# Hardcover.app vs BookNote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BookNote at 100% against Hardcover.app's 52%. BookNote also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). Hardcover.app's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hardcover.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and BookNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BookNote holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 23 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Hardcover.app's written reviews are positive against 100% of BookNote's.

Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, BookNote every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hardcover.app | BookNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (66 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hardcoverapp/id1663379893/reviews) | **[4.8 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booknote-book-tracker-and-tbr/id6479373178/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **66** | 23 |
| Positive reviews | 52.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 6 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hardcover LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1663379895) | [Maciej Daszkiewicz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727903515) |

## What reviewers say

### Hardcover.app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hardcoverapp/id1663379893)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporter - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Supporter - Yearly | $49.99 | per year |


### BookNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booknote-book-tracker-and-tbr/id6479373178)

This app helps you organize your reading, track your progress, and capture your thoughts on books. Set reading goals, log sessions, and save insights to build a reading habit and visualize your literary journey.

**Highlights:** Organize books by status and category, Track reading sessions with timer and page counts, Capture and tag notes with highlights, Build reading habits with streaks and goals, Visualize reading progress and statistics, Import from Goodreads and StoryGraph (Pro)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BookNote Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| BookNote Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| BookNote Pro – Lifetime Access | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hardcover.app free?

Hardcover.app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BookNote free?

BookNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hardcover.app or BookNote?

BookNote is rated higher. Hardcover.app averages 4.2 out of 5 from 66 ratings, while BookNote averages 4.8 from 23 ratings.

### Do Hardcover.app or BookNote have ads?

Neither Hardcover.app nor BookNote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hardcover.app or BookNote?

Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, and BookNote every 2 weeks. Most recently, Hardcover.app was updated on October 27, 2026 and BookNote on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*