# Bookshelf vs Stacks

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bookshelf at 37 against Stacks's 1. Bookshelf also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). Stacks's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 88%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Stacks sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Stacks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 37 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 100% of Stacks's.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, Stacks every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | Stacks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-reading-tracker/id6654913138/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stacks-book-scanner-and-library/id6778984902/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **37** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 171 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tiago Almeida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764252329) | [Zenmonkeys Digital LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868802546) |

## 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 |


### Stacks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stacks-book-scanner-and-library/id6778984902)

Digitally catalog your physical book collection by scanning shelves or barcodes. Track reading progress, discover new books based on your taste, and manage your library with visual shelf displays and smart sorting. Offers insights into your reading habits and a wishlist feature.

**Highlights:** Shelf scanning for bulk book cataloging, Barcode scanning with auto-fill, Import/export from Goodreads/StoryGraph, Visual shelf and spine display, Reading progress tracking, Book scouting and wishlist building, Personalized reading recommendations

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| 3 Scans | $0.99 | one-time |
| 15 Scans | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is Stacks free?

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

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

Stacks is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.8 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Stacks averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or Stacks have ads?

Neither Bookshelf nor Stacks shows ads.

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

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and Stacks every 5 days. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 30, 2026 and Stacks on November 1, 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.*