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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Apple Books vs Apple Podcasts

Apple Books 4.4★ · Free to download 55
Winner Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts 4.9★ · Free + IAP 70

Apple Podcasts is the better choice for audio content, offering a vast selection and generally positive user experience despite recent bug reports, while Apple Books struggles with core functionality, search, and perceived value.

Full reviews: Apple Books · Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts, with a significantly higher lifetime rating and more reviews, generally provides a good experience for finding and listening to podcasts, though recent updates have introduced bugs. Apple Books, despite some positive feedback for its library and ease of reading, faces consistent criticism regarding bugs, clunky interface, and the cost of books.

Head to head

Content Availability & Discovery edge: Apple PodcastsR5R7R16R31
Apple Books Apple Books offers a wide selection of books, including free options, and users appreciate finding titles they've been looking for R5R31R45. However, some users find the search interface weak and poorly designed for discovering new books R16R7, and recommendations are limited R7.
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts is praised for its extensive selection, with users easily finding their favorite podcasts . It's also seen as helpful for learning and language development . However, some users desire more specific content choices, like video game podcasts , and the discovery features are criticized for only offering top shows and lacking advanced search for episodes .
Ease of Use & Interface tieR5R6R9R11
Apple Books Apple Books is considered easy to use for reading and finding free books R5R11. Users appreciate its accessibility features like viewing presets and light/dark mode . However, some find the interface clunky with needless animations R6, prefer older, more intuitive versions R6, and dislike recent changes to features like bookmark placement R9. Issues with tap-to-turn page functionality are also noted .
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts is generally found easy to use for listening . However, many users describe the interface as confusing, clunky, and not intuitive . Specific complaints include difficulty controlling the queue , inability to search episodes within a show , and icons moving around frustratingly .
Reliability & Performance tieR1R4R10R13
Apple Books Apple Books is plagued by significant reliability issues, including frequent app crashes R1, sudden closures, and loss of function R1. Users report syncing problems R4, difficulty purchasing books R10, and battery drain R13. Audiobooks, in particular, are noted for not playing downloaded content, displaying only track numbers, and lacking chapter breaks R22.
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts also suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues. Users report podcasts not playing , episodes restarting instead of resuming , and playback speed glitches . Downloads are frequently broken , and the app is described as slow and glitchy . Syncing between devices is inconsistent .
Features & Functionality tieR15R20R22R27
Apple Books Apple Books is appreciated for allowing users to import EPUB files R27 and offering audiobook samples R20. It tracks reading time . However, it lacks essential features like bookmarking and note-taking for audiobooks R15, and annotation for ebooks . Users also desire editable book records for better sorting R22 and options for dyslexia-friendly fonts .
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts offers transcripts, though they can be buggy . Users desire features like a history function , the ability to search alphabetically , and better control over episode order . The recent addition of video compatibility has been criticized for breaking other features and increasing storage usage . Users also want the ability to filter out paid-only episodes .
Price & Value edge: Apple PodcastsR2R3R5R12
Apple Books Apple Books is free to download and offers free books R5R45. However, many users complain that the cost of books is too high R2R3R12, especially when compared to alternatives like Libby where books are free R3. Some users express frustration at having to pay for books on an Apple device R2.
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts is free to download and use, with users explicitly asking for it to remain free . It offers in-app purchases (IAP), which are likely for ad-free subscriptions or premium content. Users frequently complain about excessive and poorly placed ads R81R82R84R99, with ads often being louder than the podcast content R84. Some wish for an ad-free experience linked to Apple Music subscriptions R84.
Pick Apple Books if

You primarily want to read ebooks and import your own EPUB files, and appreciate basic accessibility features like font adjustments and dark mode R27.

Pick Apple Podcasts if

You want a wide selection of podcasts, including free content, and are willing to tolerate occasional bugs and advertisements for a generally functional listening experience .

Evidence note: Apple Podcasts has a significantly higher number of ratings and a much higher lifetime rating, indicating a broader user base and generally more positive long-term satisfaction despite recent negative reviews. Apple Books' reviews are more consistently negative regarding core functionality and value.

Frequently asked

Are books free on Apple Books?
Apple Books offers many free books and audiobooks, which users appreciate, but a significant number of books require payment, and users often find these costs to be too high R5R12R38R45.
Does Apple Podcasts have ads?
Yes, Apple Podcasts includes commercials, which many users find excessive, poorly placed (often in the middle of sentences), and significantly louder than the podcast content itself R81R82R84R99.
Can I listen to audiobooks on Apple Books?
Yes, Apple Books supports audiobooks, and users appreciate the ability to listen to them R20R33R45. However, there are complaints about the lack of features like bookmarks or notes for audiobooks, and issues with playing downloaded audiobooks R15.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 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. [R31] Apple Books 5/5 · US Books!!!!!: Love it so much!!! I can read all kinds of books that are are not available!!!
  5. [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.
  6. [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.
  7. [R11] Apple Books 5/5 · US Apple Books: A good app that could teach kids to read and also if kids don’t want to get up and get a book, they could just go on the app
  8. [R1] Apple Books 1/5 · US Apple books: It has bugs and close app suddenly & lost its function
  9. [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 ???
  10. [R10] Apple Books 1/5 · US Hard to purchase books: It doesn’t always work when I wanna purchase a book
  11. [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?!
  12. [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
  13. [R20] Apple Books 5/5 · US Amazing app: I love that you can listen to audiobooks and sample books
  14. [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.
  15. [R27] Apple Books 5/5 · US I am reunited with my beloved once again: I am easily able to find series to read here, if I weren’t myself. I prefer being able to import epub files over browsing, although there is nothing wrong with browsing. Do with this what you will!
  16. [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
  17. [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
  18. [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.
  19. [R38] Apple Books 2/5 · GB NEEDS TO BE FREE: I really wanted to read the woman in black but then realised I had to pay £2.99. This really upset me but what can I say . If u have the money for it , then great
  20. [R45] Apple Books 5/5 · US The books: I didn’t know that you could get the free books for free and they are so good and the auto books were even better!!!🤗🤭
  21. [R81] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Great App: It’s a great app for podcasts to listen to work and other things but…. Currently for some reason I seem to be getting random ads while the podcast is in mid thought or sentence
  22. [R82] Apple Podcasts 2/5 · US Commercial, commercials, and commercials.: It's been a while since I listened to a podcast on my iPhone using the Apple Podcasts app, and I honestly can’t take it anymore. The commercials crammed into a single podcast are beyond excessive. It completely ruins my listening experience. At what point does enough become enough? Does every app have to squeeze every possible dollar out of its users?
  23. [R84] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Ad free subscription: It’s a good app that i use for all of my podcasts. But it has a problem with the placement of ads in the middle of sentences or other bad spots. Also the volume of the ads seems to be alot louder than the rest of the podcast. Why can’t this app communicate with apple music subscriptions and allow for an ad free podcast experience?
  24. [R99] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Constant offensive ads: The listening experience is constantly disrupted by highly offensive ads, often in the middle of podcasts, and there does not seem to be an easy or effective way to give feedback, block the ads, or report the problem. This makes the app feel frustrating and unpleasant to use. Instead of enjoying the content, I find myself irritated enough to consider quitting the app altoge
  25. [R33] Apple Books 5/5 · US Help: This app is so good for me if I don’t have a book I can come here and get a book or a audiobook. Thank you so Apple Books for getting me to read again.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store