Comparison

Book Journal vs Pick Up

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

Head to head
About

Book Journal

Log your reading progress, rate books on various aspects, and record your thoughts. Organize your past reads into a digital bookshelf within a clean, ad-free interface. No account creation or personal data tracking is required.

Highlights
  • Track reading journey
  • Rate books by category
  • Reflect on reads
  • Build digital bookshelf
  • Capture thoughts
  • Distraction-free interface
Features
Read full description

Book Reviews is your personal reading companion. Track your reading journey, rate books across multiple categories like plot and character development, and reflect on what you’ve read. Build a bookshelf of your past reads, capture your thoughts, and keep your book life organized — all in a clean, distraction-free interface. No accounts, no tracking — just you and your books.

About

Pick Up

This app helps you manage your reading, track progress, and capture thoughts. It offers personalized recommendations, reading session tracking with ambient sounds, and a voice journal for reflections. Enjoy a beautiful design, cloud sync, and insightful reading statistics.

Highlights
  • Smart book management with ISBN scanning
  • Home Screen widgets and Live Activity integration
  • Book Roulette for random selection
  • Personalized book recommendations
  • Reading session tracking with ambient sounds
  • Voice journal for capturing thoughts
  • Monthly recap and reading statistics
Read full description

Pick Up - Your Personal Reading Companion Transform the way you read, reflect, and remember with Pick Up — the reading companion for people who want more from every book. SMART BOOK MANAGEMENT • Search by title or scan ISBN barcodes to instantly add books • Track reading progress across multiple books • Organise by status: Reading, Finished, Up Next, or DNF • Set a starting page for books you've already begun • Beautiful cover images and detailed metadata WIDGETS & LIVE READING • Add beautiful Home Screen widgets for your current book and reading streak • See your current book on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen while reading • Tap straight back into your active session from the Live Activity BOOK ROULETTE • Can't decide what to read next? Spin the slot machine and let fate choose from your Up Next pile • Start reading your chosen book instantly THE SHELF — BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS • Personalised book recommendations based on your library and reading history • Set your mood, preferred length, and genre to get tailored picks • Discover handpicked books from independent authors in the Indie Picks tab • Save picks directly to your Up Next list READING SESSIONS • Track time spent reading with a built-in stopwatch • Set a countdown timer to challenge yourself or stay focused • Ambient sounds while you read: rain, fireplace, ocean, lo-fi, and more • Pause, resume, or finish early with full control • View complete reading history by book • Build consistent reading habits with session tracking CAPTURED THOUGHTS • Record thoughts while reading with one-tap voice capture • Voice-to-text transcription • Write text reflections • Organise thoughts by book with timestamps • Star important thoughts • Review your complete reading journey MONTHLY RECAP • Shareable card with your reading month at a glance • Book covers, pages read, and reading time • Choose your colour theme and share with friends CLOUD SYNC • Seamless sync across all your devices • Automatic cloud backup • Secure Supabase-powered sync • Access your library anywhere DAILY INSPIRATION • Quote of the Day — a fresh reading quote every day on your home screen • Daily quote notification at your chosen time • Share quotes to social media READING STATISTICS • Track reading streaks • Visual progress indicators • Total books, pages, and thoughts • Personalised reading time estimates REMINDERS & NOTIFICATIONS • Customisable daily reading reminders • Choose your days and times • Gentle nudges to keep your streak alive BEAUTIFUL DESIGN • Clean interface with full dark mode support • Themes: Parchment, Ink, Void, Sepia, Marble, and more • Smooth animations • Designed for readers PRIVACY-FIRST • Local-first architecture — your data stays on your device • Optional cloud sync • No tracking, no ads Perfect for avid readers, book clubs, students, and anyone who wants to remember what they read.

Screenshots

Book Journal3 screens
Pick Up4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pick Up at 100% against Book Journal's 0%. Pick Up also leads on price (Free vs $0.49) and rating (4.9 vs 1.0). Book Journal's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads 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

Pick Up is free to download; Book Journal costs $0.49 up front. Pick Up sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Book Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pick Up holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pick Up has 36 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Book Journal's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pick Up's.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Book Journal versus Pick Up: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBook JournalPick Up
Price$0.49Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.9 (36 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings136 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.515.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB152 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKarl CridlandFortune Nweke-Maraizu

Customer experience

Book Journal

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Pick Up

All ratings32 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Book Journal

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Pick Up

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium 6 Months$26.996 Months
  • Premium Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Book Journal free?
Book Journal costs $0.49, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pick Up free?
Pick Up is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Book Journal or Pick Up?
Pick Up is rated higher. Book Journal averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Pick Up averages 4.9 from 36 ratings.
Do Book Journal or Pick Up have ads?
Neither Book Journal nor Pick Up shows ads.

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