TBR vs Booktrace
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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/
Booktrace
Track your audiobook progress with visual duration bars and a glanceable dial screen. Engage in spoiler-free chats about your current listening material. Review your listening habits with stats and a completion calendar.
- Visual duration bars for library
- Spoiler-aware chat
- Glanceable dial screen
- Lock screen controls
- Listening streaks and sessions
- Completion calendar
- Personalized shelves
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your books, on a shelf. Track every book you read or listen to, plan your TBR, and watch your reading year fill in. Booktrace works for print books, ebooks and audiobooks. Add a book, say what format it is, and start a session. For a paperback or an ebook you say which page you're on and Booktrace counts the pages down; an audiobook moves forward by the minutes you listened. Booktrace keeps the time either way. YOUR BOOKSHELF Take one photo of a row on your real shelf and every spine stands on a shelf inside the app, or scan books one at a time. Lean them, stack them, drag them into place, and add a plant, a lamp, or a photo. A bookshelf that looks like yours, because it is. YOUR TBR, SORTED Flip through your want-to-read pile like a crate of records, or let Pick one choose your next book when you can't decide. Browse your whole collection as a wall of covers, and see your history as a calendar of book covers. A SESSION DIAL YOU CAN GLANCE AT Start a session with one tap. A dial you can read from across the room keeps you oriented, and the same information follows you to your lock screen and Dynamic Island. Forgot to start it? Log the session after the fact. WHERE YOU READ If you read on the move, Booktrace can keep a map of the route, so you can revisit the walk that got you through chapter twelve. ASK WITHOUT SPOILERS The built-in chat only knows what you've read so far, so you can ask about a character, recap what happened, or catch back up after a break with zero risk of finding out what's next. STATS THAT ADD UP Streaks, sessions, hours, pages, and goals, with a calendar that fills in as you go. Every book you finish stands on its own shelf. MADE FOR AUDIOBOOKS TOO Narrator credits and ratings, real listening hours, playback speed, and duration bars that show how long each audiobook really is, so a 30-hour epic looks like one. BRING YOUR LIBRARY WITH YOU Import a Goodreads or Libby export in one go. Shelves, ratings, finish dates, formats, and page counts come along. - Scan a whole shelf in one photo - Your TBR in a crate, and Pick one for your next read - Print, ebooks, and audiobooks, tracked in one place, by page or by minute - Spoiler-aware chat that stops exactly where you are - A session dial built for a glance, on your lock screen too - Streaks, goals, sessions, and a reading calendar - Home Screen widgets and Siri Shortcuts SUBSCRIPTION Booktrace is available as a weekly subscription at $4.99 per week or a yearly subscription at $49.99 per year. A one-time Lifetime purchase is also available for $79.99. Some plans include a free trial; its length is shown before you confirm. Prices are in US dollars and may vary by region. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of that period. You can manage and cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Terms of Use: https://booktrace.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://booktrace.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TBR at 71% against Booktrace's 0%. TBR also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Booktrace's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. TBR sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Booktrace sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
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 4, 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 Booktrace's.
TBR ships an update weekly, Booktrace every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | TBR | Booktrace |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (4.4K ratings) — better | 3.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.9% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.4K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #33 — better | #153 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 141 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TBR - Bookshelf, LLC | Brian Fisher |
Customer experience
TBR
Booktrace
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
Booktrace
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TBR
- Pro Access7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Pro Access7 Days trial$29.996 Months
- Pro Access$39.991 Year
- 1500 Gems$2.99
- 4500 Gems$5.99
- 20,000 Gems$9.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Gift 6 Months$19.99
- Gift 1 Year of Pro$29.99
- Gift Lifetime Pro$119.99
- Lifetime Purchase$179.99
Booktrace
- Weekly$4.997 Days
- Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Yearly (special offer)$24.991 Year
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Yearly$49.991 Year
- Lifetime$79.99









