Bookshelf vs Reading Time
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bookshelf
Organize your reading with this app. Track books you're reading, plan future reads, and mark books as complete. Add detailed notes with page numbers and search your library by title, author, or ISBN.
- Track reading lists (reading, up next, complete)
- Create and edit book notes
- Search books by title, author, ISBN
- Discover books via descriptions
- Local data storage
Read full descriptionHide full description
Bookshelf helps you manage your books and book notes, making it easier for you to track and remember your favourite books. Features • Add books to one of three lists - reading now, up next, or complete. • Create and edit notes for a book by giving it a title, a page number, and some content. • Search for books by title, author, or ISBN. • Discover books through book descriptions. Privacy and Data Bookshelf does not store or send any of your personal data anywhere. All your data is stored locally on your device. Note: Premium features will be coming soon through a paid monthly subscription.
Reading Time
This app helps readers estimate the remaining effort to finish a book based on their actual reading habits. It's designed for those who read in short, irregular sessions and want a realistic understanding of a book's time commitment.
- Estimate remaining book effort
- Log reading sessions
- Learn from reading pace
- Realistic time commitment assessment
- Track progress at your own pace
Read full descriptionHide full description
Find out how long it will take to finish your book. Simply log your reading sessions. Reading Time is built for readers who care about finishing important books, but read in short, irregular sessions. Instead of pages, streak pressure, or generic estimates, it shows the remaining effort for each book based on how you actually read. This lets you decide, realistically, whether a book fits into your life right now. Start reading and stop when you’re done. Reading Time learns from your sessions and shows how much effort is left for each book at your own pace. If you’ve ever thought “I want to read this, but I don’t know if I have time,” or found yourself starting books and never finishing them, or felt put off by apps that expect daily consistency, Reading Time was made for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bookshelf at none against Reading Time's 2. Bookshelf also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 26.0). Reading Time's advantage is ratings volume (24 vs 4). On price, rating, ads and monetization model 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. Reading Time sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Bookshelf asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bookshelf against 4.8 for Reading Time. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reading Time has 24 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 80% of Reading Time's.
| Parameter | Bookshelf | Reading Time |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) | 4.8 (24 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 80.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 24 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Matthew Frances | UX First |
Customer experience
Bookshelf
Reading Time
In-app purchases
Bookshelf
No in-app purchases
Reading Time
- Unlock forever$11.99
- Unlock forever (Special offer)$11.99
