Comparison

ALA Booklist Publications vs Tertulia

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ALA Booklist Publications

This app provides access to thousands of book and media reviews for children, teens, and adults. It's a valuable resource for librarians, teachers, and book lovers seeking recommendations and collection development tools. Features include curated lists, author interviews, and classroom resources.

Highlights
  • Thousands of annual book and media reviews
  • Collection development tools
  • Readers' advisory resources
  • Top 10 and core collection lists
  • Author interviews
  • Classroom resources and activities
Features
Read full description

Since 1905, Booklist, the book review magazine of the American Library Association, has been the go-to source for librarians, teachers, and bibliophiles. With more than 8,000 annual reviews of children, teen, and adult books and media, Booklist is a key resource for collection development and readers’ advisory. Top 10 lists, core collection and read-alike lists, author interviews, classroom resources and activities, trend alerts, and more make Booklist indispensable to library professionals and teachers. Book Links, is a quarterly supplement, providing literature-based resources for K-8 educators. Privacy Policy: http://www.ala.org/privacypolicy Terms and Conditions: http://www.ala.org/user-guidelines

About

Tertulia

Discover your next favorite book with curated recommendations from across the web. Organize your reading lists and purchase books seamlessly. Enjoy the best bookstore membership for passionate readers.

Highlights
  • Book recommendations from social media, podcasts, and web
  • Reading list tracking
  • Seamless book purchasing (US only)
  • Bookstore membership benefits
  • Discover trending books
Features
Read full description

Welcome booklovers! Tertulia is a one-stop shop for finding your next great read, keeping track of your reading lists and purchasing books with the best bookstore membership for avid readers. Tertulia serves up book recommendations from across social media, podcasts, and the web — all in one app which incorporates seamless book purchasing (US only). If a book has moved someone enough to get them talking, you can find it, buy it, and share it on Tertulia.

Screenshots

ALA Booklist Publications4 screens
Tertulia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tertulia at 67% against ALA Booklist Publications's 0%. Tertulia also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 29 months). ALA Booklist Publications's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tertulia holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tertulia has 509 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of ALA Booklist Publications's written reviews are positive against 67% of Tertulia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ALA Booklist Publications ships an update every 29 months, Tertulia weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ALA Booklist Publications versus Tertulia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterALA Booklist PublicationsTertulia
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.7 (509 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews67.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1509 — better
Update frequencyEvery 29 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB14 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAmerican Library AssociationTertulia, Inc.

Customer experience

ALA Booklist Publications

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Tertulia

All ratings509 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral8.2%
Negative24.6%

Bugs and requests

ALA Booklist Publications

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tertulia

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Login and account issues
  • Disappearing user book lists
  • Inconsistent pricing and shipping information

Requested features

4 requests
  • iPad app version
  • Ability to rate and review books read
  • Improved personalized recommendations
  • Smoother scrolling and list management

In-app purchases

None

ALA Booklist Publications

No in-app purchases

None

Tertulia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ALA Booklist Publications free?
ALA Booklist Publications is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tertulia free?
Tertulia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ALA Booklist Publications or Tertulia?
Tertulia is rated higher. ALA Booklist Publications averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Tertulia averages 4.7 from 509 ratings.
Do ALA Booklist Publications or Tertulia have ads?
Neither ALA Booklist Publications nor Tertulia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ALA Booklist Publications or Tertulia?
ALA Booklist Publications ships an update every 29 months, and Tertulia weekly. Most recently, ALA Booklist Publications was updated on November 2, 2026 and Tertulia on November 4, 2026.

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