Comparison

Tolkien Gesellschaft vs BookSafe

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

Head to head
About

Tolkien Gesellschaft

Features
Read full description

Du interessierst Dich für Gandalf, den Einen Ring oder "die Sache mit dem Drachen"? Du willst wissen, was in Deiner Umgebung zum Thema Tolkien und Mittelerde stattfindet? Du möchtest immer auf dem Laufenden bleiben, was gerade im Tolkien Kosmos passiert? Dann ist diese App genau die richtige für Dich! Hier bündelt die Deutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft e.V. ihr ganzes Wissen und Können für Dein Smartphone. Dazu bekommst Du mit dieser App die Möglichkeit, Dich mit anderen Nerds zu unterhalten und an spannenden Gewinnspielen teilzunehmen. Darüberhinaus steht Dir das geballte Wissen der Ardapedia handlich und schnell zur Verfügung. Das alles komplett kostenlos und ohne inApp-Käufe oder Werbung, dafür aber immer top aktuell! Konkret erwarten Dich: - News rund um Tolkien und Mittelerde - Austausch mit anderen Nerds - Tolkien Events in Deiner Nähe - TolkCast - der Tolkien Podcast - Infos zu J.R.R. Tolkien und seinen Büchern - Das geballte Wissen der Ardapedia - Wissenswertes zum Verein

About

BookSafe

Manage your personal book collection, track reading progress, and organize your wishlist. Scan books via ISBN or add them manually. Features include custom lists, series grouping, and reading statistics.

Highlights
  • Personal book library management
  • Reading progress tracking with timer
  • Wishlist organization with release countdowns
  • ISBN scanning for quick book entry
  • Custom lists and series grouping
  • Reading statistics and yearly review
  • Borrowed book tracking
Features
Read full description

BookSafe is your personal book manager – beautiful, fast and private. Build your library, track your reading, keep an eye on your wishlist. No account, no ads, no data collection. YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE • The Today tab shows you a daily page: quote, yearly goal, current book, upcoming dates. • A new reading quote every day – in a card design that changes daily. ON IPHONE, IPAD, IPHONE DUO AND APPLE WATCH • iPhone + iPad, always in sync – via your private iCloud, no sign-up needed. • A full iPad layout: sidebar, wide lists, two-column statistics, large calendar – and in landscape, list and book side by side. • Made for iPhone Duo: fully usable on the outer and inner display, cover and details on either side of the fold when unfolded, the reading timer above the fold in tabletop mode. • An extra-large widget for your iPad Home Screen. • Apple Watch: start, pause, finish or discard reading sessions right on your wrist – works without your iPhone, too. ADD BOOKS IN SECONDS • Scan an ISBN – title, author, cover and publisher arrive automatically from several book databases. • No readable barcode? The scanner reads the printed ISBN, too. • Or add books manually and edit them freely. • Duplicates are detected before they end up in your library. • Import CSV files from other book apps – with ratings, reading status, tags and notes. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR OVERVIEW • Reading status: Unread, Reading, Finished, Listened (audiobooks), Abandoned and Wishlist. • List and gallery views, sorted and filtered by status, tag or series. • Half-star ratings and notes. • Your own lists like “Autumn reads” or “Holiday 2027” – with their own view, search and sorting. • Series are grouped automatically – you see which volume is missing and add it in the edition you prefer. Special volumes like “book 8.5” sit right, too. • If you like, your library shows each series as a single entry. • A location for your own books: record place and shelf – and search by them. • Picked the wrong edition? Simply swap it for another edition of the same volume. READING PROGRESS & STATS • Reading sessions with a live timer, reading streak and pace insights. • Your running session shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island – pause or end it with a single tap. • Statistics on finished books, genres, pages and years. • Achievements, badges and a yearly reading challenge with your own goal. • Year in Review: your numbers, your top 3 with medals – and your reading year as a film to share, in three designs. • Authors and genres are tappable – browse on and add finds straight to your wishlist. WISHLIST & COUNTDOWN WIDGET • Save upcoming books with their release date. • A countdown shows the days until release – with a reminder. • On release day, BookSafe celebrates with a big cover and a little fireworks display. • The widget shows your next release on your Home and Lock Screen. KEEP TRACK OF BORROWED BOOKS • Mark books as borrowed – with source (library, friends) and due date. • A countdown reminds you before the loan period ends. • Extend or return with a single tap. SHARE & EXPORT • Share your favourite books as share cards – or your reading update as a story image. • Share your own lists and your wishlist as an image or as text. • Export your library as CSV or PDF – your data is yours. • A complete backup as a single file – restore it on a new device. GERMAN & ENGLISH • The app follows your device language automatically. FREE & BOOKSAFE PRO • Free for up to 50 books – with every feature. • With BookSafe Pro, unlimited books. One-time purchase, no subscription. Your library is yours: no login, no tracking, no third-party servers – everything lives on your device and syncs only to your private iCloud. Offline, too. Happy reading!

Screenshots

Tolkien Gesellschaft4 screens
BookSafe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tolkien Gesellschaft at none against BookSafe's 1. Tolkien Gesellschaft also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 18.0). BookSafe's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 18 months). On price, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. BookSafe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tolkien Gesellschaft asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tolkien Gesellschaft ships an update every 18 months, BookSafe weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
Tolkien Gesellschaft versus BookSafe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTolkien GesellschaftBookSafe
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft e.V.Fabian Grill

In-app purchases

None

Tolkien Gesellschaft

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

BookSafe

One-time1
  • BookSafe Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Tolkien Gesellschaft free?
Tolkien Gesellschaft is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookSafe free?
BookSafe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tolkien Gesellschaft or BookSafe have ads?
Neither Tolkien Gesellschaft nor BookSafe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tolkien Gesellschaft or BookSafe?
Tolkien Gesellschaft ships an update every 18 months, and BookSafe weekly. Most recently, Tolkien Gesellschaft was updated on October 7, 2026 and BookSafe on October 29, 2026.

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