# BookBuddy vs Mibrarian

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mibrarian at none against BookBuddy's 5. Mibrarian also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 82%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). BookBuddy's advantage is ratings volume (15K vs 2) and chart position (#159 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Mibrarian holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookBuddy has 15K ratings behind it against 2, 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 100% of Mibrarian's.

BookBuddy ships an update every 4 days, Mibrarian weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookBuddy | Mibrarian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbuddy-book-tracker/id395150347/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mibrarian/id6742660921/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **15K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#159** | — |
| Size | 33 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kimico, Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/395149953) | [Iron Elephant Solutions](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755444569) |

## What reviewers say

### BookBuddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookbuddy-book-tracker/id395150347)

**Currently charting:** #159 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

Manage your entire book collection digitally, track reading progress, and organize your library. Easily add books by scanning, searching, or manual entry. Keep tabs on borrowed and lent items, and gain insights into your reading habits.

**Highlights:** Scan barcodes to add books, Organize into custom categories, Track borrowed and lent books, Sync library across devices, Analyze reading statistics, Import/export library data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Online Sharing Std (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Online Sharing Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Online Sharing Std (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Online Sharing Pro (Yearly) | $49.99 | per year |
| BookBuddy Pro (Lifetime) | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Mibrarian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mibrarian/id6742660921)

Easily catalog your personal book collection, track reading progress, and manage borrowed books. Add titles by scanning, searching, or manual entry, and enrich your library with details and ratings.

**Highlights:** Catalog books via scan, search, or manual entry, Rate and review books, Track reading progress, Manage book lending to others, Fetch rich book details automatically, Organize and personalize your library, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookBuddy free?

BookBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mibrarian free?

Mibrarian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BookBuddy or Mibrarian?

Mibrarian is rated higher. BookBuddy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while Mibrarian averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do BookBuddy or Mibrarian have ads?

Neither BookBuddy nor Mibrarian shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookBuddy or Mibrarian?

BookBuddy ships an update every 4 days, and Mibrarian weekly. Most recently, BookBuddy was updated on October 22, 2026 and Mibrarian on October 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*