Bookbear vs BookStates
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bookbear
Easily track your reading progress, build a virtual bookshelf, and discover trending books. Scan barcodes to add titles instantly and share your reading list with friends. Designed for a seamless and beautiful user experience.
- Seamless book tracking
- Build and admire your collection
- Scan and discover instantly
- Discover trending books
- Share what you're reading
- Check progress at a glance
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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.
BookStates
This app helps you track your reading progress, discover new books, and build reading habits. It offers AI-powered insights, personalized stats, and easy book cataloging. Unlock advanced features with a subscription.
- Track reading progress
- Discover new books
- AI-powered summaries
- Build reading habits
- Reading statistics
- Instant book cataloging
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BookStates – Your Personal Reading Companion Rediscover the joy of reading with BookStates—an elegant, intelligent app designed for curious minds and lifelong learners. Whether you're diving into your current read, exploring new titles, or reflecting on your literary journey, BookStates turns every page into a meaningful experience. – Track Your Reading Progress: Stay on top of what you’re reading, want to read, or have finished—all in one beautifully organized space. – Discover Hidden Gems: Browse curated book picks and trending reads across genres. Whether it’s Kafka or contemporary thrillers, we’ve got something for every reader. – AI-Powered Summaries & Insights: Go beyond the blurb. Get motivational reasons to read, key takeaways, and thought-provoking questions—powered by smart, contextual AI. – Build Reading Habits: Visualize your streaks, set personal records, and stay motivated with a gamified calendar that celebrates consistency. – See your reading life in stats: Get insights into your favourite genres, top authors, average ratings, and more. – Add Books Instantly: Search by title, author, or ISBN—or just scan the barcode. Cataloging your bookshelf has never been this easy.Get deep insights into your favorite genres, top authors, average ratings, and more. * Some features require subscriptions with BookStates Pro for access or unlimited use: BookStates Pro Monthly Plan charges your Apple ID for one month of Pro status for $2.99/month. BookStates Pro Annual Plan charges your Apple ID for one year of Pro status for $29.99/year. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime in your iTunes account settings. For more information, see our Terms of Use - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ and Privacy Policy - https://bookstates.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bookbear at 4.5 against BookStates's 3.0. Bookbear also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (21 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. BookStates sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Bookbear asks for nothing beyond the download.
Bookbear holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookbear has 21 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Bookbear's written reviews are positive against 89% of BookStates's.
Bookbear ships an update every 9 days, BookStates every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Bookbear | BookStates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (21 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.8% of reviews — better | 88.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 21 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | WOO MIN PARK | ADIT GUPTA |
Customer experience
Bookbear
BookStates
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
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- 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
BookStates
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bookbear
No in-app purchases
BookStates
- BookStates Pro$2.991 Month
- BookStates Pro$29.991 Year









