ShelfBuddy vs Book Tracker・Reading Log
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ShelfBuddy
Manage your physical book collection digitally with virtual shelves, wishlists, and reading timelines. Track borrowed books with return reminders and view reading statistics. Easily add books by scanning, searching, or manual entry.
- Virtual shelves and wishlists
- ISBN barcode scanning
- Reading progress tracking
- Borrowed book management
- Customizable notes and genres
- Multilingual interface
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ShelfBuddy is your digital bookshelf: beautiful, calm and built entirely around reading. Keep track of every book and audiobook you own, are reading, have lent out or still want. Your whole library, neatly organized, and your data always stays in your hands. Freshly redesigned in the new "Paper & Ink" look. YOUR LIBRARY, ORGANIZED Manage your books the way you want. Create as many shelves as you like, for example Fantasy, Thrillers or Classics, keep a wishlist of books you still want, and plan what to read next with a reading list. The "Continue reading" card puts your current book right on the home screen. Make the overview your own: drag its sections into your order and hide the ones you don't use. BOOK SERIES AT A GLANCE See for every series which volumes you own and which are still missing. Search for a book series or an author under "Series" and browse every volume in reading order, even before you own one. Add missing volumes to your wishlist or a shelf with one tap and get notified when a new volume is released. YOUR DATA, YOUR CHOICE Your library belongs to you, and you decide where it is stored. Keep everything 100% local on your device for full privacy, or turn on optional cloud sync to back up your books and use them on all your devices. On iPhone and iPad you can sync via iCloud or Google Drive, and nothing leaves your device unless you want it to. You can also export a complete backup of your library at any time, so your books are never tied to one platform. ALSO ON YOUR COMPUTER With ShelfBuddy Premium you can open your library in the browser on your computer too, at app.shelfbuddy.de. Link it to your phone once with a QR code, no account needed. Everything is encrypted on your phone before it syncs, so the server cannot read it. TRACK YOUR READING ShelfBuddy is a reading tracker and reading journal in one. Mark each book as unread, reading or read, add start and finish dates, rate your books and see detailed reading statistics by month and year. Share your personal reading recap as an image. READING SESSIONS WITH A READING TIMER Start a reading session and the built-in reading timer starts automatically. When you're done, simply enter your current page and ShelfBuddy updates your reading progress and reading pace. See how long you've read per book, log past reading time after the fact, and start your next session straight from the home screen, the app icon or a widget. INSIGHTS: GET TO KNOW YOUR READING HABITS ShelfBuddy turns your reading sessions into a picture of how you read. A reading calendar shows which days you read and how much. See the time of day and the weekdays you read most, which genres get most of your reading time, your personal records, and how you read each book, devoured in a weekend or savoured in small steps. A short written summary puts your reading year into words. Insights are part of ShelfBuddy Premium. YOUR READING JOURNAL AND BOOK COLLECTION Record every book you've read and make reading a habit. Manage your entire book collection, keep a reading journal, and stay on track with reading goals and a reading challenge. ADD BOOKS IN SECONDS Scan the ISBN barcode, search millions of books, or add books by hand. Imports from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Reado and other apps are supported. AUTHORS AND LENDING Follow your favorite authors and get notified about new titles. The lending feature remembers who has which book, with a reminder to get it back. ALL YOURS Dark mode, selectable accent colors and available in four languages.
Book Tracker・Reading Log
Easily build and manage your personal library by adding books via search, ISBN scan, or manual entry. Track reading progress, set goals, and record notes. Enjoy a private reading experience with data stored locally.
- Build personal library
- Add books by title, author, ISBN, or manual entry
- Track reading status (Want to Read, Reading, Read, Did Not Finish)
- Record ratings and notes
- Set yearly reading goals
- Built-in reading timer
- Private, local data storage
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Your private reading companion Build Your Library • Search by title or author and add a book in one tap. • Or scan its ISBN barcode, or type the details in yourself. • Want to Read · Reading · Read · Did Not Finish • Rating · Notes · Total pages Reach Your Goals • Set yearly targets and watch your progress grow. • Track reading sessions with a built-in timer. Private by Design • Your library, notes, and progress stay on your device. • No accounts required • Book search and ISBN lookup connect to Open Library. ISBN scanning, the reading timer, saved quotes, detailed charts and full backup require a subscription. Terms of Use: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShelfBuddy at 100% against Book Tracker・Reading Log's 0%. ShelfBuddy also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. ShelfBuddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Book Tracker・Reading Log sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ShelfBuddy ships an update every 2 days, Book Tracker・Reading Log every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ShelfBuddy | Book Tracker・Reading Log |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JAN-HENNING BUNS | ZeroPlay Ltd. |
Customer experience
ShelfBuddy
Book Tracker・Reading Log
In-app purchases
ShelfBuddy
- ShelfBuddy Freischaltung$5.99
Book Tracker・Reading Log
- Weekly Pro3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Monthly Pro3 Days trial$14.991 Month
Questions
Is ShelfBuddy free?
Is Book Tracker・Reading Log free?
Do ShelfBuddy or Book Tracker・Reading Log have ads?
Which is updated more often, ShelfBuddy or Book Tracker・Reading Log?
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