Comparison

Bookshelf Scanner vs Liboka

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

Head to head
About

Bookshelf Scanner

Effortlessly scan entire bookshelves to identify valuable books based on your personal preferences. This tool helps you discover hidden gems in second-hand shops and track books you want, love, or have acquired. It integrates with Goodreads and StoryGraph for tailored recommendations.

Highlights
  • Scan entire bookshelves at once
  • Discover hidden gems in second-hand shops
  • Spot books matching your reading taste
  • Track books you want, love, or have grabbed
  • Import from Goodreads or StoryGraph
  • Personalized recommendations
Features
Read full description

Your next great read is hiding on a $2 shelf somewhere. Spines helps you find it. Point your camera at a shelf in a thrift store, used bookstore, garage sale, or library sale. Spines identifies the books in seconds and highlights the ones worth grabbing — including award winners, bestsellers, highly rated books, and titles matched to your personal taste. No more standing in the aisle Googling every title. No more leaving a Pulitzer winner behind because you didn't recognize the author. Spines turns a chaotic bookshelf into a personalized shortlist. HOW IT WORKS 1. Scan — Point your camera at a bookshelf and snap a photo 2. Identify — AI reads the spines and identifies the books automatically 3. Discover — See awards, ratings, and personalized recommendations WHAT SPINES SPOTS • Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists • National Book Award winners • Booker Prize winners and finalists • Women's Prize for Fiction winners • New York Times Bestsellers • Highly rated reader favorites • Books matched to the genres, authors, and publishers you love BUILT FOR BOOK HUNTING • AI Bookshelf Scanner — Identify dozens of books from a single shelf photo • For You — Personalized picks based on your reading taste • Goodreads & StoryGraph Import — Bring your reading history into Spines • Hunt List — Save books you want to find, love, or have already grabbed • Scan History — Revisit shelves you've scanned • Spot Books Nearby — See where interesting books have been spotted • Book Details — Ratings, descriptions, awards, and more PERFECT FOR • Thrift stores and garage sales • Used and antiquarian bookstores • Library book sales • Little Free Libraries and community book exchanges • Browsing a friend's bookshelf • Building your reading list from books you find in the real world FREE TO USE Scan up to 3 shelves per month for free. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited scans, full scan history, award and bestseller signals, Hunt List, Goodreads import, and smarter personalized recommendations — with a 14-day free trial. Your next favorite book is already on a shelf somewhere. Spines helps you find it first. --- Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://spinesapp.com/privacy

About

Liboka

Features
Read full description

Liboka is your personal library and reading companion. Build a personal space for your books without feeds, likes, or social pressure. Add titles to your bookshelf, track your reading status, and organize everything in collections that match your taste. What you can do in Liboka: - Build your personal bookshelf Add books from catalog search, scan barcodes, or create fully custom books with your own cover photo and details. - Track your reading progress Set each book to Unread, Wishlist, Reading, Read, or Did Not Finish so your library always reflects where you are. - Organize with collections Create and manage custom collections, then add or remove books anytime. - Explore by genre and mood Browse genres, discover mood-based suggestions from your own library, and jump deeper from author and series context. - Keep control of your data Your data is stored on your device, and you can export/import manual ZIP backups (including custom cover media). Liboka is designed for readers who want a simple and useful app for your library.

Screenshots

Bookshelf Scanner4 screens
Liboka4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Liboka at none against Bookshelf Scanner's 4. Liboka also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Bookshelf Scanner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Liboka asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bookshelf Scanner ships an update every 5 days, Liboka every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Bookshelf Scanner versus Liboka: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookshelf ScannerLiboka
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews36.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTrue Story LimitedMagnus Nordbye

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Bookshelf Scanner

Subscriptions4
  • Spines Premium$6.991 Month
  • Spines Hunter$19.991 Month
  • Spines Premium14 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Spines Hunter$149.991 Year
None

Liboka

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bookshelf Scanner free?
Bookshelf Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Liboka free?
Liboka is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Bookshelf Scanner or Liboka have ads?
Bookshelf Scanner shows ads; Liboka does not.
Which is updated more often, Bookshelf Scanner or Liboka?
Bookshelf Scanner ships an update every 5 days, and Liboka every 4 days. Most recently, Bookshelf Scanner was updated on October 25, 2026 and Liboka on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons