Comparison

SlowRead vs Pagely

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

Head to head
About

SlowRead

This app helps you build a visually appealing digital bookshelf and encourages focused reading sessions by blocking distracting apps. Track your reading progress, organize your library, and create a personalized reading ritual.

Highlights
  • Customizable 2.5D digital bookshelf
  • Distraction-blocking focus sessions
  • Reading streak tracking
  • TBR and library organization
  • Effortless book addition (scan, search, photo)
  • Import from Goodreads (CSV)
  • Private, local-first library
Features
Read full description

SlowRead is the book tracker with a bookshelf you will want to show off. Every book you read stands on your own shelf, with its real spine and cover. Keep your TBR, your reading journal and your reading log in one place, and share your bookshelf on BookTok and Instagram. YOUR BOOKSHELF • Every book stands on the shelf as a spine or as a cover. • Photograph your own copy to show its real spine, cover and sprayed edges, or use a photo another reader already shared. • Arrange your books by hand, lay them flat in piles and keep a series together. • Decorate with plants, candles, lights and more, and pick a theme for the wall and the wood. • Share a picture of your bookcase to your Stories on TikTok or Instagram. • Get a public profile at slowreadapp.com/@you with the bookcases you choose to show. BOOK CLUBS • Create a club or join one and read the same book together. • Talk in a channel for each part of the book, so nobody spoils what comes next. • Hide the parts of a message that are spoilers. • Vote on the club's next book. YOUR READING YEAR • Monthly and yearly wrap ups: cards to swipe through and share. • Your reader type, worked out from the books you finish. • A yearly reading challenge, and your year next to the last one. • Stats for pages, time and books, your reading speed and your top genres. • A reading streak, with past days you can fill in by hand. TRACKING WITHOUT EFFORT • Search millions of books or scan the barcode to add one in seconds. • Import your library from Goodreads, The StoryGraph, Bookmory, Fable or Libib. • Paperback, ebook and audiobook, even for the same book. • Track library loans with the due date and a reminder the day before. • Series grouped together, with your progress through each one. • Notes, quotes scanned from the page with your camera, and characters with a portrait and their relationships. • Half star ratings, rereads and did not finish. WIDGETS • Your bookshelf, what you are reading, your streak, your challenge and a daily quote on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. READING SESSIONS • Start a timed session from any book and log the page where you stop. • If you want, block the apps that distract you while you read, with Screen Time. All features described above require a subscription. A free trial is included, so you can try everything before paying. TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pagely

Features
Read full description

Pagely is a calm, beautiful home for everything you read. Track the books you're reading right now, remember where you left off in each one, and keep a running list of what you want to read next — all in an app designed to feel like a well-kept reading journal, not a spreadsheet. MADE FOR REAL READERS Most of us have more than one book on the go. Pagely is built for exactly that — follow several books at once, each with its own progress, and update your current page in a tap. ADD A BOOK IN SECONDS Just start typing a title and Pagely finds it for you, filling in the author and page count automatically. No barcode hunting, no manual data entry. SEE YOUR PROGRESS, FEEL THE MOMENTUM Every book shows a progress ring and how many pages remain. Finish one and it moves to your shelf — rated, dated, and remembered. YOUR READING, IN NUMBERS A gentle stats view shows your reading streak, pages read this week, books finished this year, and a 14-day reading chart — plus a breakdown of your favorite genres. KEEP IT ORGANIZED Sort books into a wishlist and your finished shelf, tag them by genre with smart suggestions, add private notes and quotes, and mark your favorites. YOURS, AND PRIVATE Pagely keeps your library on your device. No account, no sign-up, no tracking — just you and your books. Choose light, dark, or system appearance to match your mood. Whether you're a one-book-a-month reader or always juggling a stack, Pagely helps you read a little more — and enjoy every page of it.

Screenshots

SlowRead4 screens
Pagely4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pagely at none against SlowRead's 4. Pagely also leads on ads (none vs shown). SlowRead's advantage is chart position (#16 vs unranked). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. SlowRead sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $8.39 per 7 days. Pagely asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
SlowRead versus Pagely: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlowReadPagely
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (778 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews25.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings778 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#16 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size117 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdrian Martinez MorenoMichal Zajaczkowski

In-app purchases

4 purchases

SlowRead

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Weekly$8.397 Days
  • Premium Annual Offer$32.991 Year
  • Premium Annual3 Days trial$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime access to Slowread$149.99
None

Pagely

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SlowRead free?
SlowRead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pagely free?
Pagely is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SlowRead or Pagely have ads?
SlowRead shows ads; Pagely does not.

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