# Bookshelf vs CATC e

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CATC e at none against Bookshelf's 4. CATC e also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. CATC e asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, CATC e fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | CATC e |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-your-virtual-library/id1464032274/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 93.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [SquidBit d.o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1464032273) | [BOOKDOSE COMPANY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/459445000) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-your-virtual-library/id1464032274)

Organize your book collection with virtual shelves and tags. Track reading progress, set goals, and manage your TBR list. Discover new books, share recommendations, and connect with friends' reading journeys.

**Highlights:** Virtual bookshelves and tags, ISBN barcode scanner, Reading progress tracking, TBR wishlist management, Social reading profiles, Book statistics and insights, OCR text scanning for quotes

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bookshelf (1 Month) | $2.99 | per month |
| Bookshelf (1 Year) | $19.99 | per year |
| Bookshelf (Lifetime) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Bookshelf (Lifetime) | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Batch scanning feature
- 📚 Excellent for organizing book collections
- 💰 Free app with no limits
- 🔍 Helpful for avoiding book duplicates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Search function could be improved
- 🔢 Inability to add multiple copies of the same book
- 📷 Limited cover image options for some books

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional issues with scanning barcodes
- Trouble accessing app after account creation

**Requested features**

- Ability to organize books by author and series
- Option to filter statistics by bookshelf
- Manual page count entry
- Borrowing/lending tracking system


### CATC e

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catc-e-library/id1603568372)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is CATC e free?

CATC e is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Bookshelf or CATC e have ads?

Bookshelf shows ads; CATC e does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or CATC e?

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and CATC e fortnightly. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 1, 2026 and CATC e on September 14, 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.*