# Bookshelf Scanner: Spines — Book, Reading & TBR Tracker

> Scan bookshelves, identify valuable books, and track your reading interests. (iPhone/iPad app by True Story Limited.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-scanner-spines/id6757425414 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [True Story Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1861475212)
- Category: Books, Shopping
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 66 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-02-04
- Data updated: 2026-09-06
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-scanner-spines/id6757425414/reviews.md

## What is Bookshelf Scanner?

Your next great read is hiding on a $2 shelf somewhere. Spines helps you find it.

Point your camera at a shelf in a thrift store, used bookstore, garage sale, or library sale. Spines identifies the books in seconds and highlights the ones worth grabbing — including award winners, bestsellers, highly rated books, and titles matched to your personal taste.

No more standing in the aisle Googling every title. No more leaving a Pulitzer winner behind because you didn't recognize the author. Spines turns a chaotic bookshelf into a personalized shortlist.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Scan — Point your camera at a bookshelf and snap a photo
2. Identify — AI reads the spines and identifies the books automatically
3. Discover — See awards, ratings, and personalized recommendations

WHAT SPINES SPOTS

• Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists
• National Book Award winners
• Booker Prize winners and finalists
• Women's Prize for Fiction winners
• New York Times Bestsellers
• Highly rated reader favorites
• Books matched to the genres, authors, and publishers you love

BUILT FOR BOOK HUNTING

• AI Bookshelf Scanner — Identify dozens of books from a single shelf photo
• For You — Personalized picks based on your reading taste
• Goodreads & StoryGraph Import — Bring your reading history into Spines
• Hunt List — Save books you want to find, love, or have already grabbed
• Scan History — Revisit shelves you've scanned
• Spot Books Nearby — See where interesting books have been spotted
• Book Details — Ratings, descriptions, awards, and more

PERFECT FOR

• Thrift stores and garage sales
• Used and antiquarian bookstores
• Library book sales
• Little Free Libraries and community book exchanges
• Browsing a friend's bookshelf
• Building your reading list from books you find in the real world

FREE TO USE

Scan up to 3 shelves per month for free.

Upgrade to Premium for unlimited scans, full scan history, award and bestseller signals, Hunt List, Goodreads import, and smarter personalized recommendations — with a 14-day free trial.

Your next favorite book is already on a shelf somewhere. Spines helps you find it first.

---

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://spinesapp.com/privacy

## Key features

- Scan entire bookshelves at once
- Discover hidden gems in second-hand shops
- Spot books matching your reading taste
- Track books you want, love, or have grabbed
- Import from Goodreads or StoryGraph
- Personalized recommendations

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spines Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Spines Premium | $6.99 | per month |


## Recent user reviews (7 of 7)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-scanner-spines/id6757425414/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Gem finder 💎

*2026-08-31*

Such a great concept! There's no way I would have even NOTICED some of the great books its recommended to me

### 5/5 — I love this app

*2026-08-27*

Many days I’ve spent trawling through book shelves in charity shops wishing for an easier way to find the books I’m looking for. This app is amazing. It cuts the time down so I can spend more time reading and visiting other shops.

### 2/5 — Flash required

*2026-07-25*

I appreciate the developers addressed an update glitch reported earlier. However, my iPad doesn’t have a flash so it’s said the camera can’t be enabled for the app.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the follow-up. Spines is built for iPhone, but it can be installed on iPad in compatibility mode — and you've hit a bug there: on iPads without a flash, our camera setup fails when it shouldn't, since the camera doesn't actually need one. A fix is going into the next update. In the meantime, if you try it on an iPhone it should work great — let us know if not.

### 1/5 — Unable to update

*2026-07-19*

Open and it directed me to AppStore for an update, then nothing happened and no subsequent action indicated.

**Developer response:** Sorry about that! A server change on our side sent the app looking for an update that hadn't been released yet — completely our fault. It's fixed now, so if you reopen Spines it should work normally (a force-quit and reopen will clear it if not). We'd really appreciate a second chance — and if you hit any other issues, we're at support@spinesapp.com. Thanks!

### 1/5 — Not worth it

*2026-07-17*

So the concept is an app that helps you find books more easily when sorting through large amount of books.  Sounds good until you see it’s $50 a year?  I don’t want another subscription.  There’s gotta be a better way to monetize this service.  Maybe like a one time $10 price for full access but I cannot get behind paying for another subscription

**Developer response:** Thanks for the honest feedback — we know another subscription is a hard sell. Just so you know, you don't have to pay to use Spines: the free tier gives you scans every month at no cost, so you can keep using it as-is. We're also actively looking at our pricing options, and feedback like this directly shapes that. Hope you'll stick with the free version in the meantime!

