# Nous vs The Bookish Shelf

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nous at weekly against The Bookish Shelf's fortnightly. The Bookish Shelf's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nous sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and The Bookish Shelf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Nous ships an update weekly, The Bookish Shelf fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nous | The Bookish Shelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nous-reading-tracker-and-notes/id6761879422/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Caelan Mitchell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891915510) | [Kelly Dunn](https://appshunter.io/developer/1892234004) |

## What reviewers say

### Nous

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nous-reading-tracker-and-notes/id6761879422)

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:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nous Plus — Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Nous Plus — Yearly | $29.99 | per year |


### The Bookish Shelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-bookish-shelf/id6781497547)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Shelf Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Full Shelf Annual | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nous free?

Nous is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is The Bookish Shelf free?

The Bookish Shelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Nous or The Bookish Shelf have ads?

Neither Nous nor The Bookish Shelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nous or The Bookish Shelf?

Nous ships an update weekly, and The Bookish Shelf fortnightly. Most recently, Nous was updated on October 18, 2026 and The Bookish Shelf on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*