# Bookist vs bambü

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookist | bambü |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookist-book-tracker-and-recs/id6469034196/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambu/id6621188327/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **51** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 53 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [STACKMOUSE (PTY) LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1685674045) | [Bryan May](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761256704) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookist-book-tracker-and-recs/id6469034196)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### bambü

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambu/id6621188327)

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.

**Highlights:** Book discovery, Reading list tracking, Progress management, Book ranking algorithm, Detailed book information, Library organization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookist free?

Bookist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is bambü free?

bambü is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bookist or bambü?

bambü is rated higher. Bookist averages 4.8 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while bambü averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bookist or bambü have ads?

Neither Bookist nor bambü shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bookist or bambü?

Bookist ships an update fortnightly, and bambü every 2 days. Most recently, Bookist was updated on November 12, 2026 and bambü on November 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*