Comparison

TBR vs Bookjournal.app

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

Head to head
About

TBR

Easily track books you want to read, are currently reading, or have finished. Rate and review books, log favorite moments, and discover new reads. Set yearly reading goals and celebrate milestones with fun animations.

Highlights
  • Track books (to-read, reading, finished)
  • Rate and review books
  • Log favorite moments and quotes
  • Browse public ratings and genre-specific insights
  • Set custom yearly reading goals
  • Earn achievement stickers
  • Pro features: tropes, playlists, adaptations
Features
Read full description

Got a growing TBR list? See great book recommendations, but forget them later? Meet TBR Bookshelf! Easily track books you want to read, are currently reading, or have finished with no limits. Rate and review books once you’ve read them and log your favorite moments using our quick and intuitive rating system. Browse public ratings to see a book’s POV, tropes, reread rate, and up to four genre-specific ratings. For example, Romance tracks Spice, Fluff, Humor, and Tear. All ratings are anonymous, so you can be honest with your reviews. Within our rating system, you can log: * Reading format * 5 Star Rating including half stars * Up to four genre ratings * If you would reread a book * DNF (Did Not Finish) * Favorite characters and quotes * Series and standalone books * Pro quotes and annotations (Paid Subscription Required) * Any additional thoughts about the book Celebrate your reading milestones with special book confetti and earn stickers for completing books and certain book tropes. Exclusive Pro features include: * Book tropes * Book playlists to track songs (cannot be played within the app) * POV format and amount * TV show and movie adaptation ratings * Four seasonal ratings All users can create custom yearly reading goals. When you finish a book, it is automatically added to your yearly reading goal bookshelf. Pro users can also fully customize their bookshelves with color themes, bookshelf items, and layouts. TBR Bookshelf makes managing your TBR list fun, easy, and satisfying. Track books, set reading goals, log quotes, and discover new reads all in one place. With customizable shelves, anonymous ratings, and a supportive community, staying on top of your reading has never been more enjoyable. Join TBR Bookshelf, a woman-owned and operated company, BookTok’s favorite, and trusted by millions of readers. TBR Bookshelf is free to download and use. No account or sign-up is required. TBR Bookshelf Pro includes a 7-day free trial and then options for a monthly plan ($4.99), a 6-month plan ($19.99), or a yearly plan ($29.99). All other features remain free indefinitely. A subscription will be applied to your iTunes account at the end of your free trial. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime in your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary. Note: This app is for tracking your reading journey. Reading is not available within the app. Privacy Policy: http://jordanpetersonstudio.com/tbr-bookshelf-privacy-policy/
Terms of Service: http://jordanpetersonstudio.com/tbr-bookshelf-terms-of-service/

About

Bookjournal.app

Easily log books you've read, record ratings, thoughts, and notes. Enhance your entries with stickers and share your favorite reads with others. This app offers a convenient digital alternative to traditional reading journals.

Highlights
  • Track read books
  • Record ratings and notes
  • Add stickers to entries
  • Share favorite books
  • Digital reading journal
Features
Read full description

Keep track of all the books you've read, capture your ratings, thoughts and notes, add stickers and more. Share your favorite books with family, friends and colleagues. As avid readers, we craved a seamless way to journal, track, and share our literary experiences. Traditional journaling, though enjoyable, can be tedious and time-consuming. We wanted our journals accessible anytime, anywhere - from waiting rooms to school pick-ups. That's why we built BookJournal.app. Join us for an effortless and enjoyable reading journey! Link to our End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

TBR4 screens
Bookjournal.app4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Bookjournal.app at none against TBR's shown. Bookjournal.app also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). TBR's advantage is review sentiment (72% vs 44%) and ratings volume (4.4K vs 251). On price, rating, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TBR sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Bookjournal.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for TBR against 4.5 for Bookjournal.app. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TBR has 4.4K ratings behind it against 251, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of TBR's written reviews are positive against 44% of Bookjournal.app's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
TBR versus Bookjournal.app: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTBRBookjournal.app
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (4.4K ratings) — better4.5 (251 ratings)
Positive reviews71.6% of reviews — better43.6% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K — better251
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#28 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB36 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTBR - Bookshelf, LLCRowan Trollope

Customer experience

TBR

All ratings4,416 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral5.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews1,287 reviews
Positive71.6%
Neutral10.1%
Negative18.3%

Bookjournal.app

All ratings251 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral8.8%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive43.6%
Neutral23.1%
Negative33.3%

User reviews

TBR

From 4.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Cute and visually appealing
  • 📚 Helpful for tracking reading progress
  • 🌟 Unique rating system

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔒 No account/sync option to prevent data loss
  • 💰 Too many features locked behind paywall
  • 🔍 Limited book database, hard to find some titles

Bookjournal.app

From 251 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 💡 Half-star rating option
  • 📚 Good for tracking reading progress
  • ✨ Customizable features
  • 📖 Great for organizing books

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Deleted books reappear
  • 🐛 Goodreads import issues
  • 🐛 Incorrect book info
  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🐛 App won't open/stay open

Bugs and requests

TBR

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Books disappearing from shelves
  • Inability to edit read dates
  • Search function not working properly
  • Crashing when trying to access certain features

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to organize books by series
  • Option to view other users' reviews and ratings
  • Customizable bookshelves and themes
  • Sync across multiple devices
  • More genre/category options for ratings

Bookjournal.app

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • Deleted books reappear
  • Goodreads import does not work
  • Incorrect book titles/covers after import
  • Duplicate books
  • App crashes
Show 13 more
  • App won't open or stay open
  • Error message when trying to cancel
  • Messages marked as undeliverable on Discord
  • Journal entries not saving or updating
  • App refuses to open since update
  • Books disappear after adding
  • App not working after transfer
  • Cannot add and save books read
  • Reading goal reverts to 50
  • No connection on home screen
  • No results for searches
  • App crashes immediately on opening
  • Unable to access rating and date options

Requested features

13 requests
  • Connect with friends
  • Add timer for reading tracking
  • More information like a timer
  • Audiobooks as a selection
  • Add friends
Show 8 more
  • Integrate Goodreads list without re-adding
  • Fix journal saving/updating
  • Fix series organization
  • One-time payment option for premium
  • More premium features for the price
  • Dark mode option
  • Improve search functionality
  • Fix connection issues

In-app purchases

10 purchases

TBR

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Access7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Pro Access7 Days trial$29.996 Months
  • Pro Access$39.991 Year
One-time7
  • 1500 Gems$2.99
  • 4500 Gems$5.99
  • 20,000 Gems$9.99
Show 4 more
  • Gift 6 Months$19.99
  • Gift 1 Year of Pro$29.99
  • Gift Lifetime Pro$119.99
  • Lifetime Purchase$179.99
2 purchases

Bookjournal.app

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is TBR free?
TBR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bookjournal.app free?
Bookjournal.app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TBR or Bookjournal.app?
TBR is rated higher. TBR averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while Bookjournal.app averages 4.5 from 251 ratings.
Do TBR or Bookjournal.app have ads?
TBR shows ads; Bookjournal.app does not.
Which is updated more often, TBR or Bookjournal.app?
TBR ships an update weekly, and Bookjournal.app weekly. Most recently, TBR was updated on November 9, 2026 and Bookjournal.app on November 3, 2026.

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