Comparison

BookBuddy vs MLOL Reader

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

Head to head
About

BookBuddy

Manage your personal book collection with ease. Scan barcodes, track borrowed and lent books, and gain insights into your reading habits. Sync across devices and personalize your library organization.

Highlights
  • Barcode scanning
  • ISBN entry
  • Online book search
  • Track borrowed/lent books
  • Sync across devices
  • Reading statistics
  • Export library data
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

BookBuddy is a powerful book management app that gives you access to your entire book catalog, anywhere. Using BookBuddy is fun and easy, allowing you to quickly find any book in your library, share your favorite books, and keep track of borrowed and lent books. FREE VERSION - BookBuddy has all the features of BookBuddy Pro with a 50 book limit. - BookBuddy can be upgraded via In-App Purchase for unlimited book storage. KEY FEATURES • Adding Your Books Add your books using the following options: - Scan barcode (via iPhone camera or Bluetooth handheld scanner) - Enter ISBN - Search online by keyword - Add manually - Import from CSV file • Organizing Your Books Place your books where they belong: - My Books — books you own - Wish List — books you wish to own - Borrowed — books you borrowed from others - Previously Owned — books you no longer own • Syncing Your Library Sync your library across multiple devices using iCloud or Dropbox sync. • Sharing Your Library Share your library online via the BookBuddy Companion website and invite anyone to view it (requires a monthly subscription). • Unlocking Your Reading Insights Deep dive into your reading habits by exploring the following statistics: - Books Finished — Track the number of books you’ve completed - Pages Read — See your page count over time - Top Authors — Discover your most-read authors - Favorite Genres — Identify your preferred genres MORE TO LOVE • Universal app — pay once and use BookBuddy on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac. • Personalize — use categories and tags, mark favorites, add personal notes, and much more. • Appearance — choose either list or grid view to best match your needs. • Custom Filters — filter your library by multiple criteria. • Advanced Sorting — apply multi-level data sorting. • Loans — instantly track books that are currently loaned out. • Multiple selection — apply batch operations using multiple selection. • Reading Status — filter your books by their reading status. • Quick find — instantly find books by entering search keywords or scanning their barcodes. • Export — quickly export your library into CSV, PDF, or HTML formats. • Print — easily print selected books to AirPrint-enabled printers. • Backup — create backups to any cloud service. • Activity History — view the full history of your reading and loaning activities. • Duplicates — quickly detect duplicates and easily remove them. • Markdown Formatting — style your notes with headings, lists, bold, italics, links, and more. • Privacy — your library is saved locally and privately on your device. • And so much more! CLASSROOM LIBRARY MANAGER (for teachers) • Manage — use BookBuddy to manage your classroom library and track student checkouts. • Checkout History — easily track checkout history and view statistics. • Contacts — save your student names in BookBuddy Contacts rather than in your personal Contacts app. • Reading Level Fields — use various fields to track the reading level of your books. • Online Sharing — allow students to self-checkout books via the BookBuddy Companion website (requires a monthly subscription). FEEDBACK We love staying in touch with our users and we look forward to hearing from you! If you have any feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at: support@kimicoapps.com or visit: http://www.kimicoapps.com/support.html Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KimicoLtd * Privacy policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/12652322 * Terms and Conditions: https://www.iubenda.com/terms-and-conditions/12652322

About

MLOL Reader

Access and borrow hundreds of thousands of ebooks from Italian publishers through a revamped digital reading platform. Connect with your library account to explore vast collections from public, academic, and school catalogs.

Highlights
  • Borrow ebooks from MLOL catalogs
  • Access public, academic, and school libraries
  • Search and borrow from hundreds of thousands of titles
  • Login with existing library credentials
  • Read ebooks from major Italian publishers
Read full description

MLOL Reader è l'app di lettura e ascolto di MLOL: ti permette di prendere in prestito gli ebook e gli audiolibri della tua biblioteca. Se la tua biblioteca aderisce a MLOL (scoprilo su https://www.medialibrary.it), puoi richiedere in biblioteca le credenziali per usare questa app e accedere gratuitamente a un grande catalogo di ebook e audiolibri di tutti i maggiori editori italiani. La nuova versione 2026 dell'app presenta una Homepage arricchita, che raccoglie informazioni sui tuoi prestiti, suggerimenti personalizzati e link per scoprire sezioni interessanti del catalogo. Tutti gli ebook e gli audiolibri che hai scaricato sul tuo dispositivo sono poi raccolti nella Libreria. Con MLOL Reader, il prestito digitale non è mai stato così facile: prendere in prestito una risorsa dal catalogo MLOL è ora più semplice e intuitivo, grazie a un processo pensato per ridurre il numero di click e facilitare l’esperienza d'uso. Con la nuova versione di MLOL e dell’app è possibile rinnovare il prestito di un ebook per 7 giorni (portando così la durata a 21) o restituirlo in anticipo per renderlo così disponibile agli altri lettori. Pensata per la lettura di ebook e l’ascolto di audiolibri, l’app MLOL Reader offre un’esperienza migliorata grazie a nuove funzionalità e all’ottimizzazione di quelle già presenti. Lo fa con un ecosistema accessibile, capace di garantire una fruizione autonoma a tutti gli utenti grazie alla personalizzazione delle impostazioni di lettura o all’uso di strumenti come screen reader e barre Braille.

Screenshots

BookBuddy4 screens
MLOL Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BookBuddy at 82% against MLOL Reader's 35%. BookBuddy also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and chart position (#151 vs unranked). MLOL Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BookBuddy sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. MLOL Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookBuddy ships an update every 3 days, MLOL Reader every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
BookBuddy versus MLOL Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookBuddyMLOL Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (16K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews — better34.6% of reviews
Number of ratings16K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#151 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB25 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKimico, Ltd.Horizons Unlimited H.U. srl

Customer experience

BookBuddy

All ratings15,484 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews972 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.1%

MLOL Reader

Written reviews52 reviews
Positive34.6%
Neutral28.8%
Negative36.5%

Bugs and requests

BookBuddy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Books disappearing from library
  • Syncing issues between devices
  • Barcode scanning not always reliable

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow sorting by author last name
  • Add ability to track reading progress
  • Integrate with other book services (e.g. Goodreads)
  • Improve duplicate book detection
  • Expand export/sharing options

MLOL Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

BookBuddy

Subscriptions4
  • Online Sharing Std (Monthly)14 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Online Sharing Pro (Monthly)14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Online Sharing Std (Yearly)14 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Online Sharing Pro (Yearly)14 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • BookBuddy Pro (Lifetime)$9.99
None

MLOL Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BookBuddy free?
BookBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MLOL Reader free?
MLOL Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BookBuddy or MLOL Reader have ads?
Neither BookBuddy nor MLOL Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookBuddy or MLOL Reader?
BookBuddy ships an update every 3 days, and MLOL Reader every 2 months. Most recently, BookBuddy was updated on November 3, 2026 and MLOL Reader on November 3, 2026.

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