Comparison

Penny vs Book Tracker・Reading Log

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

Head to head
About

Penny

This app helps you build a consistent reading habit by tracking your books, timing your reading sessions, and allowing you to take notes. It offers ambient soundscapes to enhance your reading atmosphere and provides detailed progress statistics. The app prioritizes user privacy and works offline.

Highlights
  • Build and organize your book library
  • Track reading sessions with a timer
  • Ambient soundscapes for atmosphere
  • Take notes and track characters
  • View detailed reading progress stats
  • Syncs with iCloud
  • Offline functionality
Read full description

Penny is a reading tracker for people who want a simple, private place for their books. There is no account to create, no ads and no social feed. Your library, your reading time and your notes stay on your iPhone and sync through your own iCloud. Penny 2.0 is the biggest update since launch, and nearly everything in it started as an email or a review from a reader. PICK YOUR PENNY • Four looks: Classic, Paper, Pond (with a dusk mode for reading at night) and Bloom • Each look has its own app icon, and your widgets change with it • Penny now speaks English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. Choose the language in Settings TIME YOUR READING • Start the timer, read, then note the page you stopped on • A short recap after every session with your minutes, pages, streak and week • Your timer on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • A daily reminder at your reading time, free for everyone A BOOKSHELF ON YOUR HOME SCREEN • The new Bookshelf widget lines up the books you finished, spine by spine, in the colors of their covers • Currently Reading and Reading Summary widgets keep your progress in sight • Every widget is free and dresses up for your look STANDING IN A BOOKSTORE? • Scan the barcode and Penny tells you if the book is already yours, in any edition • Put the books you want to buy on your Wishlist • Open the scanner straight from Control Center with the Scan a book control PREVIOUSLY ON… • Back to a book after a break? Penny shows the page you stopped on, your last note and the characters and terms you saved BUILD YOUR LIBRARY • Search millions of books from Google Books, Apple Books and Open Library, or scan the barcode • Bring your library over from Goodreads or StoryGraph with a CSV import • Shelves for To Read, Reading, Finished and DNF, plus shelves of your own • Half-star ratings, for the books that deserve a 3.5 • Finish a book and Penny throws you a small party KEEP WHAT YOU READ • Notes and quotes, a glossary for places and terms, and a character list for every book • Everything stays with its book, easy to find when you need it SEE YOUR PROGRESS • Reading streaks and a calendar with the cover of every book you read each day • Stats for books, pages and time, monthly trends, genres and your Year in Review SET THE MOOD • 19 ambient sounds, from rain on the window to a medieval tavern, and you can mix them PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account, no email, no sign-up • No ads, no tracking, no analytics • Syncs between your iPhone and iPad through your private iCloud FREE AND PREMIUM Most of Penny is free: up to 40 books, the timer and session recaps, stats and streaks, the scanner and Bookstore mode, all four looks, every widget, the daily reminder, iCloud sync and 4 ambient sounds. Premium adds unlimited books, notes, terms and characters, Previously on…, the Wishlist, the Lock Screen timer after your first three sessions, all 19 sounds, custom shelves, CSV export and your full session history. Premium is a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. I made Penny because I wanted a simpler way to keep track of what I read, without accounts or social media. If there's something you'd love to see next, the Send Feedback button in Settings comes straight to me. Terms of Use: https://readwithpenny.online/terms Privacy Policy: https://readwithpenny.online/privacy

About

Book Tracker・Reading Log

Easily build and manage your personal library by adding books via search, ISBN scan, or manual entry. Track reading progress, set goals, and record notes. Enjoy a private reading experience with data stored locally.

Highlights
  • Build personal library
  • Add books by title, author, ISBN, or manual entry
  • Track reading status (Want to Read, Reading, Read, Did Not Finish)
  • Record ratings and notes
  • Set yearly reading goals
  • Built-in reading timer
  • Private, local data storage
Features
Read full description

Your private reading companion Build Your Library • Search by title or author and add a book in one tap. • Or scan its ISBN barcode, or type the details in yourself. • Want to Read · Reading · Read · Did Not Finish • Rating · Notes · Total pages Reach Your Goals • Set yearly targets and watch your progress grow. • Track reading sessions with a built-in timer. Private by Design • Your library, notes, and progress stay on your device. • No accounts required • Book search and ISBN lookup connect to Open Library. ISBN scanning, the reading timer, saved quotes, detailed charts and full backup require a subscription. Terms of Use: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Penny4 screens
Book Tracker・Reading Log4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Penny at 100% against Book Tracker・Reading Log's 0%. Penny also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). Book Tracker・Reading Log's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Penny sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Book Tracker・Reading Log sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Penny ships an update every 9 days, Book Tracker・Reading Log every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Penny versus Book Tracker・Reading Log: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPennyBook Tracker・Reading Log
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperClaudiu Valentin SararuZeroPlay Ltd.

Customer experience

Penny

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Book Tracker・Reading Log

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Penny

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99
2 purchases

Book Tracker・Reading Log

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Pro3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Pro3 Days trial$14.991 Month

Questions

Is Penny free?
Penny is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Book Tracker・Reading Log free?
Book Tracker・Reading Log is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Penny or Book Tracker・Reading Log have ads?
Book Tracker・Reading Log shows ads; Penny does not.
Which is updated more often, Penny or Book Tracker・Reading Log?
Penny ships an update every 9 days, and Book Tracker・Reading Log every 4 months. Most recently, Penny was updated on October 25, 2026 and Book Tracker・Reading Log on October 8, 2026.

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