Comparison

OpenBookshelf vs Folio

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

Head to head
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.

About

Folio

Features
Read full description

Folio is the calm, beautiful home for your reading life. Track every book, build a daily reading streak, and watch a year of pages turn into a story worth keeping. Whether you're a one-book-a-month reader or racing through a series, Folio makes the habit feel effortless — and a little bit magical. TRACK WHAT YOU READ • Log reading sessions in seconds — pages, minutes, or audiobooks • Add books instantly by scanning the barcode, or search any title • Organize your shelf: currently reading, finished, and your TBR pile BUILD A READING HABIT • Keep a daily streak going — with freeze protection for the days life gets busy • Set a yearly book goal and a daily page goal that fit your pace • Gentle reminders nudge you back to your book, never nag A JOURNAL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS • Save favorite quotes and reflections as you read • Turn any quote into a beautiful shareable card • Look back on what moved you, book by book YOUR YEAR IN BOOKS • Folio Wrapped turns your reading into stunning year-in-review stats • See pages read, reading days, your busiest months, and more • A reading heatmap that fills in as your year unfolds BEAUTIFUL BY DESIGN • A warm, paper-inspired interface made for book lovers • Full dark mode for late-night chapters • Your real book covers, everywhere you look YOUR DATA IS YOURS • Export your full library and reading history anytime — free, no lock-in • Import a backup to move or restore your shelf • Optional sign-in to sync across devices FOLIO+ Go further with Folio+: • Unlimited books on your shelf • Pace & finish-date projections — know when you'll turn the last page • Deeper Wrapped insights into your reading life Try Folio+ free for 3 days, then $4.99/month or $39.99/year (save ~33%). Start free and upgrade anytime. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Happy reading. — Questions or ideas? We read every one — reach us right inside the app under Settings. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

OpenBookshelf4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Folio at 15.5 against OpenBookshelf's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. OpenBookshelf sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Folio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
OpenBookshelf versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenBookshelfFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJared FloerschDylan Ezzell

In-app purchases

1 purchases

OpenBookshelf

One-time1
  • Unlock$2.99
2 purchases

Folio

Subscriptions2
  • Folio+ Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Folio+ Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is OpenBookshelf free?
OpenBookshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OpenBookshelf or Folio have ads?
Neither OpenBookshelf nor Folio shows ads.

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