Comparison

To Read vs Stacks Reading List

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

Head to head
About

To Read

Organize your reading life with this simple app. Track books you want to read and those you've finished. Easily add titles by searching or scanning ISBNs.

Highlights
  • Track books to read
  • Mark books as finished
  • Search for books by text
  • Scan ISBN barcodes to add books
  • Clean and intuitive design
  • Organize reading goals
Features
Read full description

To Read is a simple and lightweight app designed to help you track the books you want to read and the ones you’ve already finished. Search for any book — or scan its barcode — and add it to your reading list in seconds. When you finish a book, mark it as read to build a record of your reading life. ORGANIZE YOUR LIBRARY • Group books with categories, from genres assigned automatically to shelves you create yourself • Track which books you own and which you’re still hunting for • Prioritize your backlog so the right book is always next • Filter and sort by category, ownership, priority, and more READING STATS • Set a yearly reading goal and watch your progress • See books read per year, total pages read, top categories, and top authors • Find your average book length — and your longest read AND MORE • Fast, accurate search powered by Google Books • Add books instantly with the barcode scanner • Keep notes on every book • Back up and restore your library with export & import • iCloud sync keeps your library on all your devices With a clean and intuitive design, To Read makes it effortless to organize your reading goals — all for free!

About

Stacks Reading List

Easily track books you want to read and those you've enjoyed. Scan barcodes to add titles and find links to purchase them from major online retailers.

Highlights
  • Track books to read
  • Track enjoyed books
  • Barcode scanning
  • Add books to list
  • Link to purchase books
Read full description

A simple reading list for the avid reader. Stacks is a delightfully easy way to keep track of the books you want to read and the books you have enjoyed. • Browsing at the bookstore? Scan a book's barcode to quickly add it to your list. • When you're ready to start reading, link to buy the book on iBooks, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

Screenshots

To Read3 screens
Stacks Reading List4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stacks Reading List at none against To Read's 3. Stacks Reading List also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. To Read sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Stacks Reading List asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stacks Reading List holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 216 and 230 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of To Read's written reviews are positive against 66% of Stacks Reading List's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

To Read ships an update every 3 weeks, Stacks Reading List every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
To Read versus Stacks Reading List: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTo ReadStacks Reading List
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (216 ratings)4.6 (230 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.7% of reviews66.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings216230 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTimko Labs IncStephen Morris

Customer experience

To Read

All ratings216 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral10.7%
Negative28.6%

Stacks Reading List

All ratings230 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive66.0%
Neutral14.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

To Read

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Stacks Reading List

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App crashes when adding books
  • Scanning ISBN not working
  • App quits unexpectedly
  • Search function not working
  • Unable to add new books
Show 7 more
  • Goodreads connection blank/not authenticating
  • Scanner not working
  • Missing book covers
  • No way to delete books
  • No way to sync data to new phone
  • Search function unreliable
  • Book names not appearing under icon

Requested features

22 requests
  • Add DNF section
  • Customize book order
  • Link to Apple account for sync
  • Create folders for organization
  • Send lists to others
Show 17 more
  • Sync to iCloud or online account
  • Add date read/purchased
  • Indicate book ownership/format
  • Backup to iCloud
  • Add custom notes
  • Add 'date read' function
  • Add delete function
  • Add wish list section
  • Allow manual book entry
  • Improve search functionality
  • Add progress tracking (page number)
  • Add reminders
  • Add achievements
  • Add number counter for read books
  • Upload to Goodreads
  • Add tags and categories
  • Export list to CSV

In-app purchases

3 purchases

To Read

One-time3
  • Some Thanks$0.99
  • A Lot of Thanks$2.99
  • A Boatload of Thanks$4.99
None

Stacks Reading List

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is To Read free?
To Read is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stacks Reading List free?
Stacks Reading List is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, To Read or Stacks Reading List?
Stacks Reading List is rated higher. To Read averages 4.5 out of 5 from 216 ratings, while Stacks Reading List averages 4.6 from 230 ratings.
Do To Read or Stacks Reading List have ads?
Neither To Read nor Stacks Reading List shows ads.
Which is updated more often, To Read or Stacks Reading List?
To Read ships an update every 3 weeks, and Stacks Reading List every 6 weeks. Most recently, To Read was updated on October 29, 2026 and Stacks Reading List on October 22, 2026.

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