Read vs Listen← Back to the site
Free app · Launching before Christmas 2026

Never buy a book in the wrong format again

Type in any title and get a Kindle or Audible verdict, with the reason in one line. Then set your own criteria, so the answers match how you actually read. We're finishing it now.

A preview of the app
A preview of Read vs Listen in a desktop browser, showing a Listen verdict for Daisy Jones & The Six with the reasons on each side
A preview of the app showing a Listen verdict for Daisy Jones & The Six, with the reason underneath

Launching before Christmas 2026

Get one email when it's ready. Free, no account needed.

Why you'll want it

It's free

Free to use, with no ads. It will run in the browser on your phone or computer, with nothing to install.

Your criteria, not ours

Follow jumping timelines on audio perfectly happily? Switch that check off, and every verdict adjusts to how you read.

Any book, not just ours

This site covers the books people ask about most. The app will check the rest, and say so honestly when it can't be sure.

No account needed

No sign-up and no password. Open it, search a book, and you have your answer.

What it will do

The app will do four things, and none of them will ask you to sign up.

01

A straight verdict on any book

Search a title and get a Kindle or Audible verdict, checked against the same published criteria as every write-up on this site. Every verdict comes with the reason in one line, so you can decide whether you agree.

When a book genuinely works both ways it will say "either works", and when there isn't enough reliable information to go on it will say so rather than guess.

A preview of the app showing a Read verdict for Hamnet
02

Your criteria, not ours

The verdicts on this site are based on what readers generally prefer to read or listen to. That's a good starting point, but it isn't everyone. If you follow jumping timelines on audio perfectly happily, or you'd rather read a thriller than hear it, you'll be able to say so.

Flip the checks that don't match you and every verdict in the app adjusts. You can change it any time.

A preview of the app asking how you like to read, with each check set to read, either or listen
03

Picks matched to your mood

Not sure what you want next? Answer a few quick questions about mood, genre, format and how much of a commitment you fancy, and the app will deal you one book at a time. Say no and it deals another, say yes and it saves it.

A preview of the app asking what you are in the mood for, with Cosy, Gripping and Magical picked
04

A list you actually keep

Save anything you like to a running list, split by read and listen, so when you next have a free evening or a long drive you already know what's waiting.

A preview of the app browse screen with mood and genre filters

In the meantime

Every verdict on this site is already here for you. Browse all the write-ups, filter them by genre, or search for a book below. If we haven't written it up yet, we'll add it to our list.

Questions

When is the app launching?

Soon. We are making sure every verdict it gives is as carefully checked as the ones on this site. Join the list and we'll email you when it's ready.

Will it cost anything?

No. The app will be free to use.

Will I need an account?

No. You'll be able to search, get verdicts and save books without signing up.

Will it work for any book?

That's the aim. When there isn't enough reliable information about a book, it will say so rather than guess.

I used the app before. Where has it gone?

Thank you for trying it early. We've taken it offline while we finish it. Anything you saved is kept against your device, so it should be there when the app is back.