Comparison

ReadNotes vs OpenBookshelf

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

Head to head
About

ReadNotes

This app helps you remember what you read by taking notes while you read, cleaning them with AI, and generating key takeaways. It tracks your reading progress, builds a personal knowledge library, and offers spaced repetition flashcards.

Highlights
  • AI-powered note cleaning
  • Key takeaway generation
  • Reading progress tracking
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
  • Personal knowledge library
  • Reading statistics and streaks
  • Goodreads library import
Features
Read full description

ReadNotes is the reading tracker and AI note-taking app for people who want to remember what they read, not just finish books. Take notes while you read, clean them up instantly with AI, and generate a single key takeaway from each idea. Over time, ReadNotes builds your personal knowledge library from every book you finish. What you can do: • Write or record voice notes while reading • AI cleans up messy notes into clear, concise text • Generate one key takeaway per note — no rewriting needed • Track books across Reading, Finished, and Want to Read • Review what you learned with spaced repetition flashcards • See your reading stats, streaks, and knowledge by genre • Share insights with friends and see what they're reading • Import your Goodreads library in seconds • Export your notes as PDF Free users get limited AI usage per week. Upgrade to ReadNotes+ for Unlimited AI takeaways and PDF export. Got ideas or questions? Reach out to us at readnotesapp@gmail.com. TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ PRIVACY POLICY: https://readnotes.vercel.app/privacy

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

ReadNotes4 screens
OpenBookshelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: OpenBookshelf at free against ReadNotes's freemium. OpenBookshelf also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). ReadNotes's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. ReadNotes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and OpenBookshelf sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ReadNotes against 5.0 for OpenBookshelf. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ReadNotes has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReadNotes ships an update monthly, OpenBookshelf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
ReadNotes versus OpenBookshelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadNotesOpenBookshelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAKSHAT ROHELLAJared Floersch

Customer experience

ReadNotes

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

OpenBookshelf

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ReadNotes

Subscriptions2
  • ReadNotes+ Monthly$4.991 Month
  • ReadNotes+ Annual$19.991 Year
1 purchases

OpenBookshelf

One-time1
  • Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is ReadNotes free?
ReadNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenBookshelf free?
OpenBookshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ReadNotes or OpenBookshelf?
ReadNotes and OpenBookshelf are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do ReadNotes or OpenBookshelf have ads?
Neither ReadNotes nor OpenBookshelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReadNotes or OpenBookshelf?
ReadNotes ships an update monthly, and OpenBookshelf every 2 weeks. Most recently, ReadNotes was updated on October 5, 2026 and OpenBookshelf on October 1, 2026.

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