Comparison

Parch vs Ex Libris

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

Head to head
About

Parch

This app helps you track your reading habits, set personal goals, and journal your thoughts on books and audiobooks. It offers a calm, ad-free space to log sessions, save favorite quotes, and visualize your reading history on a calendar. You can also import your Goodreads library and share beautiful reading cards.

Highlights
  • Track books and audiobooks
  • Log reading sessions and streaks
  • Set personalized reading goals
  • Save quotes and highlights
  • View reading history on a calendar
  • Import Goodreads library
  • Share reading cards
Features
Read full description

Parch is a calm reading log and book journal for books and audiobooks. Track what you read, set reading goals, keep your streak, and save the lines you love. Free, with no ads and no feed. Your reading sanctuary, without the noise. TRACK EVERY BOOK YOU READ Add books and audiobooks to your library, mark what you're reading, finished or didn't finish, and build a reading history you'll love looking back on. Unlimited books, always. LOG EVERY SESSION Log pages or minutes in a few taps and add a note while it's fresh. Every session builds your streak and moves your goals forward. SET READING GOALS THAT FIT YOUR LIFE Build a reading challenge around how you actually read: • Books: "Read 24 books this year" • Time: "Read 30 minutes a day" • Audiobooks: "Finish 12 audiobooks this year" • Streaks: keep your reading or listening streak alive Goals can be daily, weekly or yearly. Track your progress privately, without a public leaderboard. SAVE THE LINES YOU LOVE Keep quotes, highlights and notes with the book and page they came from. Snap a photo of a page to capture a quote, or record a quick voice note while you read. YOUR READING ON A CALENDAR See every book and session on a calendar. Spot your busy months, your quiet seasons and the time of day you read best. BRING YOUR GOODREADS LIBRARY Switching trackers shouldn't mean starting over. Import your Goodreads library and keep your shelves, ratings and reading history in a calmer home. CELEBRATE EVERY MILESTONE Finished a book? Hit a goal? Kept a 30-day streak? Parch marks the moment, so your progress feels earned. SHARE BEAUTIFUL READING CARDS Turn your reading into cards worth posting: • Quotes and highlights • Reading stats, progress and streaks • Reviews and recommendations • Monthly recaps and your year in books Share to Instagram, stories or group chats, or keep them for yourself. FREE AND PREMIUM Free: tracking, your library, goals, streaks, stats, the calendar, Goodreads import and sharing. Parch Premium adds Reading Guide (plan a finish date, adjust your pace and get reading reminders), unlimited page scans and unlimited voice notes. Free includes 10 scans a month. BUILT FOR READERS, NOT ALGORITHMS No ads, no endless feed, no pressure to perform. Just a private space to read more, track honestly and share in a way that feels like you. Add your first book and watch your reading life take shape. Privacy Policy: https://www.readparch.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.readparch.com/terms

About

Ex Libris

Organize your reading life with this app. Easily add books by scanning barcodes or covers, track your reading progress, and save memorable passages. Connect with friends to see what they're reading and share your own literary discoveries.

Highlights
  • Add books via barcode scan or cover photo
  • Track reading progress and pace
  • Save and share favorite passages
  • Create custom bookplates
  • Connect with friends to see their reading
  • Discuss books with other readers
Features
Read full description

Ex Libris is a quiet & cozy home for your reading life. Scan a book's barcode or snap its cover and it lands on your shelf with the details already filled in. Nudge your progress as you read, keep the passages worth keeping, and share the whole thing with your friends. ADD A BOOK IN SECONDS Point your camera at the barcode on the back, or photograph the cover and let your iPhone read the title. Search by title or author, or add rare finds and borrowed copies by hand. FOLLOW YOUR PROGRESS Ex Libris keeps the sessions quietly in the background, works out your pace, and tells you roughly how many days are left in the book. When you finish, rate it, write a line to remember it by, and pass it on. KEEP THE GOOD LINES Scan a page and pull the text straight off it. Highlight the passages that stopped you, add a personal note, and share it with friends. MARK IT AS YOURS Design your own bookplate — a frame, a typeface for your initials, a color. It follows you everywhere you turn up: your profile, your comments, your friends' pages. READ WITH FRIENDS Add friends by handle and see what they're reading. Browse their shelf, read the quotes they've kept, talk about a book with everyone else reading the same edition, and recommend the ones you think they'd enjoy reading too. No ads, or tracking, or a feed to scroll. Just your books, and the people you want to share them with. Ex Libris...from the library of you.

Screenshots

Parch4 screens
Ex Libris4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ex Libris at none against Parch's 2. Ex Libris also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). Parch's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly). On price, rating, ads 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. Parch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Ex Libris asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Parch against 5.0 for Ex Libris. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Parch ships an update every 6 days, Ex Libris monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Parch versus Ex Libris: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterParchEx Libris
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB10 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJustin MianoAtreides LLC

Customer experience

Parch

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

Ex Libris

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Parch

Subscriptions2
  • Parch Premium — Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Parch Premium — Annual$49.991 Year
None

Ex Libris

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Parch free?
Parch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ex Libris free?
Ex Libris is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Parch or Ex Libris?
Parch and Ex Libris are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Parch or Ex Libris have ads?
Neither Parch nor Ex Libris shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Parch or Ex Libris?
Parch ships an update every 6 days, and Ex Libris monthly. Most recently, Parch was updated on October 28, 2026 and Ex Libris on October 24, 2026.

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