# Now Reading vs Bookshelf

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Now Reading at none against Bookshelf's 6. Now Reading also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Bookshelf's advantage is ratings volume (27 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.5). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Now Reading asks for nothing beyond the download.

Now Reading holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 27 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Now Reading's written reviews are positive against 88% of Bookshelf's.

Now Reading ships an update weekly, Bookshelf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Now Reading | Bookshelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/now-reading/id6627332935/reviews)** | [4.8 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-reading-tracker/id6654913138/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **27** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 87.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 8 MB | 171 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Minsang choi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1762237320) | [Tiago Almeida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764252329) |

## What reviewers say

### Now Reading

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/now-reading/id6627332935)

Log books you are currently reading, have finished, or want to read. Display original or custom book covers and share your reading progress with friends through widgets or by swiping through your logged books.

**Highlights:** Track current reads, Archive finished books, Manage wishlist, Display book covers, Share reading progress, Widget support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 Now Reading free?

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

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Now Reading or Bookshelf?

Now Reading is rated higher. Now Reading averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bookshelf averages 4.8 from 27 ratings.

### Do Now Reading or Bookshelf have ads?

Neither Now Reading nor Bookshelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Now Reading or Bookshelf?

Now Reading ships an update weekly, and Bookshelf every 2 weeks. Most recently, Now Reading was updated on October 8, 2026 and Bookshelf on October 5, 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.*