Bookist vs bambü
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bookist
Discover your next favorite read with personalized book recommendations. Swipe through suggestions, import existing libraries, and explore curated collections. Track your reading progress and share your thoughts on books you've enjoyed.
- Personalized book suggestions
- Import Goodreads shelves
- Curated book collections
- Books inspired by favorites
- Build read/want-to-read shelves
- Rate and review books
- Track reading progress
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Tired of scrolling for your next read? Swipe right and let Bookist do the work. Bookist is the book discovery app built for readers who want their next favourite book without the endless scrolling. Swipe through personalised picks based on your taste, build shelves for what you've read and what's next, and track your reading as you go. - Swipe to discover — right if you love it, left if it's not for you - Import your Goodreads shelves in seconds, so you never start from zero - Browse curated stacks — prizewinners, book club picks, and books inspired by your favourites - Build shelves for books you've read, want to read, or can't stop thinking about - Rate and review what you've read, and see what other readers think - Track your reading with stats and charts that actually make you want to hit your goal - Search your read books to keep your shelves accurate and up to date Whether you're chasing a reading goal this year or just want your next great read, Bookist helps you find it — and remember it.
bambü
This app helps book lovers discover new titles, manage their reading lists, and track progress. It provides detailed book information, allows for easy organization, and ranks books based on ratings and reading time.
- Book discovery
- Reading list tracking
- Progress management
- Book ranking algorithm
- Detailed book information
- Library organization
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Welcome to bambü, the ultimate app for book lovers! bambü helps you discover, track, and manage your reading list effortlessly. With a sleek and intuitive design, bambü makes it easy to: Discover: Search for books and view detailed information, including ratings from Amazon and Goodreads. Track: Add books to your reading list and keep track of your progress. Rank: Use our unique algorithm to rank books based on ratings and estimated reading time. Manage: Organize your library with ease and never lose track of a book again. Whether you're an avid reader or just getting started, bambü is the perfect companion for your reading journey. Download now and start exploring the world of books like never before!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: bambü at every 2 days against Bookist's fortnightly. bambü also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.1). Bookist's advantage is ratings volume (51 vs 1). 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.
bambü holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookist has 51 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Bookist ships an update fortnightly, bambü every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bookist | bambü |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (51 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | STACKMOUSE (PTY) LTD | Bryan May |
Customer experience
Bookist
bambü
In-app purchases
Bookist
No in-app purchases
bambü
No in-app purchases









