Comparison

SlowRead vs Book Spin

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

Book Spin

Features
Read full description

Stuck on your to-read pile? Book Spin picks a title for you. Import your Goodreads to-read shelf, add books by scanning a barcode, or type one in. Filter by genre and format — physical, digital, or audio — then spin. When you accept a pick, Book Spin opens it on Goodreads so you can mark it currently reading, and removes it from your local TBR. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Spin a random book from your library • Filter by genre and by format (physical, digital, audio) • Import a Goodreads library export (CSV) — only to-read titles are added • Scan an ISBN barcode or type the ISBN to look a book up • Add or edit titles by hand, with covers, notes, genres, and formats • Search your library by title, author, genre, or format • Tag several books at once with genres or formats • Share a CSV into the app from Safari, Files, or Downloads GETTING YOUR GOODREADS LIST IN The Goodreads app can’t export your library. In Safari, go to Goodreads → My Books → Import and export → Export Library. When the CSV is ready, download it and share it to Book Spin. YOUR BOOKS STAY ON YOUR DEVICE Your library is stored on your iPhone. Book Spin is not affiliated with Goodreads or Amazon.

Screenshots

SlowRead4 screens
Book Spin3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Book Spin at none against SlowRead's 4. Book Spin also leads on ads (none vs shown). SlowRead's advantage is chart position (#31 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.5). On price 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. SlowRead sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $8.39 per 7 days. Book Spin asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
SlowRead versus Book Spin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlowReadBook Spin
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (789 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews25.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings789 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#31 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size117 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdrian Martinez MorenoANTHONY SAMUAL COHN-RICHARDBY

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

Book Spin

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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