Comparison

Nookd 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

Nookd

Effortlessly save book recommendations from photos, screenshots, or your camera roll. Organize your reading list, discover personalized picks, and track your progress. Buy books, share recommendations, and set reading goals within the app.

Highlights
  • Save books from photos and screenshots
  • Organize books into reading lists
  • Personalized book recommendations
  • In-app book purchasing
  • Share recommendations with friends
  • Set and track reading goals
Features
Read full description

You want to read, but your phone keeps winning. Nookd blocks the apps pulling you away and helps you build a reading habit that sticks. Ten minutes a day, and you're back to the books you love. And every rec you screenshot and forget? Nookd shelves those too. BLOCK THE SCROLL A reading app with app blocking built in, made to turn even ten minutes a day into a habit. Start a Bookmark session and your distracting apps go behind a gentle blocking screen until your reading time is up. NIGHTLY CHAPTER Set a recurring reading window and Nookd blocks your chosen apps automatically, no tap needed. The rec you loved at 11 pm finally gets read at 9. STREAKS & MILESTONES Every finished session builds your streak and climbs the milestone ladder, from Spine Cracked to Shelf Legend. Reading time you can see, stacking up day after day. And when you drift, Nookd nudges you gently back to your book. Encouragement, never guilt. WIDGETS & LIVE COUNTDOWN Your streak, your book, and a one-tap 30 minute session live right on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. Start a session and a live countdown keeps time while you read. SAVE ANY WAY YOU FIND BOOKS Screenshot, snap, or upload. If there's a book in it, Nookd finds it and shelves it instantly. No typing. No searching. No losing it forever in your camera roll. YOUR SHELF, YOUR WAY Want to read, currently reading, finished. Every rec you've ever saved, finally organized in one beautiful place. PICKS THAT GET YOU Nookd's BookPrint™ learns your taste with every book you add. Swipe through personalized recommendations that get eerily good over time. Like a friend who's read everything and actually listens. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your library and reading stats live on your device. And Apple's Screen Time technology means Nookd never sees which apps you block. Ever. In a world fighting for your attention, reading is a quiet rebellion. Nookd puts it back within reach. Built by a reader drowning in forgotten BookTok recs. Sound familiar? App blocking, Nightly Chapter, and unlimited books require a Nookd+ subscription (monthly, annual, or lifetime). Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

Nookd4 screens
Ex Libris4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ex Libris at none against Nookd's 3. Ex Libris also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks). Nookd's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). 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. Nookd sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 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 Nookd against 5.0 for Ex Libris. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nookd has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nookd ships an update every 5 weeks, Ex Libris every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Nookd versus Ex Libris: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNookdEx Libris
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLiaison & Partners LLCAtreides LLC

Customer experience

Nookd

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ex Libris

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Nookd

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Annual$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$99.99
None

Ex Libris

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nookd free?
Nookd 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, Nookd or Ex Libris?
Nookd and Ex Libris are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Nookd or Ex Libris have ads?
Neither Nookd nor Ex Libris shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nookd or Ex Libris?
Nookd ships an update every 5 weeks, and Ex Libris every 10 days. Most recently, Nookd was updated on October 16, 2026 and Ex Libris on October 9, 2026.

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