Bookshelf vs Katiba
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bookshelf
Track your reading, build a library, and improve your habits with insightful stats and AI-powered discovery. Remember what you read with notes and quizzes, and set reading goals to stay motivated. Sync across devices and export your library.
- Build and manage your book library
- Track reading progress and habits
- AI-powered book recommendations
- Take notes and create quizzes
- Set reading goals and reminders
- Import from Goodreads and Kindle
- Sync across iOS devices
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Bookshelf helps you track your books, build a lasting reading habit, and better remember what you read—now with powerful AI-powered discovery tools to help you find your next great read! Add books you’ve read, books you’re reading, and books you want to read. Improve your reading habits with insightful stats and trend reports. Stay motivated with reading goals, streaks, and reminders. Remember what you read by writing and reviewing notes and quotes. BUILD YOUR LIBRARY • Import & Sync – Import your existing libraries from Goodreads, Kindle, StoryGraph, or Reading List with a tap. • Quick Add – Build your library by searching millions of books, scanning any book's barcode, or adding your own. • Book Recommendations* – Discover trending books, find books based on your mood or any prompt, and browse curated collections to find your next read. • Everything Tracker – Easily manage book collections, reading status, star ratings, reading dates, and more for all your books. • Reading Sessions* – Pick up a book, start a session, and we’ll track everything so you can focus on reading. IMPROVE YOUR READING HABITS • Book Chat – Chat with our AI librarian to generate summaries and flash cards, discuss key ideas, and much more! • Reading Stats – Visualize your reading habits over time with charts and reading stats. • Reading Goals – Create a reading goal for the year to motivate yourself to read more or challenge your friends! • Estimated Completion Time – See how long it will take to finish any book with your average reading speed. • Reading Streaks* – Stay motivated by keeping up your streak! REMEMBER WHAT YOU READ • Smart Notes* – Use cards to jot down notes or vocab, write a summary, or prepare study questions. Scan text directly from books or add rich text of your own. • Knowledge Quizzes* – Spaced-repetition quizzes on your note cards that will significantly increase your retention, guaranteed. • Reading Reminders* – Never forget to read or test your knowledge with timely notifications. OTHER FEATURES • Cloud Sync* & Daily Backups – Sync between your iOS devices so your library is always up-to-date, or restore from previous backups. • App Icons – Make Bookshelf your own with beautiful custom home-screen icons. • Library Export* – Never fear losing your books or notes with CSV library exports. • Dark Mode – Beautiful during the day, gorgeous and eye-saving at night. *Some features require Bookshelf Gold for access or unlimited use Gold Lifetime charges your Apple ID once for permanent Gold status. Gold Yearly charges your Apple ID for 12 months of Gold status after a 7-day free trial unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Gold Monthly charges your Apple ID for 1 month of Gold status on purchase confirmation. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime in your iTunes account settings. For more information, see our Terms and Conditions at bit.ly/2NNm93Z and Privacy Policy at bit.ly/31Mad8s.
Katiba
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Katiba is a modern, focused application designed to make constitutional law accessible, understandable and engaging. It enables users to read the Constitution in a clean, structured format while providing powerful tools to interact with the text in a meaningful way. The app offers a seamless reading experience with intuitive navigation across articles, chapters and clauses. Users can quickly search the entire Constitution to locate specific provisions, making it suitable for both quick reference and in-depth study. Katiba goes beyond passive reading by allowing users to highlight key sections and attach personal notes directly to clauses. This makes it an effective tool for students, legal professionals and anyone who wants to build a deeper understanding of constitutional provisions over time. To support comprehension, the app provides simplified summaries that break down complex legal language into clear, digestible insights. This feature is particularly useful for users who want to grasp the essence of provisions without losing their legal meaning. Sharing functionality allows users to easily distribute specific clauses, notes or highlights, encouraging discussion and collaboration. Whether for academic purposes, professional use or civic engagement, the app facilitates informed conversations around constitutional matters. In addition to reading and annotation,Katiba keeps users informed about ongoing developments. It provides updates on amendment bills and proposed changes, ensuring that users remain aware of how the Constitution evolves over time. Katiba is built for a wide range of users, including students, researchers, educators, legal practitioners and citizens who want to stay informed about their country’s legal framework. It is designed to bridge the gap between complex legal text and everyday understanding, empowering users with knowledge that is both practical and relevant. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Bookshelf at #154 against Katiba's unranked. Bookshelf also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Katiba sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Bookshelf | Katiba |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (4.2K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 52.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4.2K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | #154 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 283 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Gerrese | Michael Amiro |
Bugs and requests
Bookshelf
Reported bugs
4 issues- Books disappearing from library after updates
- Reading progress not syncing correctly
- Inconsistent behavior of reading mode and session tracking
- Search function frequently returning incorrect results
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to import/export data
- Implement better sorting and filtering options
- Allow customizable book covers and collections
- Add support for audiobook tracking
- Integrate with other reading apps and services
Katiba
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bookshelf
- Bookshelf Gold (Monthly)2 variants$6.991 Month
- Bookshelf Gold (Yearly)7 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
- Tokens Refill (Small)$0.99
- Tokens Refill (Medium)$4.99
- 250 Tokens$9.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Tokens Refill (Large)$9.99
- Bookshelf Gold (Lifetime)2 variants$79.99
Katiba
- Weekly$1.997 Days
- Lifetime$29.99









