Reading List vs TBR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reading List
Organize your reading journey by tracking books you've read, are currently reading, or want to read. Log progress, add custom lists, and record notes and ratings. Sync data across devices and export your library.
- Scan barcodes to add books
- Search online for books
- Manual book entry
- Track reading progress (start/finish dates)
- Create custom book lists
- Add ratings and notes
- View reading statistics
- iCloud data sync
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Easily track books you’ve read, books you’re reading, and books you want to read. Record your progress by adding the start and finish date of your books. ADD NEW BOOKS • Scan the barcode of a book to quickly add it to your list • Search online to find and add books • Alternatively, add a book manually by typing in its details • Sync your data between all devices via iCloud TRACK YOUR READING • Quickly log the dates you start and finish each book with a tap or swipe • Order the books, to help plan what to read next • Create your own custom lists, like "Wishlist", "Favourites", etc • Record the current page of books you're reading • Add your own rating and notes to each book • View your reading statistics PRIVATE & PERSONAL • No online account or signup needed • All data is private, stored on-device or in your iCloud account • Export and import all your data Some premium features require Reading List Pro, which can be purchased in the app. The app remains fully-featured when used without Reading List Pro. Terms of Use: https://readinglist.app/termsofservice Privacy Policy: https://readinglist.app/privacypolicy
TBR
Easily track books you want to read, are currently reading, or have finished. Rate and review books, log favorite moments, and discover new reads. Set yearly reading goals and celebrate milestones with fun animations.
- Track books (to-read, reading, finished)
- Rate and review books
- Log favorite moments and quotes
- Browse public ratings and genre-specific insights
- Set custom yearly reading goals
- Earn achievement stickers
- Pro features: tropes, playlists, adaptations
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Got a growing TBR list? See great book recommendations, but forget them later? Meet TBR Bookshelf! Easily track books you want to read, are currently reading, or have finished with no limits. Rate and review books once you’ve read them and log your favorite moments using our quick and intuitive rating system. Browse public ratings to see a book’s POV, tropes, reread rate, and up to four genre-specific ratings. For example, Romance tracks Spice, Fluff, Humor, and Tear. All ratings are anonymous, so you can be honest with your reviews. Within our rating system, you can log: * Reading format * 5 Star Rating including half stars * Up to four genre ratings * If you would reread a book * DNF (Did Not Finish) * Favorite characters and quotes * Series and standalone books * Pro quotes and annotations (Paid Subscription Required) * Any additional thoughts about the book Celebrate your reading milestones with special book confetti and earn stickers for completing books and certain book tropes. Exclusive Pro features include: * Book tropes * Book playlists to track songs (cannot be played within the app) * POV format and amount * TV show and movie adaptation ratings * Four seasonal ratings All users can create custom yearly reading goals. When you finish a book, it is automatically added to your yearly reading goal bookshelf. Pro users can also fully customize their bookshelves with color themes, bookshelf items, and layouts. TBR Bookshelf makes managing your TBR list fun, easy, and satisfying. Track books, set reading goals, log quotes, and discover new reads all in one place. With customizable shelves, anonymous ratings, and a supportive community, staying on top of your reading has never been more enjoyable. Join TBR Bookshelf, a woman-owned and operated company, BookTok’s favorite, and trusted by millions of readers. TBR Bookshelf is free to download and use. No account or sign-up is required. TBR Bookshelf Pro includes a 7-day free trial and then options for a monthly plan ($4.99), a 6-month plan ($19.99), or a yearly plan ($29.99). All other features remain free indefinitely. A subscription will be applied to your iTunes account at the end of your free trial. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime in your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary. Note: This app is for tracking your reading journey. Reading is not available within the app. Privacy Policy: http://jordanpetersonstudio.com/tbr-bookshelf-privacy-policy/ Terms of Service: http://jordanpetersonstudio.com/tbr-bookshelf-terms-of-service/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Reading List at none against TBR's shown. Reading List also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 70%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). TBR's advantage is chart position (#44 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Reading List sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month and TBR sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Reading List holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reading List has 30K ratings behind it against 4.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Reading List's written reviews are positive against 70% of TBR's.
Reading List ships an update fortnightly, TBR every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reading List | TBR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (30K ratings) — better | 4.5 (4.3K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 93.1% of reviews — better | 70.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 30K — better | 4.3K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #44 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 87 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Andrew Bennet Ltd | TBR - Bookshelf, LLC |
Customer experience
Reading List
TBR
User reviews
Reading List
From 30K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Very user-friendly
- 🚀 Easy to add and organize books
- 🔒 Private and non-social
- 💡 Barcode scanning feature
- 👍 Clean and simple interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Issues with syncing across devices
- 💡 Lack of ability to track re-reads or put books 'on hold'
- 💡 Limited sorting/organizing options for large book collections
- 💡 No ability to add audiobooks or track reading time
TBR
From 4.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Cute and visually appealing
- 📚 Helpful for tracking reading progress
- 🌟 Unique rating system
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔒 No account/sync option to prevent data loss
- 💰 Too many features locked behind paywall
- 🔍 Limited book database, hard to find some titles
Bugs and requests
Reading List
Reported bugs
2 issues- Issues with date/time tracking when adding books
- Occasional crashes or data loss when using the app
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to track re-reads and 'on hold' books
- Improve sorting/organizing options for large collections
- Add support for audiobooks and reading time tracking
- Implement cloud sync and account features to preserve data
- Add more customization options for lists and book display
TBR
Reported bugs
4 issues- Books disappearing from shelves
- Inability to edit read dates
- Search function not working properly
- Crashing when trying to access certain features
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to organize books by series
- Option to view other users' reviews and ratings
- Customizable bookshelves and themes
- Sync across multiple devices
- More genre/category options for ratings
In-app purchases
Reading List
- Reading List Pro (Monthly)$2.001 Month
- Reading List Pro (Monthly)$3.991 Month
- Reading List Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$14.001 Year
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- Reading List Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Small Tip$1.00
- Medium Tip$2.00
- Large Tip$3.00
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- Very Large Tip$5.00
- Giant Tip$10.00
- Reading List Pro (Lifetime)$38.00
TBR
- Pro Access7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Pro Access7 Days trial$19.996 Months
- Pro Access$29.991 Year
- 1500 Gems$2.99
- 4500 Gems$5.99
- 20,000 Gems$9.99
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- Gift 6 Months$19.99
- Gift 1 Year of Pro$29.99
- Lifetime Purchase$119.99
- Gift Lifetime Pro$119.99







