Comparison

Leafed vs Ex Libris

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

Head to head
About

Leafed

This private book tracker stores your reading data locally, offering a secure and ad-free experience. It allows for easy book scanning, import from other platforms, and detailed tracking of your reading habits without algorithmic recommendations.

Highlights
  • Local data storage
  • Book scanning (shelf & barcode)
  • Import from other platforms
  • Customizable shelves and goals
  • Reading timer and notes
  • Algorithmic-free discovery
  • Data export
Features
Read full description

Leafed is a calm, friendly place to keep track of what you read and listen to. WHAT LEAFED WON'T DO - No feed, no followers, no algorithm deciding what you read next - No ads, ever - No AI reading your library - No paywall on your stats - Not owned by Amazon What's left is your books, your notes, and the pile you'll get to eventually. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Keep track of what you're reading, what you've finished, and what's waiting on the nightstand - Open to what matters: what you're reading, what's up next from your Want to Read shelf, and the books you looked at but haven't added yet - Find any book on your shelves fast: search ignores accents and capitals, matches authors, and takes an ISBN - Save a line you love by pointing your camera at the page. Leafed turns it into a quote you can keep - Bring in your Kindle highlights - Audiobooks count too: mark a book as an audiobook, log where you stopped in hours and minutes, and rate the narration on its own - Set a goal for the year (books, pages, or hours) and watch it fill up - Sort books onto shelves that make sense to you, and add your own - Add a book in seconds by scanning its barcode - Tap a genre on any book to see what else is in it - Find your next read: what's trending, browse by genre, the New York Times bestseller lists, and indie books you won't see everywhere else - See your reading in Insights: pages read, hours listened, genres, favorite authors and narrators, a reading calendar, and your finished books as spines on a shelf - Read a written recap of your reading year, made on your phone from your own library - Share a book, a goal, or your year as a card sized for Stories or feeds, saved to Photos or sent anywhere COMING FROM ANOTHER APP? Choose the file the other app gave you, and Leafed works out whether it came from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Bookmory, Audible, or Kindle. You see every change before anything is written; you can fill in or update books you already have, and rows that can't be imported come back as a file you can fix. Your shelves, ratings, and dates come with you, and StoryGraph's moods and pace come across too. And you can export everything anytime. Your books are yours, whether you're in or out. WHERE YOUR BOOKS LIVE IS UP TO YOU - On your phone only. That's the default; it works fully offline and requires no account. - iCloud backup, to keep your library safe across your Apple devices, still without an account. - A free Leafed account, if you'd like your library on every phone and tablet you read on, plus on the web at leafed.app. WHAT IT COSTS Nothing. No paywall, no book limit, no subscription. If Leafed earns a spot on your nightstand, there's a tip jar. It unlocks nothing, because you already have the whole app.

About

Ex Libris

Organize your reading life with this app. Easily add books by scanning barcodes or covers, track your reading progress, and save memorable passages. Connect with friends to see what they're reading and share your own literary discoveries.

Highlights
  • Add books via barcode scan or cover photo
  • Track reading progress and pace
  • Save and share favorite passages
  • Create custom bookplates
  • Connect with friends to see their reading
  • Discuss books with other readers
Features
Read full description

Ex Libris is a quiet & cozy home for your reading life. Scan a book's barcode or snap its cover and it lands on your shelf with the details already filled in. Nudge your progress as you read, keep the passages worth keeping, and share the whole thing with your friends. ADD A BOOK IN SECONDS Point your camera at the barcode on the back, or photograph the cover and let your iPhone read the title. Search by title or author, or add rare finds and borrowed copies by hand. FOLLOW YOUR PROGRESS Ex Libris keeps the sessions quietly in the background, works out your pace, and tells you roughly how many days are left in the book. When you finish, rate it, write a line to remember it by, and pass it on. KEEP THE GOOD LINES Scan a page and pull the text straight off it. Highlight the passages that stopped you, add a personal note, and share it with friends. MARK IT AS YOURS Design your own bookplate — a frame, a typeface for your initials, a color. It follows you everywhere you turn up: your profile, your comments, your friends' pages. READ WITH FRIENDS Add friends by handle and see what they're reading. Browse their shelf, read the quotes they've kept, talk about a book with everyone else reading the same edition, and recommend the ones you think they'd enjoy reading too. No ads, or tracking, or a feed to scroll. Just your books, and the people you want to share them with. Ex Libris...from the library of you.

Screenshots

Leafed4 screens
Ex Libris4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ex Libris at none against Leafed's 5. Leafed's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Leafed sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Ex Libris asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Leafed against 5.0 for Ex Libris. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Leafed ships an update every 4 days, Ex Libris monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Leafed versus Ex Libris: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLeafedEx Libris
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike WatsonAtreides LLC

Customer experience

Leafed

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ex Libris

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Leafed

One-time5
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Box Set Tip$19.99
  • First Edition Tip$49.99
None

Ex Libris

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Leafed free?
Leafed is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ex Libris free?
Ex Libris is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Leafed or Ex Libris?
Leafed and Ex Libris are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Leafed or Ex Libris have ads?
Neither Leafed nor Ex Libris shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Leafed or Ex Libris?
Leafed ships an update every 4 days, and Ex Libris monthly. Most recently, Leafed was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ex Libris on October 24, 2026.

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