Character Memo vs Book Memo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Character Memo
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This app allows you to easily register characters, their notes, and the pages on which they appear when reading a novel. [ Features ] - In addition to characters, you can also categorize and register various terms. - Text recognition allows you to copy and paste text from images in your camera and photo library. - The registered data can be output to a CSV file. [ Privacy ] - The registered data is stored securely on your device and cannot be accessed from outside. - Passcode lock function available. Your passcode information is securely stored in Keychain, provided by Apple. Please use it as a companion while reading. You can also use it for movies, dramas, comics, etc.
Book Memo
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Book Memo is a Japanese-language app. Every screen is in Japanese, and automatic cover lookup is designed for books published in Japan. Keep the books you have read on a wooden shelf, cover out, together with what you thought while reading them. - Type a title and the cover, author and publisher are filled in for you - Four views: shelf, spines, list and cards - Three kinds of notes (thoughts, summaries and quotes), each with a page number - Full-text search across every note, title, author and publisher - To-read, reading and finished, with 5-star ratings - When you finish a book, see other books by the same author on Rakuten Books (ad links) - Reading stats: books finished this year and the authors you read most - Export to Markdown (one file per book, handy for Obsidian) or CSV (for Notion), and restore from a backup file - No account and no email address needed. Your notes stay on your device Please note - Covers and book data come from Rakuten Books (Supported by Rakuten Developers). Lookup may be temporarily unavailable when busy, and books published outside Japan are often not found. You can always set a cover from your own photo, and your books and notes are never lost
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Book Memo at none against Character Memo's shown. Book Memo also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.2). Character Memo's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Character Memo ships an update every 4 days, Book Memo every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Character Memo | Book Memo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days β better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No β better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 16.4 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Takatoshi Suzuki | Yuki Tagami |
In-app purchases
Character Memo
No in-app purchases
Book Memo
No in-app purchases








