Fish vs LibraryThing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fish
Explore the nuanced difference between internet 'liking' and genuine 'loving' through an interactive tap essay. This unique format uses typography, color, and surprises to present a heartfelt manifesto.
- Interactive tap essay format
- Explores internet liking vs. loving
- Uses typography and color
- Includes surprises
- Short reading time
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This is a short but heartfelt manifesto about the difference between liking something on the internet and loving something on the internet. It's also an experiment in a new format: a "tap essay," presenting its argument tap by tap, using typography, color, and a few surprises to make its case. The essay takes about ten minutes to read, maybe less if you're fast. It's perfect for a coffee break or a train ride.
LibraryThing
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.
- Catalog books, DVDs, and CDs
- Search for media items
- Scan ISBN barcodes
- Add high-resolution cover photos
- Browse collection by cover type
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The LibraryThing app allows LibraryThing members to catalog and browse their collections. LibraryThing is focused on books, but you can add most media, including books, DVDs and CDs. LibraryThing relies on data from Amazon, and over 65 million library records. Add books by searching for them or scanning their ISBN barcode with the camera. Add high-resolution cover photos of your books with the cover editor and browse your books by cover type to find copies that need better covers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Fish at 99% against LibraryThing's 47%. Fish also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.5). LibraryThing's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (278 vs 38). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Fish holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LibraryThing has 278 ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 99% of Fish's written reviews are positive against 47% of LibraryThing's.
Fish ships an update every 4 months, LibraryThing every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fish | LibraryThing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (38 ratings) — better | 3.5 (278 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 98.7% of reviews — better | 47.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 38 | 278 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 75 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Robin Sloan | LibraryThing.com |
Customer experience
Fish
LibraryThing
User reviews
Fish
From 38 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Thought-provoking content
- 🔄 Highly rewatchable/rereadable
- ✨ Beautiful presentation/design
- 🤔 Inspires reflection and deeper thinking
- ⏳ Timeless and enduring appeal
Room to improve
- ⏳ Updated version too long (compared to original)
- 📱 Not optimized for newer devices (e.g., retina iPad)
LibraryThing
From 278 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Quick barcode scanning
- 👍 Useful for cataloging library
- 🚀 Fast book addition
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Limited search and editing capabilities
- 🤖 Outdated and dated UI
Bugs and requests
Fish
Requested features
1 request- Option to include the original version
LibraryThing
Reported bugs
3 issues- Barcode scanner not working
- Books disappearing from catalog
- Editing and saving issues
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to create custom collections
- Offline access to library
- Integration with other book apps
- Lending/loan tracking feature
In-app purchases
Fish
No in-app purchases
LibraryThing
No in-app purchases
