Comparison

Margins vs TBR Spinner

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

Head to head
About

Margins

Track your reading habits, discover new books through unique vibe-based searches, and block distracting apps to focus on your reading. This app offers a beautifully designed interface to curate your library, connect with friends, and manage book clubs.

Highlights
  • Log books, series, and authors
  • Track reading goals and streaks
  • Search books by mood and vibe
  • Block distracting apps
  • Customize book covers and library
  • Connect with friends and book clubs
  • Import from Goodreads and other platforms
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Margins is a beautifully designed app for people who love books. - App of the Day in 20+ countries - 4.9 rating (40,000+ reviews) - Featured in USA Today, BookRiot, and more TRACK YOUR READING - Log books, series, authors, recommendations, and more - Track Strava-style goals, stats, and streaks - Curate lists of books you care about SEARCH BOOKS BY VIBES - Search books by mood, plot, setting, vibe, and more - Try things like “books like 1920s Paris,” “thriller with a love triangle,” or “indie romantasy” - You can even turn images from Pinterest or your camera roll into book recommendations BLOCK DISTRACTING APPS - Block social media, notifications, and other apps while you read - Use meditation reading timer for soothing rain sounds CHOOSE YOUR COVERS - Pick the cover that matches your version of the book - Curate covers to fit your aesthetic - Sort your library by color CUSTOMIZE YOUR PROFILE - Turn your picture into a sketched portrait you’d see in a book - Show off your favorite books SEE WHAT FRIENDS ARE READING - Find and follow other book lovers - See what they’re reading in Stories - Enjoy gorgeous, hand-illustrated monthly recaps INVITE YOUR BOOK CLUB - Schedule gatherings - Suggest and vote on books - Log your club’s history LEAVE GOODREADS FOR GOOD - Import from Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Fable - Half-star ratings - Support a small, indie team WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING “LOVE this app! so easy to import data from goodreads. it excels where others fail. like letterboxd for books. Really glad there’s finally a good book app out there, i’ve been waiting for something like this!” — scruffythejanitor01 “I love the UI of this app, easy to use and aesthetically pleasing. Also, I've been struggling getting back into reading and the screentime feature has helped me loads. I haven't been able to read this much since 4 years ago. Thank you Margins” — mitakaluvr “The search by vibes is so cool. I am a WWII buff, but this search popped up a two-book WWII saga I had never even heard of, much less read. It ended up being my top read of 2025.” —Michigancolt FREE TO USE Almost all features are free to use. An optional subscription unlocks premium features and priority support. FOLLOW US Instagram: @readwithmargins TikTok: @margins TERMS OF USE Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Margins Terms of Service: https://margins.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://margins.app/privacy “Without the margins, writing is just words on a page. But with them, each of us is invited to leave our mark in the endless conversation between books and the people that love them.” — Excerpt from the Margins manifesto

About

TBR Spinner

This app helps you conquer your "to be read" pile by randomly selecting your next book with a fun spinning wheel. Easily add books to your digital library, filter by genre or page count, and sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Spinning wheel book selection
  • Digital bookshelf creation
  • Filter by genre, author, page count
  • Customizable spin options
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Manual backup and export
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Feeling overwhelmed by that ever-growing pile of books you plan to read? Do you spend more time deciding what to read than actually reading? It's time to end the decision fatigue! Welcome to TBR Spinner, the fun and simple way to choose your next book! Add your 'To Be Read' list to our beautiful, easy-to-use library, and when you're ready for a new adventure, just spin the wheel. Let fate pick your next page-turner! Key Features: Spin the Wheel: A beautifully animated spinner that makes choosing a book an exciting event. No more indecision! Build Your Digital Bookshelf: Easily add books with title, author, series, genre, and page count. Powerful Spin Filters: In the mood for a short fantasy book? Or a long novel from your favorite author? Filter the wheel by genre, author, or page count (Short, Average, Long) to match your mood. Customize Your Spin: Choose to spin from all your unread books, a random number of them, or even the books you've added most recently or longest ago. Filter out books in a series to only show the next book on the spinner, filter by author's first or last name or just the first letter with the starts with filter, make book by letter challenges easier to choose for. Seamless iCloud Sync: Your library is automatically and securely backed up to your iCloud account, keeping it in sync across all your devices. Manual Backup: Export and import from backup files should you want to share your library file with others. Stop deliberating and start reading. Download TBR Spinner and let the wheel decide!

Screenshots

Margins4 screens
TBR Spinner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Margins at Free against TBR Spinner's $1.99. Margins also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (20K vs 1). TBR Spinner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On rating, review sentiment, ads and chart position 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

Margins is free to download; TBR Spinner costs $1.99 up front. Margins sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. TBR Spinner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Margins against 5.0 for TBR Spinner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Margins has 20K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Margins's written reviews are positive against 100% of TBR Spinner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Margins ships an update every 4 days, TBR Spinner every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Margins versus TBR Spinner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarginsTBR Spinner
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.9 (20K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
Best chart rank#52#23 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size135 MB3 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperParatext Inc.Brian Barnett

Customer experience

Margins

All ratings20,229 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.8%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews3,752 reviews
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.3%

TBR Spinner

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Margins

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Reading time not saving correctly
  • Inability to delete or edit books from lists
  • Inconsistent behavior when importing data from Goodreads

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to track page progress and percentage read
  • Implement a profile system with custom avatars and bios
  • Introduce a social feed to share reading activity with friends
  • Add more advanced statistics and reading analytics

TBR Spinner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Margins

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Annual$59.991 Year
None

TBR Spinner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Margins free?
Margins is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TBR Spinner free?
TBR Spinner costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Margins or TBR Spinner?
TBR Spinner is rated higher. Margins averages 4.9 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while TBR Spinner averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Margins or TBR Spinner have ads?
Neither Margins nor TBR Spinner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Margins or TBR Spinner?
Margins ships an update every 4 days, and TBR Spinner every 11 months. Most recently, Margins was updated on November 13, 2026 and TBR Spinner on November 12, 2026.
Which is more popular, Margins or TBR Spinner?
Margins currently peaks at #52 in the App Store charts, and TBR Spinner at #23. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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