Textbooks 101 vs Library Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Textbooks 101
This app helps college students save money by comparing prices for buying and selling textbooks. It allows users to scan barcodes, compare offers from multiple retailers, and even connect with other students on campus to buy or sell books directly.
- Compare buyback prices from 10+ retailers
- Scan ISBN barcodes for instant price lookup
- Sell textbooks to the highest-paying retailer
- Buy and sell with students on campus
- Built-in messaging for campus transactions
- Wait-list notifications for hard-to-find books
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Textbooks 101 is the #1 textbook price comparison app for college students. Compare buyback prices from every major retailer, sell your textbooks for the most money, and buy cheap textbooks — all in one app. SELL YOUR TEXTBOOKS Scan your textbook's barcode or search by ISBN to instantly compare buyback prices from 10+ retailers. See who pays the most and sell with one tap. Stop leaving money on the table. BUY TEXTBOOKS CHEAP Compare prices across every major retailer to find the cheapest option — new, used, rental, or eBook. Save hundreds every semester. CAMPUS MARKETPLACE Buy and sell directly with other students at your school. No middleman, no shipping — just meet up on campus. Built-in messaging makes it easy. BARCODE SCANNER Point your camera at any textbook barcode for instant price lookups. Perfect for comparison shopping at the bookstore. WAIT-LIST Can't find the textbook you need? Add it to your wait-list and get notified instantly when another student lists it. KEY FEATURES • Compare buy & sell prices from 10+ retailers • Scan ISBN barcodes for instant price lookup • Sell textbooks to the highest-paying retailer • Buy and sell with students on campus • Built-in messaging for campus transactions • Wait-list notifications for hard-to-find books • Works in the US and Canada • 100% free — no hidden fees Join thousands of students who save money on textbooks every semester with Textbooks 101.
Library Notes
This app helps book lovers organize their thoughts and memories about the books they read. It allows users to create detailed notes and offers a unique review mode to help recall key information and quotes.
- Organize book notes
- Create reading logs
- Review mode for memory recall
- Capture quotes and prompts
- Open-source
- User owns all data
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Library Notes is a free, open-source iOS app for taking notes about the books you read. There’s no service, no accounts, no passwords. You always own your data. If you are a book lover, your reading log and the notes you take about the books you read are one of the most important things you create in your life. Your notes help books become a part of you. Inspired by Commonplace Books, Library Notes is an iPad and iPhone app designed specifically for book notes. To help you remember your book notes, Library Notes has “review mode.” Review mode scans your notes for quotes, prompt questions, and fill-in-the-blank questions. It prompts you with this material to make sure you constantly refresh your memory with all of the great things you’ve been capturing. You are what you read!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Library Notes at 5.0 against Textbooks 101's 1.0. Library Notes also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). Textbooks 101's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Library Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Textbooks 101 ships an update every 3 weeks, Library Notes every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Textbooks 101 | Library Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Friday Software Group Inc. | Brian Dewey |
Customer experience
Textbooks 101
Library Notes
In-app purchases
Textbooks 101
No in-app purchases
Library Notes
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Textbooks 101 free?
Is Library Notes free?
Which has better reviews, Textbooks 101 or Library Notes?
Do Textbooks 101 or Library Notes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Textbooks 101 or Library Notes?
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