Comparison

ReadMe vs Better Bookshelf

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

Head to head
About

ReadMe

This app helps you meticulously track your reading progress, visualize your habits with a calendar heatmap, and build consistent reading streaks. Organize your library, discover reading patterns, and enjoy a beautiful, ad-free experience designed for iOS.

Highlights
  • Log reading sessions by pages and time
  • Visual calendar heatmap for activity
  • Build and track reading streaks
  • Automatic reading speed calculation
  • Detailed reading statistics and charts
  • Organize books into custom shelves
  • Search and add books from external libraries
Features
Read full description

Your Reading Journey, Beautifully Tracked ReadMe is the elegant book tracking app designed exclusively for iOS readers who want more from their reading life. Whether you're a casual reader or racing through your TBR pile, ReadMe turns every page into progress you can see. TRACK EVERY PAGE - Log reading sessions with pages read and time spent - Visual calendar heatmap shows your reading activity at a glance - Build reading streaks and watch your consistency grow - Calculate your reading speed automatically BEAUTIFUL STATISTICS - Year-over-year comparisons to see your growth - Monthly breakdowns with cumulative progress charts - Discover your most productive reading days - Track top genres and reading patterns - See your ratings distribution across all books ORGANIZE YOUR LIBRARY - Manage books across Reading, To Read, and Completed shelves - Create a Wish List for future purchases - Search and add books from Google Books and Open Library - Rate and review finished books - Add any book, even without page counts DESIGNED FOR iOS - Liquid glass aesthetic matches iOS 26 design standards - Beautiful dark mode support - Smooth animations and haptic feedback - Comfortable one-handed use - Native performance with offline support YOUR DATA, YOUR PRIVACY - All your reading data synced across devices - No ads, no tracking, no distractions Whether you're tracking a single book or managing hundreds, ReadMe makes every reading session count. Join readers who've discovered the joy of seeing their progress visualized beautifully. Start your reading journey today.

About

Better Bookshelf

Consolidate all your books from physical shelves, Kindle, and Audible into a single, private digital library. Easily add books by scanning barcodes, taking photos, or importing existing libraries. Revisit your favorite highlighted passages and track your reading progress.

Highlights
  • Scan barcodes or covers to add books
  • Import Kindle and Audible libraries
  • Consolidate books across multiple formats
  • Save and revisit highlighted passages
  • Track reading status and personal ratings
  • Mark books as lent
Features
Read full description

Scan an entire bookshelf. Find the book you want. Remember the book, but not where you put it? Take one clear photo of your bookshelf. Better Bookshelf uses AI to identify the books and save their positions. Add matched titles to your library, then search for a book and see it highlighted on your shelf photo. YOUR WHOLE SHELF, ONE PHOTO Build your book inventory without scanning every barcode. Photograph a bookshelf, add identified books together, and help with any uncertain matches. Search by title, scan a barcode, or link a book already in your library. KNOW WHERE YOUR BOOKS ARE Search your saved shelves by title or author. Tap a result to see the book's location, with a close-up and nearby identified books to guide you. You can also choose Find on shelf from a book in your library. KEEP UP WITH YOUR COLLECTION Give each shelf a name. When books move, take a new photo to update that shelf. Better Bookshelf checks your existing library for matches, helping you connect books you already own to their locations. YOUR READING LIFE, TOGETHER • Catalog physical books, ebooks and audiobooks. • Add individual books by barcode or title. • Import supported Kindle, Audible and Goodreads CSV files. • Track unread, reading and read books. • Keep a reading list and record ratings and reviews. • Back up your library to Google Drive. START WITH 50 BOOKS FREE Use barcode scanning or title search to catalog your first 50 books. Whole-shelf AI scanning is included with the paid Unlimited upgrade. UNLIMITED BOOKS. SIX WHOLE-SHELF AI SCANS. The one-time Unlimited purchase removes your library-size limit and includes six AI shelf scans. Already purchased Unlimited? Restore your purchase to link your included scans. The six included scans are granted once, not every month. Need more? Buy additional packs of six scans. Your local price is shown before purchase. One successfully processed shelf photo uses one scan credit, including a new photo used to update a shelf. Fixing matches, adding identified books and searching saved shelves use no scan credits. ABOUT SHELF SCANNING AI scanning requires internet access. Your selected photo is sent to OpenAI through Better Bookshelf for identification. Clear, well-lit photos with readable spines work best. Some books may need correction or manual identification. Shelf locations reflect your saved photo; update it when books move. Your saved library and shelf photos stay on your device, with optional Google Drive backup. Google Drive sign-in is not required to scan a shelf.

Screenshots

ReadMe4 screens
Better Bookshelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ReadMe at 5.0 against Better Bookshelf's 4.4. ReadMe also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Better Bookshelf's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, ads, monetization model 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. Better Bookshelf sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. ReadMe asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ReadMe holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Better Bookshelf has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReadMe ships an update every 6 weeks, Better Bookshelf every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ReadMe versus Better Bookshelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadMeBetter Bookshelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJosh EngelsMatthew Smith

Customer experience

ReadMe

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Better Bookshelf

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ReadMe

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Better Bookshelf

One-time3
  • Premium — Unlimited Library$9.99
  • 6 Whole Shelf AI Scans$10.00
  • Premium — Unlimited Library$29.99

Questions

Is ReadMe free?
ReadMe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Better Bookshelf free?
Better Bookshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ReadMe or Better Bookshelf?
ReadMe is rated higher. ReadMe averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Better Bookshelf averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.
Do ReadMe or Better Bookshelf have ads?
Neither ReadMe nor Better Bookshelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReadMe or Better Bookshelf?
ReadMe ships an update every 6 weeks, and Better Bookshelf every 3 days. Most recently, ReadMe was updated on October 24, 2026 and Better Bookshelf on October 24, 2026.

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