Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
BookBeat vs Reading Eggs
What sets them apart
| Compare | BookBeat ReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |  Reading Eggs |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | €9.99 | £6.99 |
| Price from | €9.99 | £6.99 |
| Free trial length | 60 daysHigher | 30 days |
| Access model | Hour cap | Unlimited |
| Titles in the catalogue | 1,000,000Higher | 4,000 |
| Markets | AT | GB |
| Monthly listening cap (hours) | 20 to 100 | Not confirmed |
| Offline use | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Student discount | Yes | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Family profiles (Yes).
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Key differences
- Reading Eggs scores higher overall: 9.4 vs 9.2.
- Free trial length is higher at BookBeat: 60 days vs 30 days.
- Titles in the catalogue is higher at BookBeat: 1,000,000 vs 4,000.
- Support channels: only BookBeat offers Chat.
- Support channels: only Reading Eggs offers Email, Phone.
- Markets: only BookBeat offers AT.
- Markets: only Reading Eggs offers GB.
Our verdict on each
BookBeat
BookBeat suits readers in AT who want audiobooks and ebooks on a single subscription and a set monthly budget. The trade-off is the hour cap: 1,000,000 titles sit behind 20 to 100 hours of listening a month, so heavy readers should measure their habit before signing up.
Reading Eggs
Reading Eggs is a children's reading subscription built for families rather than adult learners, with £54.99 a year covering the household and a library of 4,000 titles. The 30 days free trial and 30 days money-back period make it a low risk way to see whether a child keeps reading.
Score breakdown
| Area | BookBeat | Reading Eggs |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.3Monthly plan of €9.99 and entry price of €9.99, under the category median monthly price of €11.43. | 9.5HigherEntry at £6.99 and yearly at £54.99 rank near the top, with £6.99 a month. |
| Offer | 9.3Trial of 60 days, 1,000,000 titles, family profiles, offline listening and a student discount. | 9.3Family profiles, a kids version, assessments and 4,000 titles on unlimited access in one family subscription. |
| Trust | 8.7Run by BookBeat GmbH, founded in 2015, with support running on chat and help centre. | Not confirmed |
The numbers side by side
| Fact | BookBeat | Reading Eggs |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial length | 60 days | 30 days |
| Titles in the catalogue | 1,000,000 | 4,000 |
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | BookBeat | Reading Eggs |
|---|---|---|
| Audiobook, ebook and book-summary apps | 6 of 24 | 4 of 24 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | BookBeat | Reading Eggs |
|---|---|---|
| Content types | Audiobooks, Ebooks | Ebooks, Audiobooks |
| Legal entity | BookBeat GmbH | Blake eLearning Pty Limited |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | Australia |
| Founded | 2015 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Chat, Help centre | Email, Phone, Help centre |
Online courses
| Fact | BookBeat | Reading Eggs |
|---|---|---|
| Price per year | Not confirmed | £54.99 |
| Free tier | Not confirmed | No |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Platform type | Not confirmed | Subscription |
| Graded assessments | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Team plan | Not confirmed | Yes |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | BookBeat | Reading Eggs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial length | 60 dayshighest quarter | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
| Monthly listening cap (hours) | 20 to 100at the median | Not confirmed | 100 |
| Titles in the catalogue | 1,000,000highest quarter | 4,000lowest quarter | 240,000 |
Median across 19 listed providers.
Pros and cons
BookBeat
Pros
- The free trial lasts 60 days, and BookBeat ranks 1 of 16 brands compared on trial length.
- The catalogue holds 1,000,000 titles, against a category median of 240,000.
- Family profiles are included, so a household can share a single subscription instead of opening separate ones.
Cons
- Support runs on chat and help centre only, with no phone line in the listed channels for anyone who prefers to talk the problem through.
- Access is metered by the hour, hour cap, with 20 to 100 hours a month, so long listening sessions have to be spread across the month.
- The plan is listed for AT only, so readers in other markets see no local price from BookBeat.
Reading Eggs
Pros
- A free trial of 30 days and a money-back period of 30 days let a family use the service properly before deciding to keep paying.
- The library covers 4,000 titles as ebooks and audiobooks, with unlimited access under a single plan.
- Family profiles, a family subscription and a kids version cover a whole household, and a team plan is offered for larger groups.
Cons
- There is no free tier, so the 30 days free trial is the only look before a payment is due.
- Entry at £6.99 sits above phase-6 and Bunpro, which list €0 and $0, so a family wanting a book library still pays to start.
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre, with no live chat or community forum in the list, so a question sent late waits for a reply.
Who each suits
BookBeat
Who it suits
- Readers in AT who want audiobooks and ebooks covered by the same subscription.
- Households planning to share through family profiles and to download titles for offline listening.
- Students with a discount, who can test the service over 60 days before paying.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who would rather not count hours: BookBeat caps listening at 20 to 100 a month, and AfriKDP at $3 a month costs less for light use.
- Anyone outside AT, where Audible at CAD 8.99 a month and Readability at $19.99 a month are the listed comparisons instead.
Reading Eggs
Who it suits
- Households with several children who want reading practice and a story library in a single subscription, priced at £54.99 a year.
- Parents in the UK who want to look before committing, since phase-6 and Bunpro both start free and Reading Eggs does not, though its 30 days refund window offsets that.
- Families who read aloud together at home, because speech recognition and assessments sit inside the app rather than being left to a live tutor.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone whose goal is an adult spoken language rather than a children's library, since SpanishPod101 starts at $4 and Reading Eggs is built around a kids version and family profiles.
- Learners who insist on starting at no cost, because phase-6 and Bunpro both list free entry prices while Reading Eggs opens at £6.99.
- People outside GB, where the listed price and the money-back period do not apply.
Current offers
Questions about each
BookBeat
What does BookBeat cost each month?+
The standard BookBeat monthly plan is €9.99, and the starting price quoted for the subscription is €9.99. They are published as separate figures, so the amount at entry and the amount that recurs each month can be weighed on their own terms.
How long is the BookBeat free trial?+
The free trial runs 60 days, and BookBeat ranks 1 of 16 brands compared on trial length. For scale, the median trial in this category runs 30 days.
Reading Eggs
How much does Reading Eggs cost?+
The family subscription is listed at £6.99 a month and £54.99 for a year, with entry at £6.99. Taking the yearly figure rather than paying monthly costs less across the same stretch of time, and both are the renewal prices to budget for once the trial ends.
Is there a free version of Reading Eggs?+
There is no free tier, so nothing stays available once a trial ends without a payment. The free trial lasts 30 days and the money-back period is 30 days, which lets a family use the whole trial, decide it is not working, and still claim the fee back inside that window.