# Canto: Reading Journal — The reading app that knows you

> The reading app that knows you (iPhone/iPad app by John Zerbe.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canto-reading-journal/id6771089037 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [John Zerbe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896770819)
- Category: Books, Lifestyle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 48 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-08-06
- Data updated: 2026-08-18
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canto-reading-journal/id6771089037/reviews.md

## What is Canto?

Canto is a reading companion with no feeds, no followers, and no public reviews. It is not a social network about books. It is a private record of your reading life, and it gets more personal the longer you use it.

HOW IT WORKS

When you finish a book, Canto asks you a few questions. Not generic prompts. Questions written for you, shaped by this specific book, what you hoped to find in it, and what you've written about books before it. Answer in a sentence or a paragraph, whatever you have. Then Canto writes you a short reflection: something specific enough that it could only be about you and this book.

Every reflection you write makes the next one better. That's the whole idea.

READER'S DNA

After your fifth reflection, Canto writes a portrait of you as a reader. Not stats. Not a genre pie chart. Actual prose about the patterns in what you read and how you respond to it, with an archetype that names what kind of reader you are. It regenerates as you keep reading, so it changes as you do.

WHILE YOU READ

Capture a passage the moment it stops you. Set an intention before you start a book, and Canto will remember what you were hoping to find when you finish. Two weeks after you finish, one quiet notification asks how the book is sitting with you. That's the only kind of notification Canto sends: rare, and about the book.

CHOSEN FOR YOU

Recommendations built from your actual reading history and reflections, with honest reasoning about why each book was picked for you. Three at a time. No infinite feed.

WHAT'S FREE AND WHAT'S NOT

Reflections are free, forever, without limits. They are the heart of the app and will never be gated. Canto+ ($6.99/month) adds Reader's DNA, passage capture, cross-book insights, and personalized recommendations.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN

Your reflections are yours. There is no feed for them to appear in, no followers to perform for, and nothing is public unless you choose to share a single line yourself. We don't sell your data. There are no ads.

BUILT FOR EVERYONE

Full VoiceOver support, including a custom rotor action to hear an entire reflection read continuously. Reduce Motion respected throughout. Strong color contrast in dark mode, checked against WCAG standards. Dynamic Type everywhere.

Canto is made by one person who thinks a reading app should know you better every month you use it, and should never ask you to perform your reading for an audience.

Your books. Your words. Nobody watching.

Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Canto Plus | $6.99 | per month |



## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.1.0 — 2026-08-11

Improved reflection formatting and general reliability improvements.

### 1.0.0 — 2026-08-06

No release notes.

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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 2026-08-18.*