Comparison

TBR Book Jar vs Orbil

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

Head to head
About

TBR Book Jar

This app helps you decide what to read next with over 190 prompts and a customizable digital bookshelf. Track your reading progress, view stats, and personalize your virtual library.

Highlights
  • 190+ reading prompts
  • Customizable digital bookshelf
  • Page progress tracking
  • Reading timer and speed tracking
  • Reading stats and goals
  • Goodreads import
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Can't decide what to read next? Reach into the jar. TBR Book Jar is the reading app BookTok has been waiting for — a digital TBR jar, a gorgeous customizable bookshelf, an AI book buddy, audiobook magic… and now the biggest thing we've ever shipped: a built-in community of readers. Book clubs, forums, a used-book marketplace, and your shelf synced to the web. Built by a reader who was tired of staring at the TBR pile — now with company. NEW — TBRTALK, YOUR READING COMMUNITY · Book clubs with their own themed rooms — join one or start your own · Forums for every bookish conversation, plus direct messages · A used-book marketplace: list your finished copies, browse everyone else's — buyers and sellers arrange everything directly · Wishlist a book and get alerted when someone lists a used copy · Every book gets its own page: reviews, ratings, clubs reading it, copies for sale · Your library and wishlist sync with tbrtalk.com — your shelf, on the web NEW — YOUR HOME DASHBOARD Pick up right where you left off: a continue-reading carousel, streaks and goals at a glance, quick doors to everything. AUDIOBOOK MODE Your paperbacks just learned to talk. Snap photos of any pages — they're transcribed and read aloud with karaoke-style highlighting that follows along. Studio Voices sound remarkably human and run entirely on your iPhone: downloaded once, private, offline. Have a DRM-free EPUB? Drop it in and listen to the whole book. THE JAR 190+ creative prompts across 17 categories. Tap to pick and let fate decide — or hit Mystery Book to pull randomly from your own shelf. DISCOVER An endless deck of book suggestions dealt from the genres you actually love. Swipe right to wishlist, left to pass — it quietly learns your taste. YOUR BOOKSHELVES Not a list — real bookshelves. Books stand as spines or face-out covers on wooden shelves, sized to their true cover shape. Stack them into piles, drag to rearrange, decorate with wallpapers, stickers and animated GIFs. Unlimited shelves, smart shelves that fill themselves, and a Wishlist shelf for the books you want next. BOOK BUDDY — YOUR AI READING COMPANION Give it a name, then ask for recommendations, chat about books, describe a vibe or "books like ___" — grounded in real, current titles and tuned to what's on your shelf. READING TIMER & FOCUS SCENES The timer is free for every reader. Go Pro and read beside a crackling campfire, rain on the window, ocean waves — seven looping nature scenes plus ambient sound. ADD BOOKS IN SECONDS Search millions of titles with auto-filled covers and summaries · scan a barcode or snap the cover · import your whole Goodreads library via CSV. TRACK & CELEBRATE Page progress, reading speed, ratings and reviews, streaks, a yearly goal ring, genre charts and an activity heatmap. FREE The whole community · 10 books on your shelf · unlimited wishlist · 30 prompts · reading tracker & timer · a daily taste of Book Buddy and page scanning PRO — Monthly, Yearly or Lifetime (start with a 14-day free trial) · Unlimited books & shelves · full Audiobook Mode · All 190+ prompts + custom prompts · Unlimited Book Buddy, Discover deck & smart wishlist · Stats, focus scenes & sounds, goals & reminders · Goodreads import · every wallpaper, theme & decoration Your TBR pile just got fun — and it brought friends. Reach in and start picking. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled 24 hours before the period ends. Manage in App Store settings. Privacy: https://damobo.com/tbrbookjar/privacy Terms: https://apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: support@damobo.com

About

Orbil

Features
Read full description

Orbil is a personal book library, reading tracker, and reading journal designed to keep your reading life organized. Catalog the books you own, follow your reading progress, record reading sessions, and remember more from every book. Whether you read physical books, eBooks, or audiobooks, Orbil gives you one private place for your collection and reading journey. With Orbil, you can: • Organize and search your personal book library • Track pages, progress, and reading sessions • Manage your reading queue and wishlist • Save thoughts, memorable quotes, and new vocabulary • Record book locations and track lent or borrowed books • Review reading habits, streaks, and statistics • Personalize your visual bookshelf, with optional premium styles and decors • Look back on your reading through monthly recaps Orbil focuses on your books—not social activity, public reviews, or popularity. It is a calm and practical reading companion for readers who want to track what they read, remember what they learned, and keep their collection organized. Build a library that feels truly yours with Orbil. Orbil is free to use for up to 50 books. Orbil Plus is an optional one-time in-app purchase that unlocks: unlimited books, cloud sync & backup across devices, advanced reading stats and Reading Personality insights, premium shelf styles and decors, and expanded custom tags. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

TBR Book Jar4 screens
Orbil4 screens

Verdict

The call

TBR Book Jar and Orbil are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. TBR Book Jar sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Orbil sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TBR Book Jar ships an update every 6 days, Orbil every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
TBR Book Jar versus Orbil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTBR Book JarOrbil
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher MayberryPrometeuz

In-app purchases

4 purchases

TBR Book Jar

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Monthly (One-Time Offer)$3.991 Month
  • TBR Book Jar Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • TBR Book Jar Pro Annual14 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • TBR Book Jar Pro Lifetime$69.99
1 purchases

Orbil

One-time1
  • Orbil Plus$39.99

Questions

Is TBR Book Jar free?
TBR Book Jar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orbil free?
Orbil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TBR Book Jar or Orbil have ads?
Neither TBR Book Jar nor Orbil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TBR Book Jar or Orbil?
TBR Book Jar ships an update every 6 days, and Orbil every 9 days. Most recently, TBR Book Jar was updated on October 17, 2026 and Orbil on October 10, 2026.

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