# ISBN Book Scanner & Library — Catalog shelves, track reading

> Scan book barcodes to identify, organize, and purchase books. (iPhone/iPad app by Runar Ovesen Hjerpbakk.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isbn-book-scanner-and-library/id813124189 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Runar Ovesen Hjerpbakk](https://appshunter.io/developer/644908100)
- Category: Books, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 1.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 8 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.2 · 12 MB
- Languages: American English, Norwegian Bokmål
- Released: 2014-06-29
- Data updated: 2026-08-31
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isbn-book-scanner-and-library/id813124189/reviews.md

## What is ISBN Book Scanner & Library?

Scan the books you own, build your personal library in seconds, and never accidentally buy the same book twice.

A friend of mine keeps a shelf of books behind her sofa, most of them titles I had never come across. Last summer I went through the whole shelf with my phone, scanning one spine after another until every book was saved to my library. That is the app in one sentence: the fastest way I have found to get books into a list I actually keep.

Point the camera at the barcode on the back of a book and the app reads the ISBN, then looks it up in Open Library, Google Books, Apple Books and more at the same time. The title, author and cover usually appear within a second or two, even for older or obscure titles.

SHELF CHECK
In a bookshop, holding a book you think you might already own, turn on Shelf Check and scan it without adding anything to your library. The app tells you whether that exact ISBN is saved, and whether the same title and author sit on a shelf in another edition. It also shows your history with the author: books you own, books read, and the average rating you gave them. Save it with one tap if you want it, or leave the screen and the library is untouched. The edition warning shows up on ordinary scans too, so a duplicate does not slip in unnoticed.

YOUR LIBRARY
Every book you scan lands in your library. Mark each one as Read, Currently Reading, or Want to Read, and sort them onto shelves you make yourself. I keep one shelf for the books I lend out and would like to see again.

BATCH SCANNING
When you have a whole shelf to get through, turn on batch mode and scan without stopping between books. The app keeps a running count and lets you look over everything once you are done. This is the mode I reach for when cataloguing a bookcase or a stack from the library.

RATE & REMEMBER
When you finish a book, give it a rating from one to five stars and write down what you thought while it is still fresh. I use the notes for the small things I would otherwise forget: who recommended it, who I want to lend it to, the line I underlined. Ratings and notes stay private, and they come along when you export.

YOUR READING YEAR
Set a goal for the year and watch the ring fill as you finish each book. A dedicated tab turns your library into a picture of the year: books read, your average rating, the author you come back to most, whether you are keeping pace, and a chart of every month. I set mine in January and check it more often than I should admit. Setting a goal is free. The full set of insights comes with Premium.

EXPORT
Your library does not have to stay in the app. Export the whole collection to Goodreads, The StoryGraph, LibraryThing, or a plain CSV file, or share a single book's citation as plain text, BibTeX or Markdown. The citation formats are there for students, researchers, and anyone who keeps a reference list.

BUY WHERE YOU LIKE
Open any scanned book in Apple Books, Amazon or Bookshop.org and buy it there. That link, from a book in your hand to the edition you want, is the reason I first built the app, back when I mostly wanted the ebook of whatever I found in a shop. Amazon links cover stores in 20 countries, and Premium lets you set the one you shop with.

GO PREMIUM
The first 10 books and your first shelf are free, with every book source available. So are reading goals and Shelf Check. Premium removes the limits, unlocks batch scanning, ratings and notes, the full reading insights, removes ads, and lets you set the Amazon store you prefer.

• Shelf Check spots duplicates and other editions without saving
• Batch scan whole shelves, then add reading status, ratings, and private notes
• Set a reading goal and follow your year month by month
• Export your library or open a book in the store you prefer
• Go Premium for unlimited books and shelves, full insights, and no ads

## Key features

- Barcode scanning
- Batch scanning mode
- Personal library organization
- Reading status tracking
- Export to Goodreads/The StoryGraph/CSV
- Direct purchase links
- Citation generation

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $2.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (8 of 8)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isbn-book-scanner-and-library/id813124189/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Great but ..

*2026-07-27*

I really like this app. It is very intuitive and easy to use . So much so that ,when prompted,  I purchased the premium version for 2.99 as I was cataloguing all my books. This was easy and quick . However, every time I went back on the app I had to restore my purchase . This was a little frustrating at first . I’ve just tried again today and it is not allowing me to restore my purchase so I’m unable to export any more of my books to a CSV file. I don’t know if this is a bug . If this wasn’t the case this would be a 5 star review .

**Developer response:** Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'm fixing this is the next release, submitted it today.

### 1/5 — Pointless really

*2024-03-06*

Scans the code to tell you what the title and author of the book you’re holding is.

Bibtex export doesn’t work at all.

Links to Amazon US site.

### 2/5 — Does what it says but to what purpose?

*2018-07-30*

I really wanted an app that I could scan the barcode or isbn and upload it to, say’ mendeley’ or create a list to export. No such luck. 

I can see it as good for when your out and about and see a book and want to save it for future purchase.

**Developer response:** Thanks for your suggestion. The ability to export the history of scans in various was will be considered for future version. As I've been away from academia for a long time, services such as Mendeley are new to me.

