Comparison

BTLB vs My Book List

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BTLB

Features
Read full description

BTLB | bɪtlɪb | is your progressive library companion for libraries within Stiftung Hamburger Öffentliche Bücherhallen and Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund! As a pioneer in regards to an App for managing your library account, BTLB offers what you’d expect from a library in the modern age. Always have your library account under control - with the Widget the next expiry date is just a glance away! Siri is your friend when you'd like to renew or search for an item. Say "Renew items with bɪtlɪb" and the Shortcut to renew your items will be triggered. Configure if and when you want to receive reminder notifications before items are due and renew them directly from the notification. The UI design aims to be plain and simple. Light and Dark Mode, accessibility and dynamic font are supported. And regarding your search history - that’s being synchronised across your devices. Tracking does not happen within BTLB, no user data is tracked and your account information stays in your keychain. BTLB enables you to synchronise your German library account with your device: you can see which items you have borrowed and how much you owe the libraries for tardily returning them. You can interact with your library as the App can renew items with a tap of your finger. Searching your favorite library allows to check on available items and store them locally in your bookmarks. Generate AI recommendations based on your bookmarks and check availability in your local library. Stiftung Hamburger Öffentliche Bücherhallen supports both account synchronization and search, others (libraries in GBV) only support search at the moment – they will regain account synchronization in the future. Enjoy BTLB | bɪtlɪb | and happy reading! P.s.: please don't hesitate and let me know if there is an inconvenience in usability for you. Any feedback and suggestions are most welcome.

About

My Book List

Effortlessly catalog your personal book collection with this library organizer. Easily add books by scanning barcodes or searching online, and view your library with customizable sorting and filters. Keep track of reading status, ratings, and notes for each title.

Highlights
  • ISBN barcode scanning
  • Online book search
  • Customizable library views
  • Read status and ratings
  • Multi-device syncing
  • Import/export library data
Features
Read full description

Catalog your entire home library in an afternoon. Snap a photo of any shelf and the AI adds every title. No typing, no spreadsheets, no scattered notes. Trusted by 600+ readers and rated 4.1 stars on the App Store since 2011. • Catalog a 200-book shelf in five minutes. Point your camera. AI reads the spines and adds the books. • Add a single book in seconds by scanning the barcode on the back cover. • Bring your Kindle library across in one tap. No CSV juggling. • Find anything in plain English. "That biography about the architect" works. • AI sorts your shelves by genre, mood, and theme so you stop tagging by hand. • Read on iPhone, edit on iPad, look something up offline at the bookstore. Sync handles the rest. How it works: 1. Point your camera at a shelf and let AI populate your library. 2. Sort, tag, and mark books as Read, Reading, or To Read. 3. Pick up on any device. Share with friends, join a club, ask for a recommendation when you want one. Coming from another app or a spreadsheet? Import CSV, TSV, JSON, XLSX, BibTeX, or RIS files. Field mapping is built in. Real review: "I had a bunch of books I needed to inventory and the barcode scanner made it incredibly easy. Great app." BuckeyeCityCates, App Store review, 2024 Free to start with twenty books and three barcode scans. Open the app and add your first shelf. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when purchasing a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://BigBalli.com/privacy

Screenshots

BTLB4 screens
My Book List4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BTLB at none against My Book List's 14. My Book List's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. My Book List sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BTLB asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BTLB ships an update monthly, My Book List every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BTLB versus My Book List: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBTLBMy Book List
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.1 (639 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—48.5% of reviews
Number of ratings—639 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartin Kim Đưng-PhạmBigBalli Consulting llc

Bugs and requests

BTLB

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

My Book List

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Books disappearing from user libraries
  • Scanning and importing issues
  • Crashes and freezes when using certain features
  • Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to sort books by series or genre
  • Option to manually add book details
  • Offline access to book lists
  • Improved search and filtering capabilities
  • Sync across multiple devices

In-app purchases

None

BTLB

No in-app purchases

14 purchases

My Book List

Subscriptions3
  • Full unlock$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly Offer$14.991 Year
  • Full unlock$24.991 Year
One-time11
  • extra details for all books$0.99
  • Barcode scanner$0.99
  • remote database & device sync$1.99
Show 8 more
  • CSV Import$3.99
  • Amazon Kindle eBook import$3.99
  • BibTeX and Zotero export$4.99
  • 500 Tokens$4.99
  • 1000 Tokens$9.99
  • 10000 Tokens$49.99
  • Lifetime Full Unlock$49.99
  • 20000 Tokens$79.99

Questions

Is BTLB free?
BTLB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is My Book List free?
My Book List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BTLB or My Book List have ads?
Neither BTLB nor My Book List shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BTLB or My Book List?
BTLB ships an update monthly, and My Book List every 4 days. Most recently, BTLB was updated on September 9, 2026 and My Book List on September 24, 2026.

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