# Bookshelf vs Reading Journal

The clearest difference is monetization model: Reading Journal at free against Bookshelf's freemium. Reading Journal also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Bookshelf's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Reading Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 Reading Journal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 35 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 100% of Reading Journal's.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, Reading Journal fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | Reading Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-reading-tracker/id6654913138/reviews)** | [4.8 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-journal-book-tracker/id6757375623/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **36** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 171 MB | 5 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) | [Sergii Nesterenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686841405) |

## 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 |


### Reading Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-journal-book-tracker/id6757375623)

This app helps you remember what you read by tracking your library, reading status, and favorite quotes. Set reading goals, join challenges, and keep your progress organized with personal notes and summaries.

**Highlights:** Track books (want to read, reading, finished), Save quotes, reviews, and summaries, Set reading goals and track progress, Join reading challenges, Sync library with iCloud, Export/import data (JSON/CSV)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Access | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly Access | $19.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is Reading Journal free?

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

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

Bookshelf is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.8 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Reading Journal averages 4.8 from 35 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or Reading Journal have ads?

Neither Bookshelf nor Reading Journal shows ads.

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

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and Reading Journal fortnightly. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 25, 2026 and Reading Journal on October 25, 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.*