Comparison

Bookbear vs Bookends

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bookbear

Easily track your reading progress, build a virtual library of your collection, and discover trending books. Scan barcodes to add books instantly and share your reading list with friends.

Highlights
  • Seamless book tracking
  • Build and admire your collection
  • Scan and discover instantly
  • Discover trending books
  • Share reading lists
  • Track progress at a glance
Features
Read full description

FEATURES [[ Seamless Book Tracking ]] We tried using the other top book tracker apps. Honestly? We couldn’t. Buttons were confusing, and some apps even crashed on us. So we made bookbear—designed to be the easiest and most beautiful book tracker you'll ever use. Seriously, no more guessing or frustration. Download now and see how effortless tracking can be! [[ Build and Admire Your Collection ]] Who doesn’t love gazing at a gorgeous bookshelf? We’ve recreated that feeling in bookbear—your personal library on your phone! Add the books you want to read, are reading, or have read, and watch your virtual collection grow. You’ll be admiring it in no time! [[ Scan and Discover Instantly ]] POV: You're at a book store and you found a book that caught your eye. Skip the typing! Just use bookbear to scan the barcode, and boom—get all the details you need in seconds. Two taps, and you’re in the know. [[ Discover the Hottest Books ]] Stay in the loop with the latest trending books. The New York Times Best Sellers? Just one tap away. Never miss out on the book everyone’s talking about! [[ Share What You’re Reading ]] Want to show off your current read? With bookbear, you can easily share what’s on your reading list with friends. It’s quick, it’s fun, and hey, who doesn’t love a good book recommendation? [[ Check Your Progress at a Glance ]] Reading multiple books at once? We get it. With bookbear, you can track your progress on all your books at a glance. Stay on top of every chapter, effortlessly.

About

Bookends

This app helps you achieve your reading goals with custom bookshelves, insightful progress tracking, and social features to share with friends. It supports all reading formats, including audiobooks, physical books, and digital content, adapting to your personal style.

Highlights
  • Customizable bookshelves
  • Progress tracking for all formats
  • Daily and weekly reading insights
  • Social feeds for reading buddies
  • Track audiobooks, physical, and digital books
Features
Read full description

Make time for more books. Bookends helps you build a reading habit, organize your bookshelves, and see your progress. Track physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks in the way that works for you. BUILD A HABIT THAT FITS YOUR DAY Set daily goals in pages, minutes, or percentage of a book. Use reading reminders and streaks to keep showing up. TRACK EVERY WAY YOU READ Time a reading session or log your progress. Track pages, percentage, or audiobook listening progress alongside your reading time. GIVE EVERY BOOK A PLACE Keep your current reads, finished books, and TBR organized. Create custom shelves and make your library your own. SEE YOUR READING ADD UP Look back at your reading time, pages, completed books, and streaks. Explore detailed insights into your reading habits. KEEP A LITTLE COMPANY Connect with friends and follow their recent reading activity for a little extra motivation. BRING YOUR BOOKS ALONG Import your Goodreads library to bring your existing reading history into Bookends. Bookends is free to download. Some features require Bookends Premium, available through in-app purchases. Terms and conditions: https://bookends.app/terms/ Privacy policy: https://bookends.app/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Bookbear4 screens
Bookends4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bookends at 5.0 against Bookbear's 4.5. Bookbear's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Bookends sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Bookbear asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bookends holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Bookbear's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bookends's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bookbear ships an update every 9 days, Bookends every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bookbear versus Bookends: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookbearBookends
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (21 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB48 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperWOO MIN PARKBookends

Customer experience

Bookbear

All ratings21 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive94.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative1.7%

Bookends

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Bookbear

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Book search not working (Lazykit.XOR error)
  • Unable to delete incorrectly added books
  • Calendar date selection jumps unexpectedly

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add ability to manually add books
  • Implement account/login for data backup
  • Add a memo/note-taking feature for books
  • Include statistics (annual/monthly reading count, genre/author rankings)
  • Allow editing of release dates
Show 15 more
  • Add dark mode
  • Option to customize calendar view (show ongoing books, book cover size)
  • Add a reading timer
  • Ability to record quotes or important sentences
  • Allow multiple user profiles for family accounts
  • Option to sort bookshelf by completion date
  • Ability to hide star ratings
  • Option to display only book titles in bookshelf
  • Add a feature to mark 'favorite' or 'life books'
  • Allow capturing the entire bookshelf as an image
  • Add ability to record re-reads
  • Improve book search speed
  • Add option to select book start/read dates in calendar
  • Allow adding photos to book entries
  • Add option to export reading data

Bookends

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bookbear

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Bookends

Subscriptions2
  • Bookends Premium$3.991 Month
  • Bookends Premium Annnual$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Bookbear free?
Bookbear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bookends free?
Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bookbear or Bookends?
Bookends is rated higher. Bookbear averages 4.5 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Bookends averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Bookbear or Bookends have ads?
Neither Bookbear nor Bookends shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bookbear or Bookends?
Bookbear ships an update every 9 days, and Bookends every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bookbear was updated on October 25, 2026 and Bookends on October 24, 2026.

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