Comparison

Book Journal & Reading Tracker vs Shelfd

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

Head to head
About

Book Journal & Reading Tracker

Log your reading sessions, organize your library on a virtual bookshelf, and track your progress with detailed statistics. Capture notes, quotes, and reviews with photo attachments and OCR. Import your Goodreads library easily.

Highlights
  • Virtual wooden bookshelf with cover art
  • Full-screen reading timer
  • Notes, quotes, and reviews with photo attachments
  • Page-scan OCR for text capture
  • Reading streaks and yearly goal tracking
  • Goodreads import
  • Home-screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Track every book you read, log each reading session, and watch your library come alive on a shelf that actually looks like one. Book Tracker is the reading log that turns pages into a habit that lasts. Most reading apps feel like a spreadsheet. This one gives you a warm, skeuomorphic wooden bookshelf you decorate yourself, a calm full-screen reading timer, and a Literary Clock with a passage for every time of day — so tracking your books feels as good as reading them. WHAT YOU GET - Add any title in seconds by search, barcode scan, or a manual entry with your own cover photo - A wooden bookshelf you arrange yourself, with real cover art in spine or cover view - A full-screen reading timer that logs every session and updates your progress automatically - Notes, quotes, and reviews with photo attachments and page-scan OCR to capture text instantly - Stats that keep you going: reading streaks, a yearly goal ring, pages read, formats, and top authors - One-tap Goodreads import so your whole library comes with you PERFECT FOR - Readers building a TBR pile they will actually finish - Bookworms who want their shelf to feel real, not like a database - Anyone chasing a yearly reading goal or a daily reading streak - Note-takers who collect quotes, thoughts, and reviews as they read WHY NOT JUST USE A SPREADSHEET A spreadsheet can hold titles, but it can't scan a barcode, time your sessions, show your covers on a shelf, or turn a year of reading into streaks and charts you look forward to. Book Tracker does all of it in one place, built for readers. PRIVACY Your library, notes, and sessions live on your device. No account, no sign-up, no reading data sold. FULL ACCESS A single unlock opens the entire app — every shelf and decoration, the reading timer, notes and OCR, Goodreads import, full stats, and home-screen widgets. Choose what fits you: a weekly plan, a yearly plan, or a one-time lifetime unlock. Add your first book, start the timer, and watch your shelf grow. Your next chapter begins here. Terms of Use (EULA): https://web-levi.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://web-levi.web.app/privacy-policy Questions? tphuc.work@gmail.com

About

Shelfd

Organize your reading life with a charming book tracker. Log what you're reading, discover your next book with a spin of a wheel, and visualize your reading habits with personalized stats and achievements. Enjoy a cozy, ad-free experience with optional premium features for advanced tracking.

Highlights
  • Track current, finished, and to-be-read books
  • Spin a wheel to pick your next read
  • Organize books by genre with custom colors
  • Set reading goals and view yearly stats
  • Earn achievements narrated by an Archivist
  • Import libraries from other apps (CSV)
  • Backup and restore your library
Features
Read full description

A warm, unhurried home for your reading life. Shelfd keeps a quiet record of everything you've read and everything still waiting — without turning your hobby into a job. No leaderboards. No guilt for the week you didn't finish anything. HOWEVER YOU READ IT Paper, ebook, or audiobook — track them side by side on the same shelf. Audiobooks count down in hours and minutes remaining, the way your listening app shows them, so there's no maths to do when you log your progress. YOUR SHELF, ACTUALLY SHELVED Finished books stand as real spines, coloured from their own covers. Browse them as a shelf or a list, and build your own collections for classics, comfort rereads, or whatever you're hoarding this month. SPIN THE WHEEL Too many books, not enough decisions. Load up your TBR, give it a spin, and let fate choose your next read. A GOAL WORTH HITTING Set a books-per-year target and watch the arrow move toward the bullseye. Miss it and nothing bad happens. Hit it and something rather nice does. THE SHAPE OF YOUR TASTE See which genres you actually gravitate to, how you read — paper, screen, or headphones — and the quiet trends across your year. ACHIEVEMENTS, STAMPED Every finished book earns a mark from the Archivist, who keeps your records in impeccable order and is quietly more invested than he lets on. BRING YOUR LIBRARY Coming from Goodreads or StoryGraph? Import your whole history from a single file and pick up where you left off. Back up your shelf whenever you like — your library is yours, and it stays on your device. SCAN AND GO Point the camera at a barcode and the book is on your shelf, page count and cover included. SHELFD PREMIUM Read up to three books at once, unlock the Ratings Card with half-stars and emoji vibes for how a book actually felt, get the deeper genre breakdown, and build unlimited shelves and lists. "Keep reading. That's all I ask." — The Archivist SHELFD PREMIUM — SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Shelfd Premium is available as a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription, or as a one-time Founders Group purchase. A 7-day free trial is included with the subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://joinshelfd.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Book Journal & Reading Tracker4 screens
Shelfd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shelfd at 4.0 against Book Journal & Reading Tracker's 1.0. Shelfd also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). Book Journal & Reading Tracker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, monetization model 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. Shelfd sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Book Journal & Reading Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shelfd holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Book Journal & Reading Tracker ships an update every 2 months, Shelfd daily. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Book Journal & Reading Tracker versus Shelfd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBook Journal & Reading TrackerShelfd
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhuc PhamZachary Selburg

Customer experience

Book Journal & Reading Tracker

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Shelfd

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Book Journal & Reading Tracker

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Shelfd

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Shelfd Founders Group$59.99

Questions

Is Book Journal & Reading Tracker free?
Book Journal & Reading Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shelfd free?
Shelfd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Book Journal & Reading Tracker or Shelfd?
Shelfd is rated higher. Book Journal & Reading Tracker averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Shelfd averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Book Journal & Reading Tracker or Shelfd have ads?
Neither Book Journal & Reading Tracker nor Shelfd shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Book Journal & Reading Tracker or Shelfd?
Book Journal & Reading Tracker ships an update every 2 months, and Shelfd daily. Most recently, Book Journal & Reading Tracker was updated on October 20, 2026 and Shelfd on October 9, 2026.

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