Comparison

BookBound vs BookSafe

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

Head to head
About

BookBound

Features
Read full description

BookBound is a reading tracker for people who love books. Keep your entire reading life in one calm, beautifully designed app β€” from the titles on your wish list to the page you finished last night. THREE SMART SHELVES Sort every book into Want to Read, Reading, and Finished. Moving a book between shelves is a single tap, and BookBound records the dates you start and finish each title so your reading history builds itself. PAGE-BY-PAGE PROGRESS Log your current page whenever you pick up a book. A visual progress bar shows exactly how far you've come, and BookBound automatically moves a book to Finished the moment you reach the last page. SET AND CRUSH YOUR READING GOAL Choose a yearly reading goal and track your pace all year. Your stats dashboard shows books read, books in progress, and how your year is shaping up β€” so every finish feels like a milestone. RATE, REVIEW & REFLECT Give every book a star rating and write a personal review you can revisit anytime. Your reviews stay with you, building a private journal of everything you've read. DISCOVER MILLIONS OF BOOKS Search the full Google Books catalog right inside the app. Browse cover art, read descriptions, check page counts, and add any title to your shelves in seconds. KNOW YOUR READING TASTE Take a quick taste quiz and BookBound builds a personal reading profile from the genres you love β€” a simple way to decide what to read next. BEAUTIFUL LITERARY DESIGN Warm serif typography, a burgundy-and-cream palette, and carefully considered spacing give BookBound the feeling of a well-typeset book. TRUE DARK MODE Every screen adapts to your system appearance, with a genuine dark theme that's easy on the eyes at any hour. BUILT FOR EVERYONE Full VoiceOver support, Dynamic Type scaling, and clear navigation make BookBound comfortable for every reader. BookBound is made for readers who love keeping track of what they read β€” and dreaming up what to read next. Download it today and turn every book into a chapter of your reading story.

About

BookSafe

Manage your personal book collection, track reading progress, and organize wishlists. Features include ISBN scanning, custom lists, reading statistics, and borrowed book tracking. Syncs across Apple devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Build and manage personal book library
  • Track reading progress and statistics
  • Organize wishlists with release date countdowns
  • Scan ISBNs for automatic book data import
  • Create custom lists and series groupings
  • Syncs via iCloud across Apple devices
  • Track borrowed books with due dates
Features
Read full description

BookSafe is your personal book manager – beautiful, fast and private. Build your library, track your reading, keep an eye on your wishlist. No account, no ads, no data collection. YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE β€’ The Today tab shows you a daily page: quote, yearly goal, current book, upcoming dates. β€’ A new reading quote every day – in a card design that changes daily. ON IPHONE, IPAD, IPHONE DUO AND APPLE WATCH β€’ iPhone + iPad, always in sync – via your private iCloud, no sign-up needed. β€’ A full iPad layout: sidebar, wide lists, two-column statistics, large calendar – and in landscape, list and book side by side. β€’ Made for iPhone Duo: fully usable on the outer and inner display, cover and details on either side of the fold when unfolded, the reading timer above the fold in tabletop mode. β€’ An extra-large widget for your iPad Home Screen. β€’ Apple Watch: start, pause, finish or discard reading sessions right on your wrist – works without your iPhone, too. ADD BOOKS IN SECONDS β€’ Scan an ISBN – title, author, cover and publisher arrive automatically from several book databases. β€’ No readable barcode? The scanner reads the printed ISBN, too. β€’ Or add books manually and edit them freely. β€’ Duplicates are detected before they end up in your library. β€’ Import CSV files from other book apps – with ratings, reading status, tags and notes. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR OVERVIEW β€’ Reading status: Unread, Reading, Finished, Listened (audiobooks), Abandoned and Wishlist. β€’ List and gallery views, sorted and filtered by status, tag or series. β€’ Half-star ratings and notes. β€’ Your own lists like β€œAutumn reads” or β€œHoliday 2027” – with their own view, search and sorting. β€’ Series are grouped automatically – you see which volume is missing and add it in the edition you prefer. Special volumes like β€œbook 8.5” sit right, too. β€’ If you like, your library shows each series as a single entry. β€’ A location for your own books: record place and shelf – and search by them. β€’ Picked the wrong edition? Simply swap it for another edition of the same volume. READING PROGRESS & STATS β€’ Reading sessions with a live timer, reading streak and pace insights. β€’ Your running session shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island – pause or end it with a single tap. β€’ Statistics on finished books, genres, pages and years. β€’ Achievements, badges and a yearly reading challenge with your own goal. β€’ Year in Review: your numbers, your top 3 with medals – and your reading year as a film to share, in three designs. β€’ Authors and genres are tappable – browse on and add finds straight to your wishlist. WISHLIST & COUNTDOWN WIDGET β€’ Save upcoming books with their release date. β€’ A countdown shows the days until release – with a reminder. β€’ On release day, BookSafe celebrates with a big cover and a little fireworks display. β€’ The widget shows your next release on your Home and Lock Screen. KEEP TRACK OF BORROWED BOOKS β€’ Mark books as borrowed – with source (library, friends) and due date. β€’ A countdown reminds you before the loan period ends. β€’ Extend or return with a single tap. SHARE & EXPORT β€’ Share your favourite books as share cards – or your reading update as a story image. β€’ Share your own lists and your wishlist as an image or as text. β€’ Export your library as CSV or PDF – your data is yours. β€’ A complete backup as a single file – restore it on a new device. GERMAN & ENGLISH β€’ The app follows your device language automatically. FREE & BOOKSAFE PRO β€’ Free for up to 50 books – with every feature. β€’ With BookSafe Pro, unlimited books. One-time purchase, no subscription. Your library is yours: no login, no tracking, no third-party servers – everything lives on your device and syncs only to your private iCloud. Offline, too. Happy reading!

Screenshots

BookBound3 screens
BookSafe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookBound at none against BookSafe's 1. BookSafe's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. BookSafe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BookBound asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookBound ships an update every 4 months, BookSafe weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 5 level
BookBound versus BookSafe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookBoundBookSafe
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
Monetizationβ€”Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch β€” better
Requires iOS26.018.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size10 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteve ScottFabian Grill

In-app purchases

None

BookBound

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

BookSafe

One-time1
  • BookSafe Pro$3.99

Questions

Is BookBound free?
BookBound is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookSafe free?
BookSafe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BookBound or BookSafe have ads?
Neither BookBound nor BookSafe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookBound or BookSafe?
BookBound ships an update every 4 months, and BookSafe weekly. Most recently, BookBound was updated on September 28, 2026 and BookSafe on October 16, 2026.

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