Comparison

TBR vs COOL Catalog

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

COOL Catalog

Access a shared library catalog to search for books, place holds, and renew loans. You can also access ebooks and eaudio. A library card from a participating member library is required to use the app.

Highlights
  • Search shared library catalog
  • Place holds on books
  • Renew loans
  • Access ebooks
  • Access eaudio
Features
Read full description

Download the COOL Libraries app to search the shared library catalog of the Consortium of Ohio Libraries. Search books, place holds, renew loans, and access ebooks and eaudio. To use this app, you need a library card at a participating member library.

Screenshots

TBR4 screens
COOL Catalog3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TBR at 71% against COOL Catalog's 0%. TBR also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). COOL Catalog's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TBR sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. COOL Catalog asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TBR holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TBR has 4.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of TBR's written reviews are positive against 0% of COOL Catalog's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TBR ships an update weekly, COOL Catalog every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
TBR versus COOL Catalog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTBRCOOL Catalog
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (4.4K ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#34 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB44 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTBR - Bookshelf, LLCEquinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.

Customer experience

TBR

All ratings4,416 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral5.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews1,011 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral10.5%
Negative18.6%

COOL Catalog

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

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

COOL Catalog

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

COOL Catalog

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TBR free?
TBR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is COOL Catalog free?
COOL Catalog is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TBR or COOL Catalog?
TBR is rated higher. TBR averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while COOL Catalog averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do TBR or COOL Catalog have ads?
TBR shows ads; COOL Catalog does not.
Which is updated more often, TBR or COOL Catalog?
TBR ships an update weekly, and COOL Catalog every 2 months. Most recently, TBR was updated on November 3, 2026 and COOL Catalog on October 30, 2026.

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