# Bookshelf vs BookTower Barcode Library

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookTower Barcode Library at none against Bookshelf's 4. Bookshelf's advantage is chart position (#175 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads 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. BookTower Barcode Library asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, BookTower Barcode Library every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | BookTower Barcode Library |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#175** | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SquidBit d.o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1464032273) | [minchul kim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1678251628) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshelf

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

**Currently charting:** #175 Top Grossing · 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


### BookTower Barcode Library

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booktower-barcode-library/id6758067675)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is BookTower Barcode Library free?

BookTower Barcode Library is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Bookshelf or BookTower Barcode Library have ads?

Both Bookshelf and BookTower Barcode Library show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or BookTower Barcode Library?

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and BookTower Barcode Library every 9 days. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 25, 2026 and BookTower Barcode Library 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.*