Comparison

The ARC Library vs Nous

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

Head to head
About

The ARC Library

Manage your book review workflow with this comprehensive tool. Track ARCs, deadlines, reading progress, and create polished reviews. Features include detailed statistics, a content creator hub, and a public reader profile.

Highlights
  • Track ARCs by ISBN, title, or barcode
  • Interactive reading calendar with deadlines
  • Detailed reading statistics and analytics
  • Rich text review editor with checklist
  • Content creator hub for social media campaigns
  • Public reader profile for showcasing stats
  • TBR spin wheel and Bingo Challenge
Features
Read full description

ARC Library is the all-in-one platform for ARC readers, reviewers, book content creators, and authors. Whether you're keeping an overflowing ARC list under control or running your own ARC campaigns, ARC Library brings your books, deadlines, reviews, teams, campaigns, and reader connections together in one place. FOR READERS TRACK YOUR ARCS Add books by title, ISBN, or barcode and keep track of everything from received to reviewed. Log your reading progress by pages, audio minutes, or percentage, and use reading pace calculations to stay ahead of deadlines. NEVER MISS A DEADLINE See publication dates, review deadlines, PR tasks, and other important dates in your reading calendar. Due-soon alerts help you see what needs your attention next. REVIEW EDITOR Write and save reviews directly in ARC Library. Keep notes and quotes while you read, use structured review prompts, and copy your finished review when you're ready to post. READING STATISTICS Explore detailed statistics covering your ARCs, personal books, reviews, teams, PR activity, ratings, genres, reading habits, and more. SPICE AND SWOON RATINGS Track spice and swoon levels for your books, explore your rating distributions, and filter your library by level. CONTENT CREATOR TOOLS Keep track of cover reveals, release posts, reviews, PR campaigns, and other content across your social channels. YOUR ARC READER PROFILE Create a shareable reader profile featuring your reading activity, reviews, favorite genres, social links, and more. Give authors and publishers a better picture of who you are as a reviewer. DISCOVER NEW OPPORTUNITIES Browse forms shared by authors for ARC applications, teams, campaigns, and other opportunities. TBR TOOLS Not sure what to read next? Use the TBR Spin Wheel, reading challenges, and other tools to make choosing your next book a little more fun. FOR AUTHORS MANAGE YOUR BOOKS Keep your books and their ARC information organized in one place. RUN ARC CAMPAIGNS Create and manage ARC campaigns, organize applications, work with readers, and keep track of your campaign from start to finish. FIND ARC READERS Use the Reader Database to discover readers based on genres, tropes, social platforms, activity, and other information they choose to share. CREATE AND SHARE FORMS Create forms for ARC applications, reader teams, PR campaigns, and more. Share them directly or make them discoverable through the ARC Library Form Catalog. MANAGE YOUR READERS Keep your ARC readers and campaign information organized without relying on scattered spreadsheets, forms, messages, and notes. BUILD YOUR TEAMS Create and manage reader teams and keep the people supporting your books connected to your campaigns. ONE LIBRARY, TWO SIDES OF THE ARC EXPERIENCE ARC Library brings readers and authors together while giving each side the tools they need. Readers get a home for their ARCs, reviews, deadlines, statistics, teams, and content. Authors get tools to manage books, campaigns, applications, readers, and ARC teams. FREE TO START Get started with ARC Library for free, with optional Premium plans unlocking additional tools, customization, statistics, and features. Built by a reader who wanted a better way to manage the beautifully chaotic world of ARCs. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms & Conditions: https://arc-library.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://arc-library.com/privacy

About

Nous

This app helps you actively track your reading by taking notes, capturing highlights, and organizing your library. It offers features for reflection, goal setting, and seamless integration with other services to enhance your reading experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time reading notes and thoughts
  • Book library organization
  • Highlight capture via typing or OCR
  • Reading session reflection and summary
  • Goal setting and streak tracking
  • Sync with Obsidian and Kindle
  • Homescreen widgets
Features
Read full description

TRACK READING THOUGHTS IN REAL TIME • Read actively by taking notes and thoughts during a session • Type or dictate your session book notes, and capture mid-session thoughts without breaking flow • Add highlights and book quotes by typing or scanning the book with OCR • Struggle to remember what you read? Actively recall previous reading sessions to enhance memory YOUR LIBRARY • Organize your books: includes TBR, Next, Reading, Finished, Paused, and Did Not Finish (DNF) • Search by title or author, scan an ISBN, or library import from other apps • Track print by pages, ebooks by percentage location, audiobooks by listening time • Categorize books with personal tags • Sync your library on iCloud — access on all your devices • Connect to Kindle for seamless highlight capture DON'T JUST RECORD — REFLECT • Each book has a session history so you can see progress over time • Finishing a book opens a reflection: rate it, write a summary or book review, and see your reading pace charted over time • Half-star ratings supported • Weekly, monthly, and yearly views show what you've actually read • Search highlights and session notes to look back on your thinking ENHANCE MOTIVATION AND REACH YOUR READING GOALS • Keep your daily streak going — or don't — streaks are optional • Set daily or yearly reading goals: build a consistent habit and hit yearly book challenges • Track your focus and energy levels over time • Homescreen widgets: streaks, yearly reading, and reading goal INTEGRATE AND EXPORT YOUR NOTES • Sync with Obsidian to upload book notes, session summaries, and highlights to your vault • Export sessions immediately after they occur • Save all your sessions and export as a whole book, all your notes and reflections • Backup and restore: make sure your notes are always safe. Includes optional iCloud backup Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

The ARC Library4 screens
Nous4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: The ARC Library at 8 against Nous's 1. The ARC Library also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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. The ARC Library sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Nous sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 — 5.0 for The ARC Library against 5.0 for Nous. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The ARC Library has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The ARC Library ships an update every 8 days, Nous weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
The ARC Library versus Nous: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe ARC LibraryNous
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB31 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperRomana AdamkaCaelan Mitchell

Customer experience

The ARC Library

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Nous

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

In-app purchases

4 purchases

The ARC Library

Subscriptions4
  • ARC Addon (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • ARC Library Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • ARC Addon (Yearly)$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • ARC Library Premium (yearly)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
2 purchases

Nous

Subscriptions2
  • Nous Plus — Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Nous Plus — Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is The ARC Library free?
The ARC Library is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nous free?
Nous is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The ARC Library or Nous?
The ARC Library and Nous are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 8 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do The ARC Library or Nous have ads?
Neither The ARC Library nor Nous shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The ARC Library or Nous?
The ARC Library ships an update every 8 days, and Nous weekly. Most recently, The ARC Library was updated on September 26, 2026 and Nous on September 1, 2026.

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