# LibraryThing — Catalog your books and media

> Catalog and manage personal book, DVD, and CD collections. (iPhone/iPad app by LibraryThing.com.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/librarything/id948824489 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [LibraryThing.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/397718884)
- Category: Books, Social Networking
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.50/5 from 278 App Store ratings · 170 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 9 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-10-09
- Data updated: 2026-09-11
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/librarything/id948824489/reviews.md

## What is LibraryThing?

The LibraryThing app allows LibraryThing members to catalog and browse their collections. LibraryThing is focused on books, but you can add most media, including books, DVDs and CDs. LibraryThing relies on data from Amazon, and over 65 million library records.

Add books by searching for them or scanning their ISBN barcode with the camera.

Add high-resolution cover photos of your books with the cover editor and browse your books by cover type to find copies that need better covers.

## Key features

- Catalog books, DVDs, and CDs
- Search for media items
- Scan ISBN barcodes
- Add high-resolution cover photos
- Browse collection by cover type

## What do users think of LibraryThing?

Overall sentiment: neutral

**Pros**

- 🚀 Quick barcode scanning
- 👍 Useful for cataloging library
- 🚀 Fast book addition

**Cons**

- 🐛 Glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Limited search and editing capabilities
- 🤖 Outdated and dated UI

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Barcode scanner not working
- Books disappearing from catalog
- Editing and saving issues

**Most requested features**

- Ability to create custom collections
- Offline access to library
- Integration with other book apps
- Lending/loan tracking feature

## Recent user reviews (10 of 170)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/librarything/id948824489/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Easy to use, when it runs

*2026-08-15*

The app is great for scanning a cataloging books, but is too unstable to use for looking up later. It reliably crashes when scrolling the list.

### 5/5 — AMAZING!

*2026-06-27*

My mum suggested this app to me when I said I wanted to count all of my books. She has had it for a while (and has about 400 or more books counted) and finds it super useful and amazing. I couldn’t agree more! This app is free, useful and SO fun and easy to use! DOWNLOAD LIBRARY THING TODAY YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!! 😀😀😀

### 3/5 — Non-functional scan

*2026-06-08, version 1.2.4*

Unable to use the scan feature to add books to my library. The button does not trigger any action. It would be nice to be able to scan a cover and have the title and author returned.

### 5/5 — Long Time User

*2026-05-29, version 1.2.4*

I have used Library Thing for many years. It has made my life so much easier! As a serious bibliophile, I appreciate its ease of use without a lot of unnecessary distractions. It has allowed me to manage our family library of almost 10,000 volumes quickly and efficiently and I cannot imagine life without it! Thank you!

### 3/5 — Many features lacking

*2026-03-29, version 1.2.4*

1) ability to share owns catalogue with friends 2) browsing other peoples catalogues 3) find similar books eg. By the same authors, genre, year, country of origin etc. 4) The app crashes when trying to browse an author’s profile. Still my default cataloguing app but would migrate to another, more modern/advanced if I knew how to.

### 1/5 — Badly needs an update

*2026-02-21, version 1.2.4*

This app hasn’t been updated in over 2 years. It now has glitches which render it unusable for anything other than viewing your catalog, which has at times been buggy on the app to begin with, sometimes failing to find a book that is in my catalog. You can no longer edit books, as other reviewers have noted. This may have coincided with the release of iOS 26. Scanning books into your catalog has been the main benefit of this app through the years. But the app isn’t even very useful as a scanner anymore since you need to use a browser if you want to make any edits.

### 2/5 — Infuriating

*2026-02-20, version 1.2.4*

If you just want to scan barcodes and accept whatever you get, this app will satisfy you. The scanner is as good as you will find. 

But if you edit your book entries, this app is treacherous and may as well have been designed to infuriate users who curate their book catalog. 

Best practice among app developers is to save edits unless the user cancels them. This app confuses you into thinking it works that way, because the “Save” button disappears when you scroll down, but “Close” is visible at all times in the top bar. So you work your way down the page, adding tags, assigning a bookshelf, adding details, maybe writing a review. Your only visible option for exiting the page is “Close” so you tap it. Guess what? All your changes were discarded! 

