Softcover vs Folio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Softcover
Track your reading progress, manage book lists, and connect with a community of readers. Discover new titles, follow friends, and engage in discussions. Features include detailed statistics, release notifications, and home screen widgets.
- Track reading progress (page/percentage/time)
- Manage reading lists (Currently Reading, Want to Read, Finished)
- Follow friends and explore trending titles
- Community book discussions and curated lists
- Detailed reading statistics and annual goals
- Release notifications for anticipated books
- Home screen widgets for reading progress
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your favorite book tracking companion is here! Softcover brings the power of Hardcover to your iPhone with a beautifully designed, native iOS experience. Track Everything You Read Manage your Currently Reading, Want to Read, and Finished lists with ease. Update your progress by page, percentage, or time—perfect for both books and audiobooks. Stay Connected Follow friends, explore trending titles, discover curated community lists, and engage with book discussions. Join a vibrant community of passionate readers. Beautiful Home Screen Widgets Keep your reading progress at your fingertips with elegant widgets showing your current books and reading goals. Smart Features • Detailed reading statistics and annual goals • Release notifications for anticipated titles • Comprehensive book search with ratings and reviews • Edition selection Seamlessly Syncs with Hardcover All your reading data stays perfectly in sync with your Hardcover.app account across all your devices. Requires a free Hardcover.app account.
Folio
This app helps you meticulously track your reading progress, manage your book library, and cultivate a consistent reading habit. It allows for detailed logging of quotes, reviews, and reading statistics, offering a private and organized space for bibliophiles.
- Organize books into shelves
- Save and sync favorite quotes
- Rate books with quarter-star precision
- Import from Goodreads/StoryGraph
- Search, manual entry, or ISBN scan
- Track pages, minutes, and streaks
- Set reading goals
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your books, your reading life, your own space. • Organize your books with shelves, folders, and tags. • Track reading sessions, set goals, and see your progress. • Explore your reading stats, streaks, and calendar. • Save quotes and notes, rate books, and write reviews. • Make Folio yours with themes and a personalized reader profile. • Follow readers, explore their shelves, and exchange messages. • Choose who can see your profile and reading activity. • Discover books, browse recommendations, and explore authors. • Import from Goodreads or StoryGraph, search for books, or scan a barcode. • Keep your current read nearby with widgets and Live Activities. No ads. Read at your own pace.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Folio at 100% against Softcover's 33%. Folio also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Softcover's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On price, ratings volume, ads 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
Both are free to download. Folio sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Softcover asks for nothing beyond the download.
Folio holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Softcover's written reviews are positive against 100% of Folio's.
Softcover ships an update every 2 months, Folio every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Softcover | Folio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 4.7 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 118 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Robin Bolinsson | Miguel Pacheco |
Customer experience
Softcover
Folio
In-app purchases
Softcover
No in-app purchases
Folio
- Folio Plus Monthly$0.991 Month
- Folio Plus Annual$8.991 Year
- Folio Plus Annual7 Days trial$8.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Folio Plus Annual14 Days trial$8.991 Year
- Folio Plus Lifetime$24.99
