iBOOKLIGHT vs Reading List
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iBOOKLIGHT
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a convenient book light for nighttime reading. This app offers a simple, clean interface to illuminate your pages without disturbing others. Position it upright or on a pillow for a fuss-free reading experience.
- Turns device into a book light
- Simple and clean interface
- Adjustable positioning
- Stays on indefinitely
- No fussy controls
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Turn your iPHONE or iPAD into a book light. iBOOKLIGHT is now simple & clean. It will illuminate your reading while the rest of the world sleeps. Stand it upright or rest it on the pillow, on yourself or behind your shoulder. Goodbye fussy book lights that awake your partner. Stays on indefinitely We appreciate simple, clean design. This is the answer, you can read your book without fussing with too many controls. GET IT NOW FOR FREE! Support development with in app purchase. BY: www.nomadcandy.com GREAT Reading Light for your favorite fiction and non fiction: Freakonomics, An Innocent Client, Where the Crawdads Sing, Pachinko, Before We Were Yours, Circe, Defending Jacob, We Were The Lucky Ones, Everything I Never Told you, Becoming, Educated, The Matriarch, The Right Side of History, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Commander in Cheat, Ladies Who Punch, Doing Justice and Bad Blood. Anything you read to fall asleep this is for you.
Reading List
Organize your reading journey by tracking books you've read, are currently reading, or want to read. Log progress, add custom lists, and record notes and ratings. Sync data across devices and export your library.
- Scan barcodes to add books
- Search online for books
- Manual book entry
- Track reading progress (start/finish dates)
- Create custom book lists
- Add ratings and notes
- View reading statistics
- iCloud data sync
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Easily track books you’ve read, books you’re reading, and books you want to read. Record your progress by adding the start and finish date of your books. ADD NEW BOOKS • Scan the barcode of a book to quickly add it to your list • Search online to find and add books • Alternatively, add a book manually by typing in its details • Sync your data between all devices via iCloud TRACK YOUR READING • Quickly log the dates you start and finish each book with a tap or swipe • Order the books, to help plan what to read next • Create your own custom lists, like "Wishlist", "Favourites", etc • Record the current page of books you're reading • Add your own rating and notes to each book • View your reading statistics PRIVATE & PERSONAL • No online account or signup needed • All data is private, stored on-device or in your iCloud account • Export and import all your data Some premium features require Reading List Pro, which can be purchased in the app. The app remains fully-featured when used without Reading List Pro. Terms of Use: https://readinglist.app/termsofservice Privacy Policy: https://readinglist.app/privacypolicy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Reading List at 93% against iBOOKLIGHT's 46%. Reading List also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months). iBOOKLIGHT's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). 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. iBOOKLIGHT sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Reading List sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Reading List holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reading List has 30K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of iBOOKLIGHT's written reviews are positive against 93% of Reading List's.
iBOOKLIGHT ships an update every 12 months, Reading List fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iBOOKLIGHT | Reading List |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (41 ratings) | 4.8 (30K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.0% of reviews | 93.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 41 | 30K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Fortnightly — 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, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | jami becker | Andrew Bennet Ltd |
Customer experience
iBOOKLIGHT
Reading List
User reviews
iBOOKLIGHT
From 41 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Simple and straightforward design
- 📖 Perfect for bedtime reading without disturbing others
- 🔆 Adjustable brightness for comfortable reading
- ⏱️ Stays on indefinitely when configured properly
- 🆓 Free app with no mandatory payments
Room to improve
- 🐛 Screen turns off after 30 seconds to a few minutes without proper settings
- 📱 Just adjusts phone brightness - limited functionality
- 💰 In-app purchases for hue changes that don't work properly
- 📢 Intrusive ads that pop up frequently
- 🔊 Ads with sound can wake sleeping partners
Reading List
From 30K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Very user-friendly
- 🚀 Easy to add and organize books
- 🔒 Private and non-social
- 💡 Barcode scanning feature
- 👍 Clean and simple interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Issues with syncing across devices
- 💡 Lack of ability to track re-reads or put books 'on hold'
- 💡 Limited sorting/organizing options for large book collections
- 💡 No ability to add audiobooks or track reading time
Bugs and requests
iBOOKLIGHT
Reported bugs
10 issues- Screen goes dark after 30 seconds despite claims of indefinite operation
- In-app hue purchase feature non-functional
- Page number saves don't persist after closing app
- Settings button does nothing or is non-functional
- Brightness changes affect phone's system brightness permanently
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- App causes excessive battery drain in some cases
- Ads block portions of the light display
- Incompatibility issues with iPhone 6 and newer models
- Auto-lock setting gets overridden by app
- Porn ads appearing in some versions
Requested features
8 requests- Built-in brightness adjustment within app without phone settings
- Auto-lock settings integrated into app
- Multiple color/hue options that actually work
- Clear in-app instructions for first-time users
- Dark mode or warmer light options for eye comfort
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- Swipe-based brightness adjustment
- Different light bulb shapes or designs
- Remove or customize ad placement and type
Reading List
Reported bugs
2 issues- Issues with date/time tracking when adding books
- Occasional crashes or data loss when using the app
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to track re-reads and 'on hold' books
- Improve sorting/organizing options for large collections
- Add support for audiobooks and reading time tracking
- Implement cloud sync and account features to preserve data
- Add more customization options for lists and book display
In-app purchases
iBOOKLIGHT
- Remove Logo on Light Screen$0.99
- Change light screen color hue$0.99
Reading List
- Reading List Pro (Monthly)$2.001 Month
- Reading List Pro (Monthly)$3.991 Month
- Reading List Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$14.001 Year
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- Reading List Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Small Tip$1.00
- Medium Tip$2.00
- Large Tip$3.00
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- Very Large Tip$5.00
- Giant Tip$10.00
- Reading List Pro (Lifetime)$38.00
