# My Book List vs LibraryThing

The clearest difference is rating: My Book List at 4.1 against LibraryThing's 3.5. My Book List also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 weeks). LibraryThing's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

My Book List holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 639 and 278 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 49% and 48% positive.

My Book List ships an update every 4 days, LibraryThing every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | My Book List | LibraryThing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (639 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-book-list-library-tracker/id443391908/reviews)** | [3.5 (278 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/librarything/id948824489/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **639** | 278 |
| Positive reviews | **48.5% of reviews** | 48.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 41 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BigBalli Consulting llc](https://appshunter.io/developer/363765325) | [LibraryThing.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/397718884) |

## What reviewers say

### My Book List

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-book-list-library-tracker/id443391908)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full unlock | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly Offer | $14.99 | per year |
| Full unlock | $24.99 | per year |
| extra details for all books | $0.99 | one-time |
| Barcode scanner | $0.99 | one-time |
| remote database & device sync | $1.99 | one-time |
| CSV Import | $3.99 | one-time |
| Amazon Kindle eBook import | $3.99 | one-time |
| BibTeX and Zotero export | $4.99 | one-time |
| 500 Tokens | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Tokens | $9.99 | one-time |
| 10000 Tokens | $49.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Full Unlock | $49.99 | one-time |
| 20000 Tokens | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### LibraryThing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/librarything/id948824489)

Catalog your personal book, DVD, and CD collections. Easily add items by searching or scanning barcodes. Enhance your catalog with high-resolution cover photos and browse your collection visually.

**Highlights:** Catalog books, DVDs, and CDs, Search for media items, Scan ISBN barcodes, Add high-resolution cover photos, Browse collection by cover type

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick barcode scanning
- 👍 Useful for cataloging library
- 🚀 Fast book addition

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Limited search and editing capabilities
- 🤖 Outdated and dated UI

**Reported bugs**

- Barcode scanner not working
- Books disappearing from catalog
- Editing and saving issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to create custom collections
- Offline access to library
- Integration with other book apps
- Lending/loan tracking feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is My Book List free?

My Book List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is LibraryThing free?

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

### Which has better reviews, My Book List or LibraryThing?

My Book List is rated higher. My Book List averages 4.1 out of 5 from 639 ratings, while LibraryThing averages 3.5 from 278 ratings.

### Do My Book List or LibraryThing have ads?

Neither My Book List nor LibraryThing shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, My Book List or LibraryThing?

My Book List ships an update every 4 days, and LibraryThing every 4 weeks. Most recently, My Book List was updated on September 24, 2026 and LibraryThing on September 24, 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.*