# Better Bookshelf — Every book. One library. > A unified digital library for all your physical and digital books and highlights. (iPhone/iPad app by Matthew Smith.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-bookshelf/id6791765002 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Matthew Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/6791765004) - Category: Books, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.0 · 41 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-08-06 - Data updated: 2026-09-01 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-bookshelf/id6791765002/reviews.md ## What is Better Bookshelf? Your books live in three places — your shelves, your Kindle, your Audible library. The best parts of them live in a fourth: the passages you highlighted while reading. Better Bookshelf is the first app that brings all of it together in one beautiful, private library that works entirely on your phone. SCAN ANYTHING, ADD EVERYTHING • Point your camera at a barcode and the book appears with full details and cover art • Batch mode keeps the camera rolling so you can catalog an entire shelf in minutes — each scan buzzes, auto-adds, and flags duplicates as you go • No barcode? Old hardcover, damaged spine, library binding? Snap a photo of the cover and AI reads the title and author and finds the book for you • Four book databases work together behind every lookup, so vintage, obscure, self-published, and audiobook-only titles resolve where single-source apps give up • Prefer typing? Enter an ISBN or search by title and author ONE LIBRARY, EVERY FORMAT YOU OWN • Own a book in paperback, on Kindle, AND on Audible? See it once, with badges showing every format you own • Import your Kindle and Audible libraries directly, and formats merge automatically — no duplicate entries • Moving from another app? Bring any CSV export and the columns are detected and mapped automatically • Re-import the same file anytime; your library never duplicates REMEMBER WHAT YOU READ • Connect Readwise once, and every book on your shelf shows the highlights you made while reading it on Kindle or Audible • Browse passages book by book, star your favorites, and revisit them like marginalia in a book you love • Filter your entire library down to just the books you highlighted • Your catalog stops being an inventory and becomes a record of everything your books gave you ORGANIZED THE WAY READERS ACTUALLY THINK • Reading status (read, reading, unread) with a stats bar that shows your library at a glance • Private ratings and reviews — your opinions, for you, not for an audience • Tags, genre and author filters, year ranges, and fast search that looks through titles, authors, genres, tags, and descriptions • Grid view for browsing covers, list view for working through your collection, flexible sorting, and bulk actions for big libraries • Missing covers or thin details? One tap refreshes metadata and artwork across your whole collection NEVER LOSE A LENT BOOK AGAIN • Mark any book as lent, with a name and date • A visible badge on the shelf and a dedicated filter show exactly which books are out and who has them • The number one way books disappear is a forgotten loan — not anymore YOUR DATA IS ACTUALLY YOURS • Everything is stored on your device — browse, search, and organize your whole library with no connection at all • Back up your entire collection — books, tags, ratings, highlights, and cover art — to your own Google Drive with one tap, and restore it on any phone • Turn on auto-backup and the app quietly protects your library every time you open it after changes • Export everything to CSV anytime and take it anywhere — no lock-in, ever • No account to create. No ads. No social feed. No tracking. Nobody watching what you read. BUILT FOR REAL COLLECTIONS Whether you are cataloging three shelves or three thousand books, Better Bookshelf keeps up: fast scanning, instant search, and smooth browsing at any size, on iPhone and iPad. PERFECT FOR • Cataloging a lifetime of shelves before a move, a downsize, or an insurance inventory • Readers who buy the paperback, the ebook, and the audiobook — and want one shelf, not three • Highlighters and note-takers who never want to lose a passage again • Book lovers leaving bloated, ad-filled reading networks for something calm, fast, and private Your library is one of the most personal things you own. It deserves an app that treats it that way — private, permanent, and completely under your control. Scan it. Own it. Remember it. ## Key features - Scan barcodes or covers to add books - Import Kindle and Audible libraries - Consolidate books across multiple formats - Save and revisit highlighted passages - Track reading status and personal ratings - Mark books as lent ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Premium — Unlimited Library | $9.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-bookshelf/id6791765002/reviews.md ### 5/5 — The new bookshelf app *2026-08-13* This is the kind of app I need to organize my books…and I don’t have to pay a huge monthly fee! ## Frequently asked questions about Better Bookshelf ### How do I add books to Better Bookshelf? You can add books by scanning their barcodes with your phone's camera, taking a photo of the cover for AI recognition, or manually entering the ISBN, title, or author. The app supports multiple book databases to find even obscure titles. ### Can Better Bookshelf import my existing book collections? Yes, you can import your Kindle and Audible libraries directly into Better Bookshelf. The app also supports importing data from CSV files, automatically mapping columns to avoid duplicate entries. ### Does Better Bookshelf store my highlights from other platforms? Yes, by connecting your Readwise account, Better Bookshelf will display highlights you've made in Kindle and Audible books. You can then browse these passages within your unified library. ### How does Better Bookshelf organize my library? You can organize your books by reading status (read, reading, unread), add personal ratings and reviews, use tags, filter by genre, author, or year, and view your collection in grid or list formats. Bulk actions are also available for managing large libraries. ### Is my book data safe with Better Bookshelf? All your data is stored locally on your device, allowing you to browse and search your library offline. You can also back up your entire collection, including books, tags, ratings, and highlights, to your Google Drive for safekeeping and easy restoration. ### Can I track books I've lent out with Better Bookshelf? Absolutely. You can mark any book as lent, specifying the borrower's name and the date. A visible badge and a dedicated filter will help you keep track of which books are out and who has them. ### What devices does Better Bookshelf support? Better Bookshelf is available for iPhone and iPad, allowing you to manage your library across your Apple devices. ### How often is Better Bookshelf updated? The latest version, 1.7.0, was released on August 29, 2026, indicating active development and regular updates to enhance features and reliability. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.7.0 — 2026-08-29 New: helpful reminders. Better Bookshelf can now nudge you to keep scanning your shelves, import your Kindle and Audible libraries, and back up your catalog to Google Drive. ### 1.6.8 — 2026-08-26 Fixing an issue with Google Drive backups caused by an upstream provider. ### 1.6.7 — 2026-08-06 Fixed: book cover photos you've taken now reappear correctly after restoring a backup — including restores done before this update. ### 1.6.6 — 2026-08-06 • Backups now sync across all your devices — sign in with the same Google account on any device and your backups are there • New "Restore from a backup file" option lets you import a backup downloaded from Google Drive • Bug fixes and stability improvements ### 1.6.5 — 2026-08-06 No release notes. ## More apps by Matthew Smith - [HomeTend: AI Home Inspection](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hometend-ai-home-inspection/id6797340061) - [ScreenStash: Screenshot Boards](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/screenstash-screenshot-boards/id6800049598) All apps by Matthew Smith: https://appshunter.io/developer/6791765004 ## Related topics [korean isbn scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/korean-isbn-scanner) · [letterboxd for books](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/letterboxd-for-books) · [book reading app scan](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/book-reading-app-scan) · [swipe right book](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/swipe-right-book) · [xhosa izibhalo ezingcwele](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/xhosa-izibhalo-ezingcwele) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*