Tertulia vs Gavagai
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tertulia
Discover your next favorite book with curated recommendations from across the web. Organize your reading lists and purchase books seamlessly. Enjoy the best bookstore membership for passionate readers.
- Book recommendations from social media, podcasts, and web
- Reading list tracking
- Seamless book purchasing (US only)
- Bookstore membership benefits
- Discover trending books
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Welcome booklovers! Tertulia is a one-stop shop for finding your next great read, keeping track of your reading lists and purchasing books with the best bookstore membership for avid readers. Tertulia serves up book recommendations from across social media, podcasts, and the web — all in one app which incorporates seamless book purchasing (US only). If a book has moved someone enough to get them talking, you can find it, buy it, and share it on Tertulia.
Gavagai
Discover curated short fiction and publish your original writing on this platform for thoughtful readers and serious writers. Explore new authors, follow creators, and join critique circles for feedback. Reading is always open, with account creation for participation.
- Editor-selected short fiction
- Publish original writing
- Explore new authors
- Follow writers
- Join critique circles
- Community stories
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Gavagai is a curated fiction and creative writing platform for readers and writers who care about the work. Discover short stories across genres, read editor-selected fiction, and publish your own original writing. Gavagai is built for thoughtful readers and serious writers who want more than an algorithmic feed. For readers • Read editor-selected short fiction • Explore new authors and literary voices • Follow writers and discover community stories For writers • Publish original short stories • Upload cover images and embed media • Join critique circles for structured feedback • Connect with a focused writing community Create an account with email or Bluesky to post, comment, and participate. Reading is always open. Independent. Thoughtful. Reader-first.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Tertulia at 509 against Gavagai's 1. Tertulia also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Gavagai's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Gavagai holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tertulia has 509 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tertulia | Gavagai |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (509 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 509 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Tertulia, Inc. | Gavagai |
Customer experience
Tertulia
Gavagai
Bugs and requests
Tertulia
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Login and account issues
- Disappearing user book lists
- Inconsistent pricing and shipping information
Requested features
4 requests- iPad app version
- Ability to rate and review books read
- Improved personalized recommendations
- Smoother scrolling and list management
Gavagai
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Tertulia
No in-app purchases
Gavagai
No in-app purchases
