# Bookshelf vs Bookology

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bookology at 939 against Bookshelf's 37. Bookology also leads on chart position (#178 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks). Bookshelf's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Bookology sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 Bookshelf against 4.8 for Bookology. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookology has 939 ratings behind it against 37, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 85% of Bookology's.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, Bookology every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | Bookology |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-reading-tracker/id6654913138/reviews)** | [4.8 (939 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookology-book-tracker/id6747273681/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 37 | **939** |
| Positive reviews | **87.5% of reviews** | 85.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#178** |
| Size | 171 MB | 174 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tiago Almeida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764252329) | [Empty Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1468461395) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Bookology

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookology-book-tracker/id6747273681)

**Currently charting:** #178 Top Free · Book, #189 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

This app helps avid readers organize their book collection, track reading progress, and analyze their habits. It offers features like barcode scanning for easy book entry, customizable virtual bookshelves, and a reading timer with lock screen updates. Users can also capture notes, import data from other platforms, and view detailed reading statistics.

**Highlights:** Library management with barcode scanning, Customizable virtual bookshelf, Reading timer with Live Activities, Progress tracking by pages or percentage, Notes, quotes, and reviews, Import from Kindle, Goodreads, and more, Detailed reading statistics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bookology Pro | $5.99 | per month |
| Bookology Pro | $24.99 | per year |
| Bookology Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Bookology Pro Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is Bookology free?

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

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

Bookshelf is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.8 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Bookology averages 4.8 from 939 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or Bookology have ads?

Neither Bookshelf nor Bookology shows ads.

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

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and Bookology every 6 days. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 30, 2026 and Bookology on October 31, 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.*