# Bookshelf vs BookOwl

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookOwl at none against Bookshelf's 6. Bookshelf's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bookshelf against 4.9 for BookOwl. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 41 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 92% of BookOwl's.

Bookshelf ships an update fortnightly, BookOwl every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | BookOwl |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-reading-tracker/id6654913138/reviews) | **[4.9 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookowl-reading-tracker/id6749646194/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 25 | **41** |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | **92.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 152 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tiago Almeida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764252329) | [Phil Getzen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1830876966) |

## 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 |


### BookOwl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookowl-reading-tracker/id6749646194)

Organize your reading life with this free companion app. Build your personal library, track your progress, and customize your profile. Import data from other services and scan books instantly. Enjoy personalized recommendations and share your reading insights.

**Highlights:** Barcode scanner for instant book addition, Import from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Audible, Libby, Customizable profile with aurora colors, Half and quarter-star rating system, Custom shelves and curated book lists, Reading progress tracking, Yearly reading goals and streaks

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is BookOwl free?

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

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

BookOwl is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.8 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while BookOwl averages 4.9 from 41 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or BookOwl have ads?

Neither Bookshelf nor BookOwl shows ads.

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

Bookshelf ships an update fortnightly, and BookOwl every 11 days. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on September 18, 2026 and BookOwl on September 3, 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.*