Comparison

Public Bookshelf vs Buchfreund

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

Head to head
About

Public Bookshelf

Discover free public libraries and book exchange spots in your area. Contribute to a growing database by adding, editing, or removing bookshelf locations and details like opening times and contact info.

Highlights
  • Find public bookshelves on a map
  • Add new bookshelf locations
  • Edit existing bookshelf information
  • View bookshelf opening times
  • Contribute to a community database
Features
Read full description

Find a public bookshelf close to you! Take a book from the shelf you would like to read or place books in the shelf for others to read. Public bookshelves are some kind of free libraries where you be able to exchange or lend books for free. There is additional information for each bookshelf like opening times, contact information and a related website. You can help to create a great bookshelf database for everyone: * Edit existing bookshelf data in case something is missing or wrong * Add a bookshelf to the map in case it is missing * Remove a bookshelf if it does not exist any more The database is maintained by lesestunden.de.

About

Buchfreund

Discover millions of used and new books, postcards, records, and more from antiquarians and booksellers. Easily find rare, out-of-print, or specific titles by searching keywords, author, or ISBN. A comprehensive marketplace for collectors and readers.

Highlights
  • Browse 19 million offers
  • Search by keyword, title, author, ISBN
  • Find used and new books
  • Discover records, CDs, DVDs, games
  • Includes postcards, sheet music, graphics
  • Connects with hundreds of antiquarian bookshops
Features
Read full description

Browse through 19 million offers from antiquarians and booksellers - discover used and new books, postcards, records, CDs, DVDs, games, sheet music, graphics and magazines! What does "Buchfreund" stand for? Perhaps you are looking for a children's book that you have fond memories of? Or did a family member recommend a work that you no longer own? While it used to be a tedious task to find such old, rare or out-of-print books, Buchfreund now fills this gap. Buchfreund offers antiquarians and sellers of used books the opportunity to offer their rare works and collections to interested parties and collectors on the Internet. We are working towards making it easier for everyone to find antiquarian books, first editions, documents, old prints, handwritten writings, drawings, engravings, etc. - so that as many people as possible can fulfill their heart's desire to find a long-awaited book (again). How does "Buchfreund" work? Simply enter your desired search in the search mask of the Buchfreund app. Enter keywords, title, author or an ISBN number and Buchfreund will search the desired items for you directly from the range of hundreds of antiquarian bookshops, new book and returning sellers. In addition to books, you will also find graphics, magazines, postcards, autographs, photographs, sheet music, wood engravings and copper engravings. How can payment be made? Most sellers who sell via Buchfreund.de offer shipping against prepayment or open invoice. Most sellers also support automatic payment processing via PayPal. A few sellers also accept payment by credit card (Mastercard, Visa, American Express) or Sofortüberweisung. Buchfreund - founded in 2003 - is the sales portal for antiquarian and new books. On average, around 700 antiquarian bookshops offer their used books here.

Screenshots

Public Bookshelf4 screens
Buchfreund4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Buchfreund at Free against Public Bookshelf's $0.99. Buchfreund also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Public Bookshelf's advantage is review sentiment (87% vs 67%). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Buchfreund is free to download; Public Bookshelf costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Public Bookshelf ships an update every 4 months, Buchfreund monthly. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Public Bookshelf versus Buchfreund: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPublic BookshelfBuchfreund
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStefan Trauthw+h GmbH

Customer experience

Public Bookshelf

Written reviews23 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.7%

Buchfreund

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Public Bookshelf

No in-app purchases

None

Buchfreund

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Public Bookshelf free?
Public Bookshelf costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Buchfreund free?
Buchfreund is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Public Bookshelf or Buchfreund have ads?
Neither Public Bookshelf nor Buchfreund shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Public Bookshelf or Buchfreund?
Public Bookshelf ships an update every 4 months, and Buchfreund monthly. Most recently, Public Bookshelf was updated on November 2, 2026 and Buchfreund on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons