# Bookdot vs Smoulder

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smoulder at none against Bookdot's 3. Bookdot's advantage is ratings volume (67 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookdot sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Smoulder asks for nothing beyond the download.

Smoulder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookdot has 67 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookdot | Smoulder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookdot-book-tracker/id6503656539/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smoulder-romance-book-tracker/id6802982543/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **67** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 90.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 59 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18 | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [TRILLIWON, Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1050731374) | [Croftware LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6790221890) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookdot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookdot-book-tracker/id6503656539)

Manage your personal library, track reading progress, and improve comprehension with notes and highlights. Set reading goals and visualize your growing collection. Ideal for building consistent reading habits.

**Highlights:** Easy book management, Track reading progress, Note taking and highlights, Rate and review books, Customizable themes, iCloud sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bookdot Plus - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Bookdot Plus - Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| Bookdot Pro | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean and simple UI
- 🔗 Notion integration is great
- 📚 Excellent for tracking reading
- 💡 Useful note-taking and archiving
- 📅 Calendar view is appreciated

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Book cover overlap in calendar
- 🤔 Difficulty finding theme settings
- ❓ Unclear Notion sync guide
- 🔄 Inability to change read dates
- ↩️ Missing back button on search page

**Reported bugs**

- Book covers overlap on the calendar view when multiple books are read on the same day
- Unable to change the read date after entry
- ISBN scanning frequently fails, requiring manual entry
- Search page lacks a back button, forcing app exit
- Notes not syncing to Notion (reported by multiple users)

**Requested features**

- Allow half-star ratings
- Add functionality to log re-reads of the same book
- Improve sorting options for completed books (by rating or date)
- Display multiple book covers clearly when more than two are read on the same day
- Provide a guide for Notion integration


### Smoulder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smoulder-romance-book-tracker/id6802982543)

This app is a reading journal designed for romance readers. It allows users to log finished books with details like ratings, tropes, and memorable quotes. Users can also track characters, manage series, and discover their next read.

**Highlights:** Reading journal for romance readers, Log books with ratings, tropes, and quotes, Track book characters and archetypes, Manage and sort book series, Discover next reads with a card draw, Import Goodreads data, Home screen widget for current reads

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookdot free?

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

### Is Smoulder free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bookdot or Smoulder?

Smoulder is rated higher. Bookdot averages 4.8 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Smoulder averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bookdot or Smoulder have ads?

Neither Bookdot nor Smoulder shows ads.

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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.*