### 1/5 — Useless for sharing lists

*2017-12-23*

Scans a whole bunch of books and creates a “history” list, but doesn’t allow you to share the whole list at once. You can only share one book at a time. Pointless.

**Developer response:** Thanks for your idea of sharing the entire history. I'll consider this for future versions.

### 1/5 — Don't bother! There are better out there

*2017-11-12*

Only one scan allowed before it asks you to purchase premium version. It won't keep the scan either- no history. So pointless!

**Developer response:** This means the book wasn't found in iBooks, but in one of the other premium sources. All history is preserved and the book will appear in the history after a premium purchase.

### 1/5 — Poor

*2016-10-11*

Doesn't Work - poor customer support. Disappointing.

**Developer response:** I'm sorry you didn't like the app. If you want, you can send more specific feedback to runar@hjerpbakk.com.

### 1/5 — Don't bother

*2016-08-19*

Free version does nothing but invite you to buy the premium version...

**Developer response:** Books found in Apple Books will always be visible, even without Premium. The pop-up is there to let you know that the book can be found, but not in Apple Books. If the book is not available in Apple Books but exists in other sources, the book will appear in history if Premium is purchased.

### 5/5 — Intelligent and useful

*2015-01-01*

Interesting and intelligent app. Works well, even better after paying .99 for premium. Out of 20 scans at bookstore, only one not found. Great time saver for finding and remembering books.

## Frequently asked questions about ISBN Book Scanner & Library

### How many books can I scan for free with ISBN Book Scanner?

The first 10 books scanned are free, offering access to all sources and features. After scanning 10 books, you will need to go Premium to unlock unlimited library size and remove ads.

### What information does ISBN Book Scanner provide for each book?

Upon scanning a book's barcode, the app retrieves the title, author, and cover image by looking up the ISBN across sources like Open Library, Google Books, and Apple Books.

### Can I organize my scanned books within ISBN Book Scanner?

Yes, every scanned book is added to your personal library. You can mark books as 'Read,' 'Currently Reading,' or 'Want to Read,' and create custom shelves for better organization.

### How can I export my book collection from ISBN Book Scanner?

Your book collection can be exported to platforms like Goodreads, The StoryGraph, or as a plain CSV file. You can also share individual book citations in plain text, BibTeX, or Markdown formats.

### Does ISBN Book Scanner have ads?

The free version of ISBN Book Scanner contains advertisements. To remove ads and unlock unlimited library size, users can opt for the Premium subscription.

### Where can I buy books found with ISBN Book Scanner?

The app provides direct links to purchase books from Apple Books, Amazon, and Bookshop.org. It supports bookstores across 20 countries, allowing you to buy locally or digitally.

### Is ISBN Book Scanner available on Android devices?

Based on the provided data, ISBN Book Scanner is currently supported on iPhone and iPod devices. Compatibility with Android is not specified.

### How often is ISBN Book Scanner updated?

The latest version of ISBN Book Scanner is 2026.2, last updated on April 8, 2026. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and maintenance.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2026.5 — 2026-08-17

- Shelf Check is new. Turn it on in the scanner and scan a book without saving it: the app tells you if that ISBN is already in your library, if the same title sits there in another edition, and how you have rated the author before.
- You get the same warning on ordinary scans, so a duplicate does not sneak into the library.
- Fixed a bug where Premium had to be restored every time the app started. The purchase is checked against the App Store at launch, so it survives a reinstall or a new phone.

### 2026.4 — 2026-07-28

- Author names are cleaner and easier to read, with duplicates removed
- A smoother first launch, with the scanner ready right after the welcome screen
- Fixed a bug where Premium had to be restored every time the app started. The app now remembers your purchase
- Premium is also verified with the App Store at launch, so it survives a reinstall or a new phone without a manual restore
- Small fixes and improvements

### 2026.3 — 2026-07-03

- Give your books a star rating, from one to five
- Add private notes to any book. They come along when you export
- Reliability fixes and small improvements

### 2026.2 — 2026-04-08

- Batch scanning mode for cataloging whole shelves
- Organize your library with shelves and reading status
- Export your collection to Goodreads or CSV
- Open Library and Bookshop.org added as book sources
- Much faster lookups. All sources are searched at once, first result wins

### 2021.1 — 2021-04-29

Book Scanner has undergone a spring cleaning! These are the new premium features:
-	Every Amazon site is now available as a source for books. The US store is still the default, but any other store can be chosen.
-	ebok.no can now be used by you lucky few who know Norwegian.

And for every user:
-	The scan history can now be shared using your preferred citation mode, using either a bullet list, markdown reference list or Bibtex.
-	From History we can now quickly navigate to the book source using the swipe menu.
-	And navigation from book details to the source is easier than ever.

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## More apps by Runar Ovesen Hjerpbakk

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All apps by Runar Ovesen Hjerpbakk: https://appshunter.io/developer/644908100

## Related topics

[isbn book scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/isbn-book-scanner) · [isbn book manager](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/isbn-book-manager)

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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 2026-08-31.*