### 2/5 — A bit steep

*2026-07-01*

£5/month for a book scanning app. Maybe if it was £1, was expecting free with ads. Neat idea, but over monetised.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the honest feedback — glad the idea landed even if the price didn't! Worth knowing: there's a free tier (3 scans a month, with personalised "For You" matches), and the yearly plan works out around £2.90/month. We went subscription instead of ads because each scan runs AI processing that costs us per use, and we didn't want to clutter a cosy book-hunting app with adverts. Happy hunting either way!

### 5/5 — Outstanding

*2026-04-26*

An indispensable app in my library, whilst I enjoy perusing through a book shelf I find myself tiring very quickly. This app has enabled me to source a number of titles on my personal wishlist which I’d initially failed to spot on the shelf! A brilliant idea and super easy to use. Five stars.

## Frequently asked questions about Bookshelf Scanner

### Does Book Shelf Scanner have ads?

No, Book Shelf Scanner does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use with optional premium features.

### What is the price of Book Shelf Scanner Premium?

Book Shelf Scanner Premium is available for $6.99 per month or $49.99 per year. The annual subscription includes a 7-day free trial.

### How does Book Shelf Scanner identify books?

Book Shelf Scanner uses your device's camera to read book spines. It then identifies the titles and provides information based on your preferences and integrated services.

### Can I import my existing book lists into Book Shelf Scanner?

Yes, you can import your book lists from Goodreads or StoryGraph to personalize your recommendations within Book Shelf Scanner.

### What devices does Book Shelf Scanner support?

Book Shelf Scanner is available for iPhone and iPod devices.

### How often is Book Shelf Scanner updated?

The latest version of Book Shelf Scanner is 1.0.34, last updated on June 25, 2026. Updates typically include new features and performance improvements.

### What is the age rating for Book Shelf Scanner?

Book Shelf Scanner has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users.

### How do I cancel my Book Shelf Scanner Premium subscription?

Subscription management, including cancellation, is typically handled through your device's app store settings. You can usually find options to manage subscriptions within your account details.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.0.45 — 2026-09-02

Export your shelves — Premium members can now export scan results
and grabbed books to CSV, straight from the share sheet.

Two new reasons a book stands out: cult classics that readers keep
passing along, and books that made it to screen.

Pass is back. Tell us a book isn't for you on the book detail page,
and we'll remember.

Your wishlist authors tab got a proper tidy-up — easier to add
authors, easier to find the ones you've saved.

Need a hand? There's now a support chat inside the app.

Plus: scans queued offline now retry on their own, dark mode looks
right on more screens, and we fixed a crash some of you hit around
notifications.

### 1.0.44 — 2026-08-10

Small fixes and polish so your next shelf scan runs smoothly. Happy hunting!

### 1.0.42 — 2026-08-01

Spotted a book we got wrong? Now you can tell us. Tap any book and
report a bad match — wrong title, wrong author, not on the shelf at
all. Every report makes the next scan sharper.

We also gave the welcome scan a fresh shelf, with the standout books
sorted to the top so you can see what Spines is looking for.

Plus: friendlier trial reminders, and a handful of fixes to the
paywall and sign-up flow.

Happy hunting.

### 1.0.41 — 2026-07-24

- Small fixes and polish throughout. Happy hunting!

### 1.0.40 — 2026-07-23

- Sharper scans and a friendlier trial
- Scanning keeps getting better — we're catching even more titles on those packed, dimly lit shelves.
- New for premium members: a weekly Hunt List roundup — a little nudge with the books worth chasing this week.
- On a free trial? We'll now send a heads-up before it ends, so you're always in the loop.
- Plus small fixes and polish throughout.

## Apps similar to Bookshelf Scanner

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [PaperTrail: Book Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papertrail-book-tracker/id1591605130) | 4.3 (12) | Free | Books |
| [World of Books App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/world-of-books-app/id6698896097) | 3.7 (49) | Free | Books |
| [Shelf Scanner.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelf-scanner/id6503261472) | 4.5 (244) | Free | Books |
| [BookSnap: Book Value Scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booksnap-book-value-scanner/id6752848081) | 4.5 (103) | Free | Books |
| [Waterstones](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterstones/id389368414) | 4.7 (61) | Free | Books |
| [Book Tracker - BookStack](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/book-tracker-bookstack/id6756306175) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Books |

## Related topics

[spines](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/spines) · [bookshelf scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bookshelf-scanner) · [books to read scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/books-to-read-scanner)

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*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 2026-09-06.*
