Comparison

BookWorm vs Reading Journal

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

Head to head
About

BookWorm

This app helps you build a consistent reading habit by tracking books, ebooks, and audiobooks. Set daily goals, maintain reading streaks, and visualize your progress with a unique calendar. It offers effortless book addition, customizable themes, and cross-device synchronization.

Highlights
  • Track books, ebooks, and audiobooks
  • Set and achieve daily reading goals
  • Maintain reading streaks
  • Visualize progress with a reading calendar
  • Add books via search or barcode scan
  • Customizable themes (Light, Dark, Retro)
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Turn reading into a daily habit you can see. BookWorm tracks every book, ebook and audiobook, counts pages and listening time toward one daily goal, and keeps your streak alive. Every feature is free. BookWorm is a warm, hand built reading tracker for people who love books and want to actually finish them. No feed, no noise, no ads. Just your library, your progress, and a friendly bookworm cheering you on. WHY READERS FINISH MORE BOOKS • Track any format. Physical books and ebooks by page, audiobooks by hours and minutes. • One daily goal for all of it. Pages and listening time count toward the same target. • Reading streaks, so there is a reason to open a book today. • A calendar that fills in as you read, until your year tells a story. • Real stats: books finished, pages read, hours listened, days read, and your best streak ever. • Your most read genres and a format breakdown, so you learn how you actually read. EFFORTLESS BY DESIGN • Add a book in seconds. Search by title, or scan its barcode with your camera. • Covers, page counts and audiobook length estimates are filled in for you. • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show what you are reading at a glance. • iCloud sync keeps your library on every iPhone you own, in your own private iCloud. • Nine languages, switchable instantly with no restart. • Re-read a favourite and BookWorm keeps the earlier read in your history. • Finished a book months ago? Add it with its dates and your calendar fills in behind you. IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING Saving your progress turns a page. Buttons click, switches flip, and finishing a book has a small celebration you can feel in your hand. And because so many readers here are listening rather than turning pages, BookWorm's sounds can never duck or interrupt your audiobook. Sound and haptics each have their own switch. MAKE IT YOURS Four looks, one tap apart. System follows your phone. Light is warm and creamy. Dark is easy on the eyes at night. And Retro dresses the whole app in a 70s sunset palette of teal, mustard and burnt orange, with chunky outlines and monospaced type. Add your own genres, set the goal that suits your week, and pick the look you like. YOURS, AND PRIVATE Your library lives on your device and in your own iCloud, where the developer cannot read it. There is no account, no sign up, no email address. BookWorm collects a small amount of pseudonymous usage data to fix problems and decide what to build next, never your book titles, your name, or what you type into search. FREE, WITH A TIP JAR IF YOU LIKE IT Every feature is free. No paywall, no locked screens, no subscription, no ads. If BookWorm earns its place on your Home Screen, an optional tip supports one independent developer. That is the whole business model. Start your next chapter today.

About

Reading Journal

Features
Read full description

Sticky tabs tell you where something happened. TabMap helps you remember how the book felt. Mark a page in seconds, choose what kind of moment it was, and watch your reading pulse take shape across twelve spoiler-free sections. No copied passages are needed. BUILT FOR PHYSICAL-BOOK READERS • Add the book beside you or start with a prepared sample • Mark a page as Keep, Felt, Clue, or Discuss • Add intensity and an optional private note • See the emotional shape of the whole book at a glance • Use built-in prompts to compare reactions after everyone finishes • Share a visual discussion card without revealing plot details or private notes PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Your books, page marks, labels, and private notes stay on your device. TabMap has no account, ads, analytics SDK, or remote AI. Sharing happens only when you choose the system share button. FREE AND PRO The free version includes one complete book map and a spoiler-free share preview. TabMap Pro unlocks unlimited books, custom tab legends, clean discussion shares, and local backup and restore. Choose Pro Annual for a renewable plan or Lifetime Pro for a one-time purchase. Both choices unlock the same features. Prices vary by storefront and Apple shows the final price before confirmation. The annual subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings. Lifetime Pro does not renew. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://briefready-support.dapper-kiwi-8512.chatgpt.site/tabmap#privacy

Screenshots

BookWorm4 screens
Reading Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BookWorm at weekly against Reading Journal's fortnightly. 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. BookWorm sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Reading Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookWorm ships an update weekly, Reading Journal fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
BookWorm versus Reading Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookWormReading Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam Markocki程辉 杨

In-app purchases

5 purchases

BookWorm

Subscriptions2
  • BookWorm Pro – Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • BookWorm Pro – Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • An espresso$2.99
  • Coffee & croissant$4.99
  • A week of coffee$9.99
2 purchases

Reading Journal

Subscriptions1
  • TabMap Pro Annual$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • TabMap Lifetime Pro$14.99

Questions

Is BookWorm free?
BookWorm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Reading Journal free?
Reading Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BookWorm or Reading Journal have ads?
Neither BookWorm nor Reading Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookWorm or Reading Journal?
BookWorm ships an update weekly, and Reading Journal fortnightly. Most recently, BookWorm was updated on October 7, 2026 and Reading Journal on October 5, 2026.

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