Tally vs Cindy's Books
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tally
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Tally is a reading app built around sessions, pace, progress, and momentum. Instead of only helping you organize books, Tally helps you understand how your reading is actually moving. Log reading sessions in seconds. Track pages, time, pace, goals, and streaks. See how your current book is progressing and how your reading rhythm changes over time. With Tally, you can: - log reading sessions quickly - track reading pace and pages over time - build momentum with streaks and goals - see progress on your current read - remember where and how you read - share beautiful reading milestones - follow other readers without a noisy social feed Tally is best for people looking for: - a reading pace tracker - a reading tracker - a reading log - a book progress app - a reading goals app - a reading stats app If you want reading to feel more active, measurable, and motivating, Tally is built for that. https://tally-nu-sepia.vercel.app/en/terms
Cindy's Books
Catalog your personal book collection with this offline-first mobile app. Quickly add books by scanning barcodes, automatically filling in details. Syncs with a self-hosted server for seamless management.
- Offline library catalog
- Barcode scanning for adding books
- Automatic book detail population
- Search and browse by author/series
- Mark books as read
- CSV import/export
- Optional BookNexus server sync
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Cindy's Books is named for my wife, Cindy — whose ever-growing shelves started all of this. It began with a simple problem: standing in a thrift store holding a paperback, she had no quick way to know whether she already owned it. I looked everywhere for an app to catalog her collection. Everything was either a heavy-handed "library management" system built for institutions, or so bare-bones it was barely more than a list. Nothing hit the sweet spot — a simple, fast, personal book catalog. So I built one, and made it a public project so any book lover could use it. Then reality hit: a web app is useless in the back of a thrift store with one bar of signal. So this is a native app that keeps your entire collection on your device — instant lookups, no connection needed. Point your camera at a barcode and it tells you "already owned" or "not yet — add it?" And for self-hosters running the open-source BookNexus web app, it syncs both ways with your own server: add books on your phone, edit them at a keyboard on the web, both stay in sync. What it does • Your whole library on your phone — fully offline • Scan a barcode to add a book, or catch a duplicate before you buy it • Auto-fills title, author, and cover from Open Library • Browse by author or series; instant search • Mark what you've read • CSV import/export and iCloud backup • Optional two-way sync with your self-hosted BookNexus server No account. No ads. No tracking. Your collection is one file on your phone that you own.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cindy's Books at none against Tally's 2. Tally's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Tally sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Cindy's Books asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Tally | Cindy's Books |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Daily | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Arthur Lopes | David Rodgers |
In-app purchases
Tally
- Tally Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
- Tally Pro - Annual$39.991 Year
Cindy's Books
No in-app purchases