I have fallen for this so many times, unable to believe that LibraryThing could be so perverse as to require users to select a “Save” button that is concealed most of the time. It’s clear that user testing was neglected. Whoever was hired to code this obnoxious kludge seems to expect app users to think like punch-card programmers. (“If no SAVE command, erase buffer.”) 

I wrote this review to remind myself to never again trust this app for any task other than scanning barcodes. Editing the resulting entry must be done in the web browser. As of Feb. 2026 the last app update was 2 years ago. So I don’t have much hope for improvement.

### 4/5 — Manca la wishlist

*2026-02-20, version 1.2.4*

Molto ben fatta ma manca la whishlist!

### 1/5 — Frustrating

*2026-02-11, version 1.2.4*

Edit button hangs up on iPhone.

### 1/5 — Can’t add anything

*2026-02-05, version 1.2.4*

“Add to catalog” does nothing- it presents me no search bar or barcode scanner. It’s just essentially a blank screen that says “nothing recently added”

## Frequently asked questions about LibraryThing

### What does the LibraryThing app do?

This app allows members to catalog and browse their personal collections of books, DVDs, and CDs. You can add items by searching for them or scanning their ISBN barcodes. It also provides tools to enhance your catalog with high-resolution cover photos.

### How do I add books to my catalog?

You can add books by searching for their title or author within the app. Alternatively, you can use your device's camera to scan the ISBN barcode on the book. The app then retrieves relevant data to add the item to your collection.

### Can I add more than just books?

Yes, while the app is focused on books, you can also catalog most other media types, including DVDs and CDs. This allows for a comprehensive organization of your various media collections.

### Is there a cost to use this app?

Based on the provided information, the app is free to use. There are no mentions of subscription fees, paid features, or in-app purchases.

### What kind of data does the app use?

The app leverages data from Amazon and over 65 million library records to help catalog your items. This ensures a rich and accurate database for your collection.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.4 — 2024-02-17

Fixed bug that produced a crash when scanning barcodes and quickly moving into and out of the scanner mode.

### 1.2.3 — 2022-11-18

All new barcode scanner used when adding books to your catalog. More efficient, better barcode recognition, and faster.

### 1.2.1 — 2022-10-29

Fixed a crashing bug when trying to add books on some OS/device combinations.

### 1.2.0 — 2022-10-25

Fixes for layout on newer iPhones.
Fix for layout and scanning position of barcode scanner window when adding books using camera.
Various UI fixes.

### 1.1.0 — 2018-11-30

• Select from over 1000 library sources for your books and media
• Browse by collection, authors, or tags from the top level of your catalog.
• Updates for new devices
• Multiple bug fixes

## Apps similar to LibraryThing

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [CLZ Books - library organizer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clz-books-library-organizer/id318799163) | 4.8 (2,582) | Free | Books |
| [BookBuddy Pro: Book Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbuddy-pro-book-tracker/id395149950) | 4.8 (5,951) | $9.99 | Books |
| [My Book List - Library Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-book-list-library-tracker/id443391908) | 4.1 (637) | Free | Books |
| [BookBuddy: Book Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbuddy-book-tracker/id395150347) | 4.8 (15,123) | Free | Books |
| [iCollect Books: Library List](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icollect-books-library-list/id476621639) | 4.6 (4,106) | Free | Books |
| [Bookshelf-Your virtual library](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-your-virtual-library/id1464032274) | 4.8 (3,013) | Free | Books |

## More apps by LibraryThing.com

- [LibAnywhere](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/libanywhere/id397718881)
- [UNISA Library](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unisa-library/id1021111544)
- [Litsy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/litsy/id1037017919)

All apps by LibraryThing.com: https://appshunter.io/developer/397718884

## Related topics

[library thing](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/library-thing) · [lbib](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/lbib) · [libid](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/libid) · [libib](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/libib) · [jordan media library](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/jordan-media-library) · [home library catalog](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/home-library-catalog) · [catalog books](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/catalog-books) · [clz books](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/clz-books) · [dewey decimal](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dewey-decimal) · [popular book organizer apps](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/popular-book-organizer-apps) · [library catalog](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/library-catalog)

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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 2026-09-11.*