Comparison

Hardcover.app vs Wordshelf

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

Head to head
About

Hardcover.app

This app helps you organize and discover books. Track what you've read, create custom lists, and see what friends are reading. Set reading goals and share your thoughts on books.

Highlights
  • Track read and to-read books
  • Organize with lists and tags
  • See friends' reading activity
  • Discover trending books
  • Rate and review books
  • Set reading goals
  • Track reading statistics
Features
Read full description

Hardcover is a book tracking app with a social side, built for readers, not algorithms. Add books you’ve read or want to read. Keep your library tidy with lists and tags. See what your friends are reading, explore trending picks, and discover hidden gems through curated lists. Rate, review, and share your thoughts. Make your profile public, private, or friends-only—your reading, your rules. Set goals, track your stats, and find your reading rhythm. We use Apple's standard Terms of Service (EULA). https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Wordshelf

Effortlessly capture, understand, and remember new words encountered while reading or studying. Utilize AI-powered mnemonics and visual aids to enhance retention. Track your vocabulary growth and organize learned words by the book you're reading.

Highlights
  • Scan pages or type words to look up
  • Definitions, pronunciation, examples, synonyms, etymology
  • Personalized AI mnemonics and memory images
  • Words organized by book
  • Vocabulary progress tracking
  • Supports 20+ languages
Features
Read full description

Learn smarter while you read. Wordshelf makes it effortless to capture, understand, and remember every new word you come across — whether you're reading a book, studying, or exploring ideas. HOW IT WORKS Scan any page with your camera to instantly identify and look up words, or type them in. Get definitions, pronunciation, examples, synonyms, and etymology. Each word gets a personalized mnemonic and AI-generated memory image to make it stick. Every word is saved and organized by the book you're reading. BUILT FOR READERS Unlike generic dictionary apps, Wordshelf is designed around how you actually read. Set your current book, and every word you look up is automatically linked to it. When you finish, you'll have a beautiful collection of everything you learned. REMEMBER MORE WITH AI Each word gets a custom mnemonic using the keyword method — linking the word's sound to a vivid mental image. Plus an AI-generated illustration to reinforce it. No more forgetting words you've looked up before. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Watch your vocabulary grow with a visual activity grid. See your streaks, total words learned, word difficulty stats, and books completed at a glance. 20+ LANGUAGES Supports English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, and more. Start building your vocabulary today. Every book you read becomes an opportunity to learn.

Screenshots

Hardcover.app4 screens
Wordshelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wordshelf at 100% against Hardcover.app's 52%. Wordshelf also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Hardcover.app's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Hardcover.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Wordshelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wordshelf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 60 and 97 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Hardcover.app's written reviews are positive against 100% of Wordshelf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, Wordshelf every 3 days. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Hardcover.app versus Wordshelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHardcover.appWordshelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (60 ratings)4.8 (97 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6097 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB17 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperHardcover LLCSourse Labs LLC

Customer experience

Hardcover.app

All ratings60 ratings
Positive73.3%
Neutral15.0%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral21.4%
Negative26.2%

Wordshelf

All ratings97 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hardcover.app

Subscriptions2
  • Supporter - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Supporter - Yearly$49.991 Year
None

Wordshelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hardcover.app free?
Hardcover.app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wordshelf free?
Wordshelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hardcover.app or Wordshelf?
Wordshelf is rated higher. Hardcover.app averages 4.2 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while Wordshelf averages 4.8 from 97 ratings.
Do Hardcover.app or Wordshelf have ads?
Neither Hardcover.app nor Wordshelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hardcover.app or Wordshelf?
Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, and Wordshelf every 3 days. Most recently, Hardcover.app was updated on September 23, 2026 and Wordshelf on September 23, 2026.

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