Libby vs Readwise Reader
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Libby is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.7. Libby wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Readwise Reader on 1.
Readers and audiobook fans who have, or can get, a public library card
Researchers, students and heavy readers who highlight and take notes
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Libby | Readwise Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reading & News | Reading & News |
| Category rank | #1 of 7 | #3 of 7 |
| Developer | OverDrive | Readwise |
| Pricing | Free | Subscription |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | — | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Libby better than Readwise Reader?
Libby is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.7. Libby wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Readwise Reader on 1.
Which is cheaper, Libby or Readwise Reader?
Libby: Free; you just need a card from a participating library. Readwise Reader: 30-day free trial, then $9.99 a month billed yearly, or $12.99 monthly. On value for money, Libby scores higher.
Do Libby and Readwise Reader work on the same devices?
Only Readwise Reader runs on Mac, Windows.
Which is more private, Libby or Readwise Reader?
Libby scores higher on privacy (9.2/10). App Store label: no tracking. Only crash data is linked to you; product interaction and performance data are collected without being tied to you. Google Play says nothing is shared.
Strengths and weaknesses
Libby
- Completely free with a library card
- No tracking, and almost no data tied to you
- Clean design that's easy for any age
- Popular titles can mean long hold waits
- Catalog depends on your library's collection
- Send to Kindle works only in the US
Libby turns your library card into a free ebook, audiobook and magazine app. Borrow titles, place holds and get told when they're ready, download them for offline reading, set audiobook speed from 0.6x to 3x and, in the US, send loans to a Kindle. You can link several library cards at once. The only real cost is patience, since popular books often have long hold queues.
Full Libby review
Readwise Reader
- Handles nearly every format you read
- Highlights sync to your notes apps
- Apps for phones and desktops, plus the web
- No free plan after the 30-day trial
- Not included in the cheaper Readwise Lite plan
Readwise Reader pulls everything you mean to read into one library: saved articles, PDFs, EPUBs, newsletters, RSS feeds, YouTube transcripts and threads. Highlight anything and it flows to Obsidian, Notion or Logseq. Ghostreader, the built-in AI, summarizes, looks things up and answers questions across your library. It's the most capable reader here. It's also subscription-only after a 30-day trial, and not cheap.
Full Readwise Reader review
