Comparison

BookTalk vs Bookjournal.app

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

Head to head
About

BookTalk

Connect with fellow book enthusiasts on a platform designed for sharing and discovering literature. Create a digital library, write reviews, and follow friends to see their latest reads and recommendations.

Highlights
  • Create user profiles
  • Follow other readers
  • Like and comment on reviews
  • Discover new books
  • Create reading shelves
  • Build a digital library
  • Write book reviews
Features
Read full description

Booktalk is a social media app that combines elements of Instagram and Goodreads all in one, creating a unique platform for book lovers to connect and share their favorite reads. BookTalk allows users to create profiles and follow each other, like and comment on book reviews, and discover new books based on the recommendations of others. But BookTalk goes beyond just creating profiles and connecting with the reading community. The app also includes features such as the ability to create reading shelves, creat a digital library, add favourites, list your did not finish, and write reviews. Overall, Booktalk offers a unique blend of social media and book-related features, making it a must-have app for book lovers who want to connect with other readers and discover new reads.

About

Bookjournal.app

Easily log books you've read, record ratings, thoughts, and notes. Enhance your entries with stickers and share your favorite reads with others. This app offers a convenient digital alternative to traditional reading journals.

Highlights
  • Track read books
  • Record ratings and notes
  • Add stickers to entries
  • Share favorite books
  • Digital reading journal
Features
Read full description

Keep track of all the books you've read, capture your ratings, thoughts and notes, add stickers and more. Share your favorite books with family, friends and colleagues. As avid readers, we craved a seamless way to journal, track, and share our literary experiences. Traditional journaling, though enjoyable, can be tedious and time-consuming. We wanted our journals accessible anytime, anywhere - from waiting rooms to school pick-ups. That's why we built BookJournal.app. Join us for an effortless and enjoyable reading journey! Link to our End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

BookTalk4 screens
Bookjournal.app4 screens

Verdict

The call

BookTalk and Bookjournal.app both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of BookTalk's written reviews are positive against 45% of Bookjournal.app's. BookTalk also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Bookjournal.app's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (249 vs 2). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement 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. Bookjournal.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BookTalk asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for BookTalk against 4.4 for Bookjournal.app. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookjournal.app has 249 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of BookTalk's written reviews are positive against 45% of Bookjournal.app's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookTalk ships an update every 5 weeks, Bookjournal.app weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BookTalk versus Bookjournal.app: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookTalkBookjournal.app
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better4.4 (249 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better44.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2249 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAoranos HewazRowan Trollope

Customer experience

BookTalk

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bookjournal.app

All ratings249 ratings
Positive83.9%
Neutral8.8%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive44.7%
Neutral23.7%
Negative31.6%

Bugs and requests

BookTalk

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Bookjournal.app

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • Deleted books reappear
  • Goodreads import does not work
  • Incorrect book titles/covers after import
  • Duplicate books
  • App crashes
Show 13 more
  • App won't open or stay open
  • Error message when trying to cancel
  • Messages marked as undeliverable on Discord
  • Journal entries not saving or updating
  • App refuses to open since update
  • Books disappear after adding
  • App not working after transfer
  • Cannot add and save books read
  • Reading goal reverts to 50
  • No connection on home screen
  • No results for searches
  • App crashes immediately on opening
  • Unable to access rating and date options

Requested features

13 requests
  • Connect with friends
  • Add timer for reading tracking
  • More information like a timer
  • Audiobooks as a selection
  • Add friends
Show 8 more
  • Integrate Goodreads list without re-adding
  • Fix journal saving/updating
  • Fix series organization
  • One-time payment option for premium
  • More premium features for the price
  • Dark mode option
  • Improve search functionality
  • Fix connection issues

In-app purchases

None

BookTalk

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Bookjournal.app

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is BookTalk free?
BookTalk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bookjournal.app free?
Bookjournal.app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BookTalk or Bookjournal.app?
BookTalk is rated higher. BookTalk averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bookjournal.app averages 4.4 from 249 ratings.
Do BookTalk or Bookjournal.app have ads?
BookTalk shows ads; Bookjournal.app does not.
Which is updated more often, BookTalk or Bookjournal.app?
BookTalk ships an update every 5 weeks, and Bookjournal.app weekly. Most recently, BookTalk was updated on October 15, 2026 and Bookjournal.app on October 17, 2026.

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