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

Features
Read full description

Folio is the calm, beautiful home for your reading life. Track every book, build a daily reading streak, and watch a year of pages turn into a story worth keeping. Whether you're a one-book-a-month reader or racing through a series, Folio makes the habit feel effortless — and a little bit magical. TRACK WHAT YOU READ • Log reading sessions in seconds — pages, minutes, or audiobooks • Add books instantly by scanning the barcode, or search any title • Organize your shelf: currently reading, finished, and your TBR pile BUILD A READING HABIT • Keep a daily streak going — with freeze protection for the days life gets busy • Set a yearly book goal and a daily page goal that fit your pace • Gentle reminders nudge you back to your book, never nag A JOURNAL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS • Save favorite quotes and reflections as you read • Turn any quote into a beautiful shareable card • Look back on what moved you, book by book YOUR YEAR IN BOOKS • Folio Wrapped turns your reading into stunning year-in-review stats • See pages read, reading days, your busiest months, and more • A reading heatmap that fills in as your year unfolds BEAUTIFUL BY DESIGN • A warm, paper-inspired interface made for book lovers • Full dark mode for late-night chapters • Your real book covers, everywhere you look YOUR DATA IS YOURS • Export your full library and reading history anytime — free, no lock-in • Import a backup to move or restore your shelf • Optional sign-in to sync across devices FOLIO+ Go further with Folio+: • Unlimited books on your shelf • Pace & finish-date projections — know when you'll turn the last page • Deeper Wrapped insights into your reading life Try Folio+ free for 3 days, then $4.99/month or $39.99/year (save ~33%). Start free and upgrade anytime. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Happy reading. — Questions or ideas? We read every one — reach us right inside the app under Settings. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Nous4 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Folio at 15.5 against Nous's 18.0. 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 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Nous versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNousFolio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB42 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCaelan MitchellDylan Ezzell

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Nous

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

Folio

Subscriptions2
  • Folio+ Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Folio+ Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year

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.
Do Nous or Folio have ads?
Neither Nous nor Folio shows ads.

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