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

Bedtime Stories vs Zoog

Bedtime Stories 4.5★ · Free to download 45
Winner Zoog
Zoog 4.9★ · Free + IAP 85

Zoog is the better choice for families looking for an interactive and personalized storytelling experience, especially for connecting with distant relatives, despite its higher price point, while Bedtime Stories struggles with technical issues and content access for paying users.

Full reviews: Bedtime Stories · Zoog

Bedtime Stories offers interactive stories but is plagued by technical issues, payment problems, and limited free content, leading to user frustration. Zoog, while more expensive, provides a unique and highly engaging platform for recording personalized stories and messages, fostering connection with family members, though some users report minor technical glitches with video playback.

Head to head

Features & Content edge: ZoogR2R4R6R9
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories offers interactive stories with options to read or sing, and some users appreciate the variety and learning aspects, including tracing for writing and drawing letters R2. However, many users feel there are too few free stories and constantly prompt for upgrades even with a subscription R4R6R13. Some also note issues with the quality of English in the stories R9.
Zoog Zoog allows users to record personalized stories, jokes, and songs, which is highly valued for connecting with grandchildren and family members, especially those living far away . Users enjoy the interactive and creative aspects of becoming characters in the stories . Some users wish for more content, particularly for older children .
Ease of Use edge: ZoogR2R3R7R21
Bedtime Stories Some users find Bedtime Stories easy to use for their children and appreciate the read-aloud option R2. However, significant issues include the app taking over the entire screen, making it hard to exit R3, constant prompts for reviews or purchases R21, and small, hard-to-read font in self-reading mode R7.
Zoog Zoog is generally praised for being incredibly easy to use and navigate, making it simple to create and send videos . Users enjoy the straightforward process of narrating stories and songs .
Reliability & Performance edge: ZoogR10R16R22R25
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories has severe reliability issues, with many users reporting that the app doesn't work, stories are inaccessible even with a subscription, or the app crashes R10R16R22R25. Some experience blank screens or continuous loading R25.
Zoog Zoog generally performs well, but some users report technical glitches such as delayed audio or video lagging, making stories confusing for children . A few users also mentioned recipients having difficulty opening videos or videos not playing at all .
Price & Value tieR1R10R12R13
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories is free to download but requires payment for most content, which many users find too expensive or not worth the cost R1R12R13. There are frequent complaints about being charged for subscriptions but still not being able to access content R10R16R22.
Zoog Zoog is a paid app with IAP, and while users find the concept valuable for connecting with family, many consider the annual subscription price (e.g., $90 or $89.99) to be excessive or overpriced R64. Some users paid for lifetime access ($160) but still encountered issues . However, many users feel it's "worth every penny" for the joy and connection it brings .
Customer Support & Billing tieR10R22R24R31
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories has significant issues with billing and subscription management. Users report being charged without access to content, inability to cancel subscriptions through iTunes, and unresponsiveness from support R10R22R31. One user reported good customer service that corrected an issue R24.
Zoog Zoog also has billing and subscription issues, with users reporting being charged after cancellation or losing access to paid subscriptions after updates R61R64. Some users received an initial response from support but were then ghosted R61.
Pick Bedtime Stories if

Pick Bedtime Stories if you are looking for a free-to-download app with basic interactive stories and are willing to navigate potential technical issues and in-app purchase prompts R2.

Pick Zoog if

Pick Zoog if you prioritize a unique, personalized storytelling experience to connect with distant family members and are willing to pay a higher subscription fee for its engaging features .

Evidence note: Bedtime Stories has a lower lifetime rating and a higher proportion of negative reviews, especially concerning payment and access issues, despite being free to download. Zoog, while having a higher lifetime rating and many positive reviews, still has a notable number of complaints regarding its price and occasional technical glitches.

Frequently asked

How much do Bedtime Stories and Zoog cost?
Bedtime Stories is free to download but requires payment for most stories, with users reporting charges like $29.99 for a yearly plan R1R10R51. Zoog is free to download but requires in-app purchases or a subscription, with annual costs reported around $89.99 or $90, and a lifetime option for $160 R64.
Can I cancel my subscription easily for these apps?
Users of both apps have reported difficulties canceling subscriptions, with some Bedtime Stories users stating there's no option to cancel via iTunes settings and still being charged after attempting to cancel R51R57R59. Zoog users also reported being charged after cancellation or losing access to paid subscriptions R61.
Do these apps have technical issues?
Yes, Bedtime Stories has frequent reports of technical problems, including stories not being accessible even with a subscription, blank screens, continuous loading, and the app crashing R10R16R22R25. Zoog users occasionally experience issues with delayed audio, video lagging, or recipients having difficulty opening videos .

