# Bookends.app vs Booklume

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Booklume at none against Bookends.app's 2. Booklume also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Bookends.app ships an update every 6 months, Booklume daily. Both last shipped on October 8, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookends.app | Booklume |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookendsapp/id6737713402/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 39 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bookends](https://appshunter.io/developer/1777545924) | [Balaji Sivasakthi](https://appshunter.io/developer/6813617178) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookends.app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookendsapp/id6737713402)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bookends Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Bookends Premium Annnual | $29.99 | per year |


### Booklume

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booklume-read-scan-remember/id6813617176)

Organize your reading library, track progress, and capture notes from physical books using on-device text recognition. Monitor reading streaks, trends, and yearly goals in a private, ad-free environment.

**Highlights:** Track physical, ebook, and audiobook progress, Time reading sessions or log past ones, Capture typed notes and scanned highlights, Review reading activity and set yearly goals, Organize library with Open Library search, On-device text recognition

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookends.app free?

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

### Is Booklume free?

Booklume is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Bookends.app or Booklume have ads?

Neither Bookends.app nor Booklume shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bookends.app or Booklume?

Bookends.app ships an update every 6 months, and Booklume daily. Most recently, Bookends.app was updated on October 8, 2026 and Booklume on October 8, 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.*