Hardcover.app vs Reading Journey
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
Read full descriptionHide 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/
Reading Journey
Easily log your reading sessions, track your emotions, and discover your reading habits. Share your reading journey with visually appealing graphics and import your existing libraries. This app makes tracking books enjoyable, not a chore.
- Log reading sessions with photos
- Track reading emotions and reactions
- Quick book import via scanning
- DNF (Did Not Finish) book tracking
- Import from Goodreads and Storygraph
- Goodreads library synchronization
Read full descriptionHide full description
Book tracking should feel like fun, not like homework. It’s a chance to explore, escape, and connect with stories. With Reading Journey, you can log your sessions, track your reactions, and discover who you are as a reader. Why you’ll love it: Easy & Fun Reading Logs: Snap a pic of your reading sessions.Record your pages and emotions. Share the Feels: Track your reactions as you read — we’ll turn it into a graphic worth sharing. Quick import: Scan books to quickly upload them to your TBR. DNF Graveyard: Bury the books you didn’t finish—they still count for something! No Streaks, No Stress: Show up for your books however you want. Import your library from GoodReads or Storygraph. GoodReads Sync: Automatically fetch and synchronize new books from GoodReads Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://readingjourney.co/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Reading Journey at 4.8 against Hardcover.app's 4.2. Reading Journey also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (73% vs 52%). Hardcover.app's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Reading Journey sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Reading Journey holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reading Journey has 389 ratings behind it against 66, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Hardcover.app's written reviews are positive against 73% of Reading Journey's.
Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, Reading Journey every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Hardcover.app | Reading Journey |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (66 ratings) | 4.8 (389 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.2% of reviews | 73.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 66 | 389 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hardcover LLC | Vinh Dinh |
Customer experience
Hardcover.app
Reading Journey
Bugs and requests
Hardcover.app
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Reading Journey
Reported bugs
1 issue- Occasional bugs and glitches reported
Requested features
3 requests- Option to edit book page counts
- Additional star rating options (0.25, 0.75)
- Ability to follow other users
In-app purchases
Hardcover.app
- Supporter - Monthly$4.991 Month
- Supporter - Yearly$49.991 Year
Reading Journey
- Reading Journey Plus$4.991 Month
- Reading Journey Plus7 Days trial$29.991 Year
