Comparison

CLEO. vs BookOwl

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

Head to head
About

CLEO.

Features
Read full description

Are you a book lover always on the hunt for your next great read? Welcome to Cleo - your very own social network dedicated to sharing the love for literature! POST AND TAG YOUR BOOKS: Snap a photo of your current read and share it on your profile. You can tag each book in your posts, making it easier for others to discover and delve into your reading world. DISCOVER INSPIRING PROFILES: Dive into the profiles of your fellow bookworms, browse their book photos, tags, and learn more about their literary tastes. Expand your reading horizon with every profile you explore. EXCHANGE RECOMMENDATIONS: Make reading more interactive! Recommend books to other users based on their preferences and posts. Receive book suggestions from a community of readers who know and love books just as much as you do. JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: Cleo is a haven for all who find solace in the written word. Whether you're a sci-fi fanatic, a historical fiction enthusiast, a non-fiction nut, or a mystery addict - Cleo is the place to celebrate and share your love for books. Join us in our mission to make reading more social, interactive, and fun. Download Cleo today and become part of our passionate community of book lovers!

About

BookOwl

Organize your reading life with this free companion app. Build your personal library, track your progress, and customize your profile. Import data from other services and scan books instantly. Enjoy personalized recommendations and share your reading insights.

Highlights
  • Barcode scanner for instant book addition
  • Import from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Audible, Libby
  • Customizable profile with aurora colors
  • Half and quarter-star rating system
  • Custom shelves and curated book lists
  • Reading progress tracking
  • Yearly reading goals and streaks
Features
Read full description

Your reading life, delightfully organized. BookOwl is a free reading companion for people who love books. Build your personal library, track what you're reading, and make the app feel like yours, all without ads, clutter, or data harvesting. Available on iOS and at bookowlapp.com. NEW: THE SIT TAB The Sit tab gives reading sessions a home. Start a sit, set a timer, and read. BookOwl keeps you company. Capture a mood, a scene, or a pinned moment mid-read without losing your place (speak it instead of typing, if you like). When you close the book, a wrap-up card logs how far you got and how the sit felt. A COMPLETELY REDESIGNED LIBRARY: Your library now opens like a magazine. A masthead greets you with the books you're reading now, The Lead carousel keeps your current reads one swipe away, and your shelves sit beneath. Pinch to zoom from big covers down to a compact index. The new Contents view puts shelves, filters, and sorting in one place, with breadcrumb chips showing what's active. YOUR THOUGHTS, ORGANIZED BY BOOK: Everything you capture lands where you'll find it again: pinned passages on the book's page, your moods across the book's arc, even why you set a book down. Make the capture chips your own with custom moods and scenes. Your written thoughts stay private, always. TRACK PROGRESS WITHOUT THE FUSS: Update your page, your status, and your reading dates in one place with the new progress editor. Edit or delete any past read. Your history stays accurate and syncs everywhere. MAKE IT YOURS WITH 12 THEMES: Every theme hand-tuned, from the warm sepia of Quiet Warmth to the banker's-lamp green of Reading Room, all meeting accessibility contrast standards. YOUR PROFILE, YOUR WAY: Five tabbed sections: Overview, Collections, Reviews, Stats, and Personal. Choose which reading stats sit front and center. Pick your aurora colors. Arrange your sections. PRIVACY THAT MAKES SENSE: One toggle. Three options: Public, Friends Only, or Private. Visitors see a friendly banner explaining what's shared. IMPORT FROM ANYWHERE: Switching from another app? Import your full reading history from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Audible (via OCR), or Libby. Your ratings, shelves, and reading dates all come with you. Export to CSV or JSON anytime. Your data belongs to you. SCAN BOOKS IN SECONDS: Point your camera at any barcode. BookOwl identifies it instantly and adds it to your library. Stack of books at a used bookstore? Scan them all in one session. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY: Custom shelves and curated lists for any purpose: "Beach Reads," "Book Club," "Lent to Friends." FIND YOUR NEXT READ: Personalized recommendations, author pages, series with reading order, and a catalog of millions of books. USE IT ANYWHERE: Web app at bookowlapp.com with the same profile and achievements. Your data syncs across devices. BUILT FOR READERS, NOT ADVERTISERS: No ads. No engagement tricks. No data selling. Just a calm, thoughtful space for your reading life, built by a reader, for readers. • Sit tab: timed reading sessions with a wrap-up card • Capture moods, scenes, and pinned moments mid-read • Voice capture: speak your thoughts without stopping • Redesigned Library: The Lead carousel and pinch-to-zoom shelves • Barcode scanner: add books in seconds • Import from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Audible, or Libby • Export your library to CSV or JSON • Progress editor: pages, status, and dates in one place • Edit or delete past reads anytime • 12 hand-tuned themes and alternate app icons • Customizable profile with aurora colors and hero stats • Half-star and quarter-star ratings • Custom shelves, collections, and curated book lists • Yearly reading goals and streaks • Year in Review: shareable reading personality cards • Series tracking with reading order • Privacy controls: Public, Friends Only, or Private • Social features: follow friends, reviews, profiles Whether you read 5 books a year or 50, BookOwl helps you remember every one. Whooo's ready to get started?

Screenshots

CLEO.4 screens
BookOwl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CLEO. at every 3 days against BookOwl's every 11 days. CLEO. also leads on iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CLEO. ships an update every 3 days, BookOwl every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CLEO. versus BookOwl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCLEO.BookOwl
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.9 (41 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—92.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—41 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRosa KalaidjianPhil Getzen

In-app purchases

None

CLEO.

No in-app purchases

None

BookOwl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CLEO. free?
CLEO. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookOwl free?
BookOwl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CLEO. or BookOwl have ads?
Neither CLEO. nor BookOwl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CLEO. or BookOwl?
CLEO. ships an update every 3 days, and BookOwl every 11 days. Most recently, CLEO. was updated on October 11, 2026 and BookOwl on October 18, 2026.

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