Comparison

Book End vs The Bookish Shelf

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

Head to head
About

Book End

Easily track your reading progress with this app. Scan or import books, log reading sessions, and receive personalized statistics like reading speed and time remaining predictions. Develop your reading habit with helpful insights.

Highlights
  • Scan, search, and import books
  • Log reading sessions with a timer
  • Generate personalized reading statistics
  • Predict time remaining for books
  • Track reading speed and pages per hour
  • Develop reading habits
Features
Read full description

Book End is an app that helps you keep track of the books you're reading and generates reading statistics. Just like how a physical bookend holds up books on a shelf, this app helps you keep your books and reading organised. Book End allows you to easily scan, search and import books that you're reading into the app. Once you have your physical book open, you can use Book End to set a reading session timer. After completing your reading session, return to the app to log it, and it will automatically create personalized statistics for you. These include precise time remaining predictions for each book and exclusive metrics like your reading speed, and average pages read per hour. Overall, Book End helps you stay on track and develop your reading habit.

About

The Bookish Shelf

Features
Read full description

The Bookish Shelf is the cozy, beautifully designed reading tracker for people who love books — not spreadsheets. Whether you're a one-book-a-month reader or chasing a 100-book year, The Bookish Shelf helps you log what you read, remember how it made you feel, and celebrate every milestone along the way. BUILD YOUR LIBRARY • Search millions of books and add them in seconds • Organize into Currently Reading, TBR, Wishlist, and Finished shelves • Track series, tropes, and reading stats automatically. REVIEWS YOU'LL ACTUALLY RE-READ • Capture ratings, tropes, and your favorite quotes • Generate gorgeous shareable review cards for Bookstagram & BookTok • Look back on what you loved — and what you didn't. BADGES & GOALS • Set yearly reading goals and watch your progress grow • Unlock collectible badges as you hit milestones • Get a personalized monthly recap and end-of-year Wrapped. A SHELF THAT FEELS LIKE YOU • Decorate your virtual shelf with plants, candles, and trinkets • Beautiful, calm design built for readers — no clutter, no noise. ALWAYS WITH YOU • Syncs across all your devices • Private by default — your reading life is yours. Stop forgetting what you read. Start loving your reading life again. Terms of Use (EULA): https://thebookishshelf.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://thebookishshelf.com/privacy

Screenshots

Book End4 screens
The Bookish Shelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

Book End and The Bookish Shelf are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Book End sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and The Bookish Shelf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Book End versus The Bookish Shelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBook EndThe Bookish Shelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (22 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings22 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB47 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBenjamin WheelerKelly Dunn

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Book End

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
2 purchases

The Bookish Shelf

Subscriptions2
  • Full Shelf Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Full Shelf Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Book End free?
Book End is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Bookish Shelf free?
The Bookish Shelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Book End or The Bookish Shelf have ads?
Neither Book End nor The Bookish Shelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Book End or The Bookish Shelf?
Book End ships an update fortnightly, and The Bookish Shelf fortnightly. Most recently, Book End was updated on November 3, 2026 and The Bookish Shelf on October 25, 2026.

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