# Bookshelf vs Bookjournal.app

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bookshelf at 94% against Bookjournal.app's 45%. Bookshelf also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (3.1K vs 250). Bookjournal.app's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 and Bookjournal.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bookshelf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 3.1K ratings behind it against 250, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 45% of Bookjournal.app's.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, Bookjournal.app weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | Bookjournal.app |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-your-virtual-library/id1464032274/reviews)** | [4.5 (250 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookjournalapp/id6447931333/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.1K** | 250 |
| Positive reviews | **93.7% of reviews** | 44.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#152** | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SquidBit d.o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1464032273) | [Rowan Trollope](https://appshunter.io/developer/1683047449) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshelf

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

**Currently charting:** #152 Top Grossing · Book, #207 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

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


### Bookjournal.app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookjournalapp/id6447931333)

Easily log books you've read, record ratings, thoughts, and notes. Enhance your entries with stickers and share your favorite reads with others. This app offers a convenient digital alternative to traditional reading journals.

**Highlights:** Track read books, Record ratings and notes, Add stickers to entries, Share favorite books, Digital reading journal

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 💡 Half-star rating option
- 📚 Good for tracking reading progress
- ✨ Customizable features
- 📖 Great for organizing books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Deleted books reappear
- 🐛 Goodreads import issues
- 🐛 Incorrect book info
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 App won't open/stay open

**Reported bugs**

- Deleted books reappear
- Goodreads import does not work
- Incorrect book titles/covers after import
- Duplicate books
- App crashes

**Requested features**

- Connect with friends
- Add timer for reading tracking
- More information like a timer
- Audiobooks as a selection
- Add friends


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is Bookjournal.app free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bookshelf or Bookjournal.app?

Bookshelf is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while Bookjournal.app averages 4.5 from 250 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or Bookjournal.app have ads?

Bookshelf shows ads; Bookjournal.app does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or Bookjournal.app?

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and Bookjournal.app weekly. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 26, 2026 and Bookjournal.app on October 24, 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.*