When comparing Bigwords.com vs Occupy The Bookstore, the Slant community recommends Bigwords.com for most people. In the question“What are the best price comparison tools for textbooks?” Bigwords.com is ranked 1st while Occupy The Bookstore is ranked 2nd. The most important reason people chose Bigwords.com is:
Online access codes can be found with Bigwords.com.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Searchable access codes
Online access codes can be found with Bigwords.com.
Pro No account required
In order to find the cheapest textbook retailers, no account is needed.
Pro Promotes bundling
While ordering multiple books, Bigwords tries to let buyers get all their books from the same store in order to save on shipping costs.
Pro Searches for cheapest rentals or purchases
For people who don't want to see rental prices displayed, they can be filtered out.
Pro Allows users to sell and donate books
While some books may be rendered worthless after one semester of use, Bigwords.com let's users donate books that they are unable to sell.
Pro Compares all online sources directly from the university bookstore's page
Occupy The Bookstore works as a plugin that works with most schools' "find my textbooks" function. Once the needed textbooks are given, the plugin compiles a list of all available sources with a price comparison. Occupy The Bookstore doesn't replace popular textbook retailers. Instead, it helps users find the best source.
Pro Displays shipping cost
In addition to displaying textbook prices, shipping costs are also listed.
Pro Textbook information doesn't need to be re-typed
Many textbook website aggregators require ISBN numbers to be typed in. With Occupy The Bookstore, information is entered automatically once the bookstore website reveals what is needed.
Cons
Con Confusing interface
Bigwords is so feature-rich that their website's interface can be too much for new users.
Con Not compatible with every bookstore
Because this is a plugin, the information is scraped off the university bookstore website. If the university bookstore's web address ends in Neebo.com, BKSTR.com, or BNCollege.com, the plugin will work. If the university bookstore doesn't use these services, it won't be compatible with the plugin yet.
Con Only works with Chrome
While a Firefox add-on is on the way, the only compatible browser as of 1/19/2015 is Chrome.