Comparison

Margins vs Book Eater

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

Head to head
About

Margins

This app helps you discover, track, and share your reading journey. It offers detailed tracking options, customizable features, and powerful search capabilities. Stay focused on your reading goals with built-in tools to minimize distractions.

Highlights
  • Half-star ratings
  • Track recommendations
  • Customizable book covers
  • Fuzzy date tracking
  • Advanced book search
  • Reading goals
  • Reading timer
  • Distraction blocking
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

Book Eater

Features
Read full description

Book Eater is a companion reading diary that helps turn reading and book logging into a habit. Every time you finish a book, feed your dog, leave a rating and your thoughts, and build your own personal library. ■ Log the Books You Read · Search for books by title or author and add them to your library · Rate books in 0.5-star increments and leave anything from a short comment to a detailed review · Choose the date you finished each book so you can look back on your reading anytime ■ Take Care of Your Dog · Finish a book to feed your dog and fill up its hunger meter · If you don’t read within your chosen reading cycle (1–12 weeks), your dog will get hungry and eventually fall asleep · Even while your dog is asleep, you can continue logging your reading as usual · If you’d like your dog to join you again, you can wake it up through an In-App Purchase ■ Read with Friends · Share an invite code to connect with your real-life friends · See what your friends are reading and check out their thoughts in the Friends tab ■ Korean & English · Book Eater supports both Korean and English · Switch to your preferred language anytime in the app settings ■ Book Eater Is Great For · Keeping track of the books you’ve finished · Going beyond star ratings and writing down even a few thoughts about what you’ve read · Staying loosely connected with friends and motivating each other to read · Building a consistent reading habit with a cute dog by your side Get started easily with your email or Apple account.

Screenshots

Margins4 screens
Book Eater4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Margins at none against Book Eater's shown. Margins also leads on chart position (#87 vs unranked). Book Eater's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Margins sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Book Eater sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Margins versus Book Eater: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarginsBook Eater
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (20K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews95.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings20K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 4 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#87 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size115 MB65 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperParatext Inc.Boyoung Kim

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

Book Eater

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
1 purchases

Book Eater

One-time1
  • Revive Dog$0.99

Questions

Is Margins free?
Margins is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Book Eater free?
Book Eater is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Margins or Book Eater have ads?
Book Eater shows ads; Margins does not.
Which is updated more often, Margins or Book Eater?
Margins ships an update every 4 days, and Book Eater every 4 days. Most recently, Margins was updated on October 31, 2026 and Book Eater on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons