Comparison

BookBuddy 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

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

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

BookBuddy4 screens
My Book List4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BookBuddy at 4.8 against My Book List's 4.1. BookBuddy also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 49%) and ratings volume (16K vs 642). My Book List's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and My Book List sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BookBuddy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookBuddy has 16K ratings behind it against 642, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of BookBuddy's written reviews are positive against 49% of My Book List's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookBuddy ships an update every 3 days, My Book List every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
BookBuddy versus My Book List: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookBuddyMy Book List
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (16K ratings) — better4.1 (642 ratings)
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews — better48.5% of reviews
Number of ratings16K — better642
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#147 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKimico, Ltd.BigBalli Consulting llc

Customer experience

BookBuddy

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

My Book List

All ratings639 ratings
Positive78.1%
Neutral6.9%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews344 reviews
Positive48.5%
Neutral11.0%
Negative40.4%

User reviews

BookBuddy

From 16K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Efficient book scanning
  • 📚 Comprehensive book cataloging
  • 🔍 Helpful search and filtering options
  • 💻 Syncs across devices

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Limited search capabilities
  • 🔢 Restrictive free version limits
  • 🔀 Issues with series organization
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 📚 Struggles with older/obscure books

My Book List

From 642 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 📚 Helpful for tracking books
  • 💻 Convenient virtual bookshelf
  • 🔍 Useful barcode scanning feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs
  • 💰 Excessive in-app purchases required
  • 🔍 Barcode scanner not always reliable
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with mandatory Facebook login
  • 🤔 Confusing pricing and feature structure

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

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

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
8 purchases

My Book List

Subscriptions3
  • Full unlock$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly Offer$14.991 Year
  • Full unlock$24.991 Year
One-time5
  • 500 Tokens$4.99
  • 1000 Tokens$9.99
  • 10000 Tokens$49.99
Show 2 more
  • Lifetime Full Unlock$49.99
  • 20000 Tokens$79.99

Questions

Is BookBuddy free?
BookBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is My Book List free?
My Book List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BookBuddy or My Book List?
BookBuddy is rated higher. BookBuddy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while My Book List averages 4.1 from 642 ratings.
Do BookBuddy or My Book List have ads?
Neither BookBuddy nor My Book List shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookBuddy or My Book List?
BookBuddy ships an update every 3 days, and My Book List every 4 days. Most recently, BookBuddy was updated on November 5, 2026 and My Book List on November 1, 2026.

Other comparisons