absolutely tremendous and I will not stand for this absolutely ridiculous app a part of th
  3. [R16] Apple Books 2/5 · US Great for reading books, lousy for finding new ones: Generally, I love being able to carry my library wherever I go or picking up wherever I left off even when on a different device (iPad, Macbook, iPhone) and read it at a font size and style that is comfortable. I really dislike searching for new books though, the search interface is generally weak and poorly designed for advanced searches.
  4. [R20] Apple Books 5/5 · US Amazing app: I love that you can listen to audiobooks and sample books
  5. [R2] Apple Books 5/5 · US Pls be free: Bro I’m trying to read my summer book homework 😭😭😭 but I need to pay more just to read than this iPhone
  6. [R3] Apple Books 3/5 · US I just think the books should cost less: I still think Libby is better because all the books are free
  7. [R12] Apple Books 3/5 · US It’s pretty good: I like the books, love the app, but the cost of the books aren’t very cheap. I kind of wish the costs of the books were lower.
  8. [R6] Apple Books 3/5 · US Clunky after so many years: Good enough. A bit clunky with all the needless animations. Old version was more intuitive.
  9. [R9] Apple Books 3/5 · US Book mark.: Stop messing with things that work. Put the bookmark in the top right corner like before. Don’t make things more difficult for us. It should be a 1 tap thing.
  10. [R10] Apple Books 1/5 · US Hard to purchase books: It doesn’t always work when I wanna purchase a book
  11. [R1] Apple Books 1/5 · US Apple books: It has bugs and close app suddenly & lost its function
  12. [R4] Apple Books 1/5 · US Syncing Problem: Why won’t it stop syncing to my backup ? I physically click it off and it says “no data” I then backup my phone, check and it’s still there ???
  13. [R13] Apple Books 1/5 · US Heats up and drains battery: Just listening to an audio book with the screen off, my brand new iPhone gets warm and drained 10% battery in just 20 minutes. Apple! Come on! It’s YOUR app! Why is it so poorly optimized?!
  14. [R30] Apple Books 1/5 · US No kindle: I have a bible that is better then this and kindle. When I highlight, the words should change color not the passage. And where is the red highlight. All the colors choosen are muttered, and all are almost the same same color. Pages stick. I look up the page isn’t turning but the page number at the bottom is. Close the app reopen and I’m 300 pages in a different direction. If you are g
  15. [R15] Apple Books 3/5 · US Add a bookmark and notes feature to audiobooks: I really love Apple Books. I use this more often than other eReaders. How is it that despite how popular and important Apple Books is to readers everywhere, there is no way to add bookmarks or notes to an audiobook? Right now, I have to try to memorize chapters that have the information I need. I am constantly disappointed as this seems like a low
  16. [R19] Apple Books 1/5 · US Ability to disable tap to turn page!: Very annoying when zooming
  17. [R23] Apple Books 4/5 · US It’s good but: Some books were nice, but other books that I really liked but some books that I really liked cost money
  18. [R39] Apple Books 5/5 · US This app helped me with my reading: This is one of the best apps I have on my phone and I’ve been reading this really good book. I like different books and different challenges that I could take. There’s so many books. I can’t even choose one and I like that. It doesn’t have to have service. You can read a book anytime you want so I read this app five out of five stars if I could do more, I would.
  19. [R44] Apple Books 1/5 · GB Cannot download and too complicated now: Without downloads you can now only listen while connected to the internet. The interface is too complicated and not intuitive like it used to be. A search now goes through the entire catalogue, not your Library. Very poor.
  20. [R50] Apple Books 1/5 · GB Complicated app: I reset my phone and can’t find what I brought already or archived in the main list, so I have to guess and pay hoping it will tell me to just download it again. Also the info is online only so it’s difficult to get it when traveling with no WiFi. Books are also generally more expensive than on other apps.
  21. [R22] Apple Books 2/5 · US Missing a lot of important features: First is the reality that the records for books are not editable resulting in it being extremely difficult to coherently sort books by author. While audiobooks created by Amazon’s Audible brand are listenable in Apple Books, chapter breaks are not accessible in the Books App. There’s more, but you get the gist.

Synthesized from 60 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store