Hardcover.app vs Italic Type
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
Italic Type
Organize your reading life with this book tracker. Import data, manage your reading queue, and take private notes on books, quotes, and new words. Share recommendations and create virtual book clubs.
- Import Goodreads data
- Manage reading queue
- Add context labels
- Private book board for notes
- Track quotes and new words
- Recommend books to friends
- Create virtual book clubs
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Italic Type is the simple, beautifully-designed book tracker loved by avid readers and authors. Easily import your Goodreads data. Email us to help with a custom spread sheet. Add books you want to read to your queue. Add a context label to remember why you want to read it or who recommended it. Keep track of your reading and take notes in your own private book board. Keep track of quotes you love, new words you find, or add links for the things you look up. Recommend books to friends and start pop up virtual book clubs. Review books with keywords and expressions to capture what you thought. https://www.italictype.com/privacy/ https://www.italictype.com/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Italic Type at 4.8 against Hardcover.app's 4.2. Italic Type also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (86% vs 52%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Hardcover.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Italic Type asks for nothing beyond the download.
Italic Type holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 60 and 30 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Hardcover.app's written reviews are positive against 86% of Italic Type's.
Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, Italic Type every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hardcover.app | Italic Type |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (60 ratings) | 4.8 (30 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews | 86.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 60 — better | 30 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hardcover LLC | Italic Type LLC |
Customer experience
Hardcover.app
Italic Type
In-app purchases
Hardcover.app
- Supporter - Monthly$4.991 Month
- Supporter - Yearly$49.991 Year
Italic Type
No in-app purchases
