Comparison

Pick Up vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

Pick Up

This app helps you manage your reading, track progress, and capture thoughts. It offers personalized recommendations, reading session tracking with ambient sounds, and a voice journal for reflections. Enjoy a beautiful design, cloud sync, and insightful reading statistics.

Highlights
  • Smart book management with ISBN scanning
  • Home Screen widgets and Live Activity integration
  • Book Roulette for random selection
  • Personalized book recommendations
  • Reading session tracking with ambient sounds
  • Voice journal for capturing thoughts
  • Monthly recap and reading statistics
Read full description

Pick Up - Your Personal Reading Companion Transform the way you read, reflect, and remember with Pick Up — the reading companion for people who want more from every book. SMART BOOK MANAGEMENT • Search by title or scan ISBN barcodes to instantly add books • Track reading progress across multiple books • Organise by status: Reading, Finished, Up Next, or DNF • Set a starting page for books you've already begun • Beautiful cover images and detailed metadata WIDGETS & LIVE READING • Add beautiful Home Screen widgets for your current book and reading streak • See your current book on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen while reading • Tap straight back into your active session from the Live Activity BOOK ROULETTE • Can't decide what to read next? Spin the slot machine and let fate choose from your Up Next pile • Start reading your chosen book instantly THE SHELF — BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS • Personalised book recommendations based on your library and reading history • Set your mood, preferred length, and genre to get tailored picks • Discover handpicked books from independent authors in the Indie Picks tab • Save picks directly to your Up Next list READING SESSIONS • Track time spent reading with a built-in stopwatch • Set a countdown timer to challenge yourself or stay focused • Ambient sounds while you read: rain, fireplace, ocean, lo-fi, and more • Pause, resume, or finish early with full control • View complete reading history by book • Build consistent reading habits with session tracking CAPTURED THOUGHTS • Record thoughts while reading with one-tap voice capture • Voice-to-text transcription • Write text reflections • Organise thoughts by book with timestamps • Star important thoughts • Review your complete reading journey MONTHLY RECAP • Shareable card with your reading month at a glance • Book covers, pages read, and reading time • Choose your colour theme and share with friends CLOUD SYNC • Seamless sync across all your devices • Automatic cloud backup • Secure Supabase-powered sync • Access your library anywhere DAILY INSPIRATION • Quote of the Day — a fresh reading quote every day on your home screen • Daily quote notification at your chosen time • Share quotes to social media READING STATISTICS • Track reading streaks • Visual progress indicators • Total books, pages, and thoughts • Personalised reading time estimates REMINDERS & NOTIFICATIONS • Customisable daily reading reminders • Choose your days and times • Gentle nudges to keep your streak alive BEAUTIFUL DESIGN • Clean interface with full dark mode support • Themes: Parchment, Ink, Void, Sepia, Marble, and more • Smooth animations • Designed for readers PRIVACY-FIRST • Local-first architecture — your data stays on your device • Optional cloud sync • No tracking, no ads Perfect for avid readers, book clubs, students, and anyone who wants to remember what they read.

About

Folio

This app helps you meticulously track your reading progress, manage your book library, and cultivate a consistent reading habit. It allows for detailed logging of quotes, reviews, and reading statistics, offering a private and organized space for bibliophiles.

Highlights
  • Organize books into shelves
  • Save and sync favorite quotes
  • Rate books with quarter-star precision
  • Import from Goodreads/StoryGraph
  • Search, manual entry, or ISBN scan
  • Track pages, minutes, and streaks
  • Set reading goals
Features
Read full description

Track the books you read, organize your TBR, and build a bookshelf that feels like yours. Folio brings your library, reading progress, and favorite passages together on iPhone and iPad. • Keep track of what you're reading, what you've finished, and what you want to read next. • Build visual bookshelves: arrange your books, add decorations, and share an image of your shelf. • Add books with search or barcode scanning, or import your library from Goodreads or StoryGraph. • Log reading sessions with a timer and update your progress by page or percentage. • Set reading goals and see your activity in a calendar, with stats and streaks. • Save notes and quotes, rate books, and write reviews. • Connect with other readers when you choose. Follow their shelves and exchange messages with an account. Control who can see your profile and reading activity. Start tracking your books without an account. Folio Plus adds library sync across devices, advanced stats, widgets, Live Activities, extra goals, curated discovery, and more bookshelf customization. No ads. Read at your own pace.

Screenshots

Pick Up4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Folio at every 4 days against Pick Up's every 10 days. Pick Up's advantage is ratings volume (26 vs 8) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Pick Up sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Folio sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. 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 — 4.8 for Pick Up against 4.8 for Folio. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pick Up ships an update every 10 days, Folio every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pick Up versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPick UpFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (26 ratings)4.8 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings26 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size134 MB123 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFortune Nweke-MaraizuMiguel Pacheco

Customer experience

Pick Up

All ratings26 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Folio

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pick Up

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium 6 Months$26.996 Months
  • Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
5 purchases

Folio

Subscriptions4
  • Folio Plus Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Folio Plus Annual$8.991 Year
  • Folio Plus Annual7 Days trial$8.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Folio Plus Annual14 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time1
  • Folio Plus Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Pick Up free?
Pick Up is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pick Up or Folio?
Pick Up and Folio are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 26 and 8 ratings respectively.
Do Pick Up or Folio have ads?
Neither Pick Up nor Folio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pick Up or Folio?
Pick Up ships an update every 10 days, and Folio every 4 days. Most recently, Pick Up was updated on October 7, 2026 and Folio on October 18, 2026.

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