Hardcover.app vs bambü
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/
bambü
This app helps book lovers discover new titles, manage their reading lists, and track progress. It provides detailed book information, allows for easy organization, and ranks books based on ratings and reading time.
- Book discovery
- Reading list tracking
- Progress management
- Book ranking algorithm
- Detailed book information
- Library organization
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Welcome to bambü, the ultimate app for book lovers! bambü helps you discover, track, and manage your reading list effortlessly. With a sleek and intuitive design, bambü makes it easy to: Discover: Search for books and view detailed information, including ratings from Amazon and Goodreads. Track: Add books to your reading list and keep track of your progress. Rank: Use our unique algorithm to rank books based on ratings and estimated reading time. Manage: Organize your library with ease and never lose track of a book again. Whether you're an avid reader or just getting started, bambü is the perfect companion for your reading journey. Download now and start exploring the world of books like never before!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: bambü at 5.0 against Hardcover.app's 4.2. bambü also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 months). Hardcover.app's advantage is ratings volume (60 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Hardcover.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. bambü asks for nothing beyond the download.
bambü holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hardcover.app has 60 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, bambü every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hardcover.app | bambü |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (60 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 60 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 days — 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 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hardcover LLC | Bryan May |
Customer experience
Hardcover.app
bambü
In-app purchases
Hardcover.app
- Supporter - Monthly$4.991 Month
- Supporter - Yearly$49.991 Year
bambü
No in-app purchases
