# Hardcover.app vs bambü

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hardcover.app | bambü |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (60 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hardcoverapp/id1663379893/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambu/id6621188327/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **60** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hardcover LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1663379895) | [Bryan May](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761256704) |

## 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 |


### bambü

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambu/id6621188327)

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.

**Highlights:** Book discovery, Reading list tracking, Progress management, Book ranking algorithm, Detailed book information, Library organization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hardcover.app free?

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

### Is bambü free?

bambü is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

bambü is rated higher. Hardcover.app averages 4.2 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while bambü averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

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

Neither Hardcover.app nor bambü shows ads.

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

Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, and bambü every 2 days. Most recently, Hardcover.app was updated on September 23, 2026 and bambü on September 21, 2026.

---

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