# BookNote vs Bookshelf

BookNote and Bookshelf both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of BookNote's written reviews are positive against 88% of Bookshelf's. Bookshelf's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BookNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Bookshelf sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for BookNote against 4.8 for Bookshelf. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 37 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of BookNote's written reviews are positive against 88% of Bookshelf's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BookNote | Bookshelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booknote-book-tracker-and-tbr/id6479373178/reviews) | **[4.8 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-reading-tracker/id6654913138/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 23 | **37** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 87.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 67 MB | 171 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Maciej Daszkiewicz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727903515) | [Tiago Almeida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764252329) |

## What reviewers say

### BookNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booknote-book-tracker-and-tbr/id6479373178)

This app helps you organize your reading, track your progress, and capture your thoughts on books. Set reading goals, log sessions, and save insights to build a reading habit and visualize your literary journey.

**Highlights:** Organize books by status and category, Track reading sessions with timer and page counts, Capture and tag notes with highlights, Build reading habits with streaks and goals, Visualize reading progress and statistics, Import from Goodreads and StoryGraph (Pro)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BookNote Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| BookNote Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| BookNote Pro – Lifetime Access | $99.99 | one-time |


### Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-reading-tracker/id6654913138)

Organize your entire reading life, tracking physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks. Set reading goals, log sessions, save quotes, and visualize your progress with detailed statistics and a reading habits heat map. Discover new books and connect with friends.

**Highlights:** Smart book organization with custom shelves, Reading timer and session tracking, Save quotes and notes with OCR, Flexible reading goals and progress tracking, Detailed statistics and insights, Reading habits heat map, Monthly and yearly recaps, Purchase and borrowing logs

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Features | $2.49 | per month |
| Premium Features | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Features | $22.99 | per year |
| Premium Features | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime (promo) | $99.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $199.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BookNote free?

BookNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bookshelf free?

Bookshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, BookNote or Bookshelf?

Bookshelf is rated higher. BookNote averages 4.8 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Bookshelf averages 4.8 from 37 ratings.

### Do BookNote or Bookshelf have ads?

Neither BookNote nor Bookshelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BookNote or Bookshelf?

BookNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and Bookshelf every 2 weeks. Most recently, BookNote was updated on October 24, 2026 and Bookshelf on October 30, 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.*