Comparison

Nous vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

Nous

This app helps you actively track your reading by taking notes, capturing highlights, and organizing your library. It offers features for reflection, goal setting, and seamless integration with other services to enhance your reading experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time reading notes and thoughts
  • Book library organization
  • Highlight capture via typing or OCR
  • Reading session reflection and summary
  • Goal setting and streak tracking
  • Sync with Obsidian and Kindle
  • Homescreen widgets
Features
Read full description

TRACK READING THOUGHTS IN REAL TIME • Read actively by taking notes and thoughts during a session • Type or dictate your session book notes, and capture mid-session thoughts without breaking flow • Add highlights and book quotes by typing or scanning the book with OCR • Struggle to remember what you read? Actively recall previous reading sessions to enhance memory YOUR LIBRARY • Organize your books: includes TBR, Next, Reading, Finished, Paused, and Did Not Finish (DNF) • Search by title or author, scan an ISBN, or library import from other apps • Track print by pages, ebooks by percentage location, audiobooks by listening time • Categorize books with personal tags • Sync your library on iCloud — access on all your devices • Connect to Kindle for seamless highlight capture DON'T JUST RECORD — REFLECT • Each book has a session history so you can see progress over time • Finishing a book opens a reflection: rate it, write a summary or book review, and see your reading pace charted over time • Half-star ratings supported • Weekly, monthly, and yearly views show what you've actually read • Search highlights and session notes to look back on your thinking ENHANCE MOTIVATION AND REACH YOUR READING GOALS • Keep your daily streak going — or don't — streaks are optional • Set daily or yearly reading goals: build a consistent habit and hit yearly book challenges • Track your focus and energy levels over time • Homescreen widgets: streaks, yearly reading, and reading goal INTEGRATE AND EXPORT YOUR NOTES • Sync with Obsidian to upload book notes, session summaries, and highlights to your vault • Export sessions immediately after they occur • Save all your sessions and export as a whole book, all your notes and reflections • Backup and restore: make sure your notes are always safe. Includes optional iCloud backup Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Folio

This app helps you meticulously track your reading progress, manage your book library, and cultivate a consistent reading habit. It allows for detailed logging of quotes, reviews, and reading statistics, offering a private and organized space for bibliophiles.

Highlights
  • Organize books into shelves
  • Save and sync favorite quotes
  • Rate books with quarter-star precision
  • Import from Goodreads/StoryGraph
  • Search, manual entry, or ISBN scan
  • Track pages, minutes, and streaks
  • Set reading goals
Features
Read full description

Your books, your reading life, your own space. • Organize your books with shelves, folders, and tags. • Track reading sessions, set goals, and see your progress. • Explore your reading stats, streaks, and calendar. • Save quotes and notes, rate books, and write reviews. • Make Folio yours with themes and a personalized reader profile. • Follow readers, explore their shelves, and exchange messages. • Choose who can see your profile and reading activity. • Discover books, browse recommendations, and explore authors. • Import from Goodreads or StoryGraph, search for books, or scan a barcode. • Keep your current read nearby with widgets and Live Activities. No ads. Read at your own pace.

Screenshots

Nous4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Folio at free against Nous's freemium. Folio also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). Nous's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). 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. Nous sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Folio sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nous holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Folio has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nous ships an update weekly, Folio every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 2, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Nous versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNousFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB118 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCaelan MitchellMiguel Pacheco

Customer experience

Nous

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

Folio

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Nous

Subscriptions2
  • Nous Plus — Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Nous Plus — Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
5 purchases

Folio

Subscriptions4
  • Folio Plus Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Folio Plus Annual$8.991 Year
  • Folio Plus Annual7 Days trial$8.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Folio Plus Annual14 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time1
  • Folio Plus Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Nous free?
Nous is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nous or Folio?
Nous is rated higher. Nous averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Folio averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Nous or Folio have ads?
Neither Nous nor Folio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nous or Folio?
Nous ships an update weekly, and Folio every 3 days. Most recently, Nous was updated on October 2, 2026 and Folio on October 2, 2026.

Other comparisons