Comparison

CardBal vs BookSide

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

Head to head
About

CardBal

Read full description

CardBal turns your iPhone into a pro reader for transit and stored-value cards. Hold a card to the top of your iPhone to see its balance, rides and card details, and the raw data behind them. READ • Balance and remaining trips • Ride history with stations, lines, distances and fares where the card stores them • Card details such as card family, number, issue date and technology • Raw data and a full hex export, with an optional Developer Mode for KS X 6924 cards SEE WHERE YOU'VE BEEN • Ride Map draws the routes your cards remember • Transit Atlas maps every city and province you have ridden in KEEP YOUR CARDS • A wallet of every card you have read, with names, icons and your own card photos • iCloud backup and file export • Card numbers can be shown in full, masked or hidden APPLE WALLET CARDS Read a supported Apple Wallet transit card on another iPhone or Apple Watch with Service Mode turned on. SUPPORTED CARDS Japan (FeliCa): Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, SUGOCA, nimoca, Kitaca, manaca, TOICA, Hayakaken, SAPICA, IruCa, OKICA and more Japan (e-money): nanaco, Rakuten Edy, WAON Greater China (T-Union): 300+ city cards, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, plus City Union cards Hong Kong: Octopus South Korea (KS X 6924): T-money, EZL, Cashbee Mongolia: U-Money France (Calypso): Lignes d'Azur Readable balances and history depend on the card, its issuer and the data stored on it. CardBal reads card information; it cannot top up cards. CardBal is an independent reader and is not affiliated with transit operators.

About

BookSide

Features
Read full description

BookSide is a family reading and growth platform built around a shared home library. Create a family space, add books, and let each family member keep their own reading status and records. Save reviews and excerpts, listen to audio, read ebooks, and revisit your family's reading journey through growth insights. Key features: • Shared family bookshelf • Individual reading status and interests • Reading logs and growth history • Book reviews and excerpts • Audio, narration, and ebook support • Private family content with optional public sharing

Screenshots

CardBal4 screens
BookSide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CardBal at none against BookSide's 3. BookSide's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. BookSide sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. CardBal asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CardBal ships an update every 2 weeks, BookSide every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
CardBal versus BookSide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCardBalBookSide
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKitta Co.ę­å·žå¼•åŠ›ē½‘ē»œęŠ€ęœÆęœ‰é™å…¬åø

In-app purchases

None

CardBal

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

BookSide

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly VIP$3.991 Month
  • Yearly VIP$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • VIP Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is CardBal free?
CardBal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookSide free?
BookSide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CardBal or BookSide have ads?
Neither CardBal nor BookSide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CardBal or BookSide?
CardBal ships an update every 2 weeks, and BookSide every 2 days. Most recently, CardBal was updated on October 25, 2026 and BookSide on October 25, 2026.

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