Comparison

ThingsBook vs Recs

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

Head to head
About

ThingsBook

Capture your life's moments through long-form writing and organized collections. This platform allows you to create a lasting personal archive of your thoughts, memories, and interests, with options to share privately or publicly.

Highlights
  • Long-form writing
  • Structured collections
  • Personal archive
  • Customizable sharing
  • Life documentation
  • Writing prompts
Read full description

Your life deserves more than disappearing posts and scattered notes. ThingsBook is a new kind of personal platform built for people who love to write, reflect, and collect the moments that make up their lives. It’s where long-form storytelling meets beautiful organization, giving you a space to capture what you did, how you felt, and what you care about in lasting detail. Whether you are journaling about your day, writing thoughtful reflections, or collecting the books you love, the meals you cooked, the trips you took, or the ideas that moved you, ThingsBook helps you turn everyday life into something meaningful and permanent. Write freely At its core, ThingsBook is about writing. Real writing. Long-form, text-centric storytelling that lets you express yourself without character limits or performance pressure. Capture your thoughts, routines, memories, and observations in a way that feels natural, personal, and deeply yours. Collect what matters Organize everything you write into beautiful, structured collections. Your books, travels, meals, fashion finds, hobbies, goals, and ideas all live together in one place. Think of it as your personal digital shelf, always there when you want to revisit your life. Build your archive ThingsBook is not about fleeting trends or posts that disappear. Your writing and collections become a lasting personal archive, a living record of who you are and what you love. Over time, your ThingsBook becomes your story. Share on your terms Share publicly, with friends, or keep things private. Post whenever inspiration hits. Take breaks whenever you need. Your space never goes stale, and there is no pressure to perform. Designed for everyday life You do not need special skills, perfect photos, or big moments. ThingsBook is built for real life. Write about your morning coffee, the song you cannot stop playing, the trip that changed you, the book that stayed with you, the place that always feels like home. Smart tools that support your writing Helpful prompts, thoughtful organization, search, and location features make it easier to document your life as it happens, without turning your thoughts into work. Your corner of the internet ThingsBook is where your interests, ideas, and experiences come together. Not a feed to chase. A space to build. Write your life. Collect your world. Remember what matters.

About

Recs

Discover trusted recommendations from your social circle, bypassing algorithms and strangers. Ask your network for suggestions on anything from restaurants to entertainment, or share your own favorites. Control privacy for your posts, ensuring suggestions come from people who know you.

Highlights
  • Post recommendations across categories
  • Ask network for suggestions
  • Follow friends' recommendations
  • Save recommendations
  • Control post privacy
Features
Read full description

Recs is where you go for recommendations you can trust. No algorithms, no strangers - just real suggestions from people in your life. Ask your network for their favorites - the best restaurant in town, a show worth binging, a product that actually works. Or share your own go-to picks so friends can discover what you love. Features: - Post recommendations across categories like food, entertainment, products, and more - Ask your network for suggestions on anything - Follow friends and see what they recommend - Save recs for later - Control who sees your posts - share with everyone, your followers, or just your inner circle Stop scrolling through fake reviews. Start getting recs from people who actually know you.

Screenshots

ThingsBook4 screens
Recs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Recs at 5.0 against ThingsBook's 4.5. Recs also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). ThingsBook's advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 4) and chart position (#48 vs unranked). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Recs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ThingsBook has 1.7K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of ThingsBook's written reviews are positive against 100% of Recs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ThingsBook ships an update fortnightly, Recs weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
ThingsBook versus Recs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThingsBookRecs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.7K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.7K — better4
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#48 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNaver U.Hub Inc.Twin Trails Ventures LLC

Customer experience

ThingsBook

All ratings1,687 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews264 reviews
Positive71.6%
Neutral7.6%
Negative20.8%

Recs

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

In-app purchases

None

ThingsBook

No in-app purchases

None

Recs

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ThingsBook free?
ThingsBook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Recs free?
Recs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ThingsBook or Recs?
Recs is rated higher. ThingsBook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Recs averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do ThingsBook or Recs have ads?
Neither ThingsBook nor Recs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ThingsBook or Recs?
ThingsBook ships an update fortnightly, and Recs weekly. Most recently, ThingsBook was updated on October 15, 2026 and Recs on September 24, 2026.

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