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. [R2] Bedtime Stories 5/5 · US My autistic boy's favorite story app: So many positives in this story app : interactional, options to read / sing the stories. My kid loves it!!
  2. [R4] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Great but one problem: It’s super fun but wish there was more stories.
  3. [R6] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US It’s ok: My little one likes this app but its not his favorite. We have a subscription yet, we’re still always being prompted to upgrade. It’s quite annoying.
  4. [R9] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Alright: Stories are alright. However, you can tell that the stories where made by some one who isn’t proficient in English. Some words are incorrect and sometimes the sentences make no sense.
  5. [R3] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Seems cool but…: Just started, the app seems cool but it takes over my whole screen making it hard to minimize or exit. Have to restart my phone when I need to exit the app. Annoying
  6. [R7] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Not so great: The reading by your self option needs an option to enlarge the words of the story. Trying to have my son read to me and it’s not easy for him to read the little black font.
  7. [R21] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Could be better: I would give it 5 stars if it didn’t ask if I was liking the stories every 2 minutes, making my daughter give me the phone to fix it by putting the “grown up” numbers in. As far as I know, there’s no way to bypass it, not even in the settings.
  8. [R10] Bedtime Stories 2/5 · US Charged me 29.99$ for nothing: This app charged me 29.99$ but the stories are still not available. Total scam.
  9. [R16] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Awesome app: Love this app. Wonderful for kids my daughter really loves it. One problem I have is that sometimes I am not able to open some of the stories that I am paying for. I feel so bad when my daughter is trying to open them and it’s staying that I’m not subscribed. I called apple to make sure that I am paying for it and it was confirmed. Even them was having difficulty helping me to get the
  10. [R22] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US not working: i have a year subscription, but i couldnt access the stories. Email them and they didnt replied, able to get a response from fb messenger and they told me to restore purchase and it still didnt work. i have pay for something that i didnt get, very frustrating.
  11. [R25] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US App is blank only music plays: Hopefully a rep contacts me to troubleshoot this, getting a blank screen with just music playing all day today.
  12. [R1] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Wrest game ever: I don’t like this game because it’s not fun and it’s just so boring to play and I don’t like it because it’s not good it makes you pay for it but no one wants to pay for it because it’s not worth playing because you can’t afford it because it’s so much 💵💰 more money than you think it is because it’s not a good game and it’s just a bad game
  13. [R12] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Good overall: Hate the fact that you have to pay to read baby books 😐
  14. [R13] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Horrible please read: Worst game in the world it only has like seven bucks unlocked and the other are locked. Like, what kind of game is that the worst and plus if I couldn’t even judge this, I wouldn’t even give it a zero that’s why I didn’t even rate it because I would give it a zero but I guess since you can’t give it a zero I would give it a one and plus I thought it was a kid friendly game. T
  15. [R24] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Great customer service!: Our 2 year old daughter loves the content. We had an issue with the app and they responded right away and corrected the issue. Our daughter was very happy. Thank you!
  16. [R31] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Paid Subscription & No Access: I paid for a full year subscription which let me view all the stories at the time I paid. Once I closed the app and opened the next night it’s saying I need to purchase even though my subscriptions say I’m paid up until January of 2025!! How is that possible??
  17. [R51] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US You cannot cancel subscription under iTunes and setting: First off, I do not even know how I was charged $30 for the yearly plan when all we have viewed are literally the seven “free stories” . I went to my settings in the iTunes on my phone and all it states is that my subscription will be renewed in June for $30 . NO OPTION TO CANCEL ! The only Option it gives me on my phone is to view th
  18. [R64] Zoog 1/5 · US They charge unfairly: I subscribed to Zoog in Jan 2025 and paid $62.99 for the year. I thought it would be fun to send stories to my grandchildren. Unfortunately my grandchildren never didn’t get to see many of them so I stopped making them. I thought for sure I had unsubscribed to this app and I forgot about it. I have epilepsy and have had hundreds of seizures and brain damage so I forget easily
  19. [R57] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Will not let me cancel subscription: I canceled this subscription on the 15th but was still charged
  20. [R59] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Cancel please: I tried to log on to cancel and they said I haven’t an account with my email address, then I was charged
  21. [R61] Zoog 1/5 · US Paid subscription unacessible: I had four months still left on my subscription when they updated app and I lost access to my subscription. Under the help option, I reported the problem. They responded once and then started ghosting me after the problem was not fixed.

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