# Reading List vs Aura Books

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Reading List at 93% against Aura Books's 0%. Aura Books's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Reading List sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month and Aura Books sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Reading List ships an update fortnightly, Aura Books every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Reading List | Aura Books |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (30K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-list-book-tracker/id1217139955/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **30K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **92.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 53 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andrew Bennet Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1163617089) | [David Davis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549261068) |

## What reviewers say

### Reading List

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-list-book-tracker/id1217139955)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reading List Pro (Monthly) | $2.00 | per month |
| Reading List Pro (Monthly) | $3.99 | per month |
| Reading List Pro (Yearly) | $14.00 | per year |
| Reading List Pro (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Small Tip | $1.00 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.00 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $3.00 | one-time |
| Very Large Tip | $5.00 | one-time |
| Giant Tip | $10.00 | one-time |
| Reading List Pro (Lifetime) | $38.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Very user-friendly
- 🚀 Easy to add and organize books
- 🔒 Private and non-social
- 💡 Barcode scanning feature
- 👍 Clean and simple interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Issues with date/time tracking when adding books
- Occasional crashes or data loss when using the app

**Requested features**

- 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


### Aura Books

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aura-books/id6593663935)

Organize your reading life by tracking books you want to read, are currently reading, and have finished. Monitor book series progress and log books you didn't finish. Sync your data across devices for a seamless experience.

**Highlights:** TBR list management, Series progress tracking, Log read books with ratings, Track DNF books with notes, Cross-device synchronization, Personalized recommendations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aura Books Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Aura Books Annual | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Reading List free?

Reading List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Aura Books free?

Aura Books is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Reading List or Aura Books have ads?

Neither Reading List nor Aura Books shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Reading List or Aura Books?

Reading List ships an update fortnightly, and Aura Books every 9 days. Most recently, Reading List was updated on November 5, 2026 and Aura Books on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*