# Bookshelf vs Aleph

The clearest difference is rating: Aleph at 5.0 against Bookshelf's 4.6. Aleph also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Bookshelf's advantage is ratings volume (4.2K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Aleph sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Aleph holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 4.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Bookshelf ships an update fortnightly, Aleph every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | Aleph |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-book-tracker-and-list/id1469372414/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aleph-reading-tracker/id6799605752/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.2K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 52.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 283 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alexander Gerrese](https://appshunter.io/developer/1025357379) | [Blake Hunsicker](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540440353) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-book-tracker-and-list/id1469372414)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bookshelf Gold (Monthly) | $6.99 | per month |
| Bookshelf Gold (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Tokens Refill (Small) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tokens Refill (Medium) | $4.99 | one-time |
| 250 Tokens | $9.99 | one-time |
| Tokens Refill (Large) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bookshelf Gold (Lifetime) | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Excellent book tracking features
- 📚 Unlimited book storage
- 💻 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🔍 Powerful search and discovery
- 📝 Detailed notes and quotes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free features, requires premium subscription
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Sync issues between devices
- 📚 Incomplete book database
- 🔍 Unreliable barcode scanning

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Aleph

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aleph-reading-tracker/id6799605752)

This app helps you build a consistent reading habit by tracking your progress, maintaining streaks, and visualizing your reading activity. Log sessions quickly for print, e-books, and audiobooks, and organize your personal library with notes and ratings.

**Highlights:** Daily reading streak tracking, Reading activity heatmap, Session logging for all book types, Visual book library with cover art, Social leaderboards, Cross-device syncing

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Annual | $44.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $159.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is Aleph free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bookshelf or Aleph?

Aleph is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Aleph averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or Aleph have ads?

Neither Bookshelf nor Aleph shows ads.

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

Bookshelf ships an update fortnightly, and Aleph every 2 days. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on November 3, 2026 and Aleph on October 31, 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.*