# Bookshelf vs Bookish

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bookish at none against Bookshelf's 4. Bookish also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment 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. Bookish asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, Bookish weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | Bookish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-your-virtual-library/id1464032274/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 93.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 80 MB | 144 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SquidBit d.o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1464032273) | [BOOKISH VENTURES S.L.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1652991318) |

## 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


### Bookish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookish/id1659018151)

Organize your personal library, track reading progress, and discover new books. Connect with a community of readers, share notes, and join virtual book clubs. It's a free platform for book lovers to manage their collection and engage with others.

**Highlights:** Organize personal library, Import books via scanner or Goodreads, Track reading progress and set challenges, Take notes and save favorite quotes, Join and participate in book clubs, Discover and share book recommendations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is Bookish free?

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

### Do Bookshelf or Bookish have ads?

Bookshelf shows ads; Bookish does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or Bookish?

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and Bookish weekly. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 23, 2026 and Bookish on October 21, 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.*