Comparison

BookFocus vs OpenBookshelf

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

Head to head
About

BookFocus

Features
Read full description

Build a daily reading habit with BookFocus. BookFocus is a reading timer and book tracker designed to help you stay focused while reading. Track your books, pages, reading time, and progress in one simple app. Key Features • Reading Timer for Every Book Track how long you read each book with a dedicated timer. • Page Tracker Save your starting page and last page to easily monitor your reading progress. • Reading Log Automatically record your reading sessions and build your personal reading history. • Library Due Date Reminder Set borrow and return dates and receive reminders before your book is due. • Apple Watch Support Start a reading timer and save your progress directly from your watch. Perfect for: • Building a daily reading habit • Students and language learners • Anyone who wants to stay focused while reading No distractions. Just reading. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

OpenBookshelf

Organize your reading list with a clean, focused book tracker. Easily search millions of titles, import your history from other platforms, and sync across devices without ads or subscriptions. Focus solely on your books.

Highlights
  • Track reading progress
  • Search millions of books
  • Import from Goodreads
  • Sync across devices
  • No ads or subscriptions
  • Organize reading lists
Features
Read full description

Your books. Without the noise. OpenBookshelf is a clean, focused book tracker for readers who want to organize what they read — not be sold a subscription, shown ads, or pushed into a social network. Track your reading in three taps. Search for a book, add it to your shelf, mark it as read. No onboarding wizard, no account creation, no tutorial. Just your books. SEARCH MILLIONS OF BOOKS Find books instantly by title, author, or ISBN — powered by Open Library, the world's largest open book database. No proprietary database, no lock-in. IMPORT FROM GOODREADS Bring your entire reading history with you. Export your Goodreads data and import it into OpenBookshelf in seconds. Keep your shelves, ratings, and reading dates without starting over. SYNC ACROSS DEVICES Your library stays up to date on every device automatically with iCloud. Add a book on your iPhone, see it on your iPad. No account required. WHAT YOU WON'T FIND HERE No algorithmic recommendations. No social feed. No reading challenges designed to make you feel guilty. No ads. No behavioral tracking. No subscription. OpenBookshelf does one thing well: it helps you keep track of what you've read, what you're reading, and what you want to read next. Nothing more. Nothing less. Completely free. No account. No tracking. No catch.

Screenshots

BookFocus4 screens
OpenBookshelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BookFocus at every 4 days against OpenBookshelf's every 2 weeks. OpenBookshelf's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. BookFocus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and OpenBookshelf sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookFocus ships an update every 4 days, OpenBookshelf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
BookFocus versus OpenBookshelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookFocusOpenBookshelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerjaemin parkJared Floersch

In-app purchases

4 purchases

BookFocus

Subscriptions2
  • monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • yearly3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Summer Theme$0.99
  • BookFocus Premium$1.99
1 purchases

OpenBookshelf

One-time1
  • Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is BookFocus free?
BookFocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenBookshelf free?
OpenBookshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BookFocus or OpenBookshelf have ads?
Neither BookFocus nor OpenBookshelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookFocus or OpenBookshelf?
BookFocus ships an update every 4 days, and OpenBookshelf every 2 weeks. Most recently, BookFocus was updated on October 3, 2026 and OpenBookshelf on October 1, 2026.

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