Comparison

Book Tracker & Log vs Marcus

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

Head to head
About

Book Tracker & Log

This app helps you read more and understand your reading habits through private tracking. Log books, time your sessions, rate and review your reads, and discover new titles. It offers personalized recommendations and motivational features like streaks and challenges.

Highlights
  • Private reading journal
  • Track reading sessions with timer
  • Rate and review books
  • Personalized book recommendations
  • Reading habit motivation
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

ReadShelf is a private reading tracker built to help you read more — and understand how you read — without ever giving up your data. Perfect for tracking the books you're reading, building a daily reading habit, timing your sessions, rating and reviewing what you finish, spotting patterns over time, and discovering your next great read. Your books, your habits — and yours alone. Private by design No account, no login, no sign-up — just open the app and start All your data is stored locally on your device by default No analytics, no tracking, no ads — book search only queries public book databases (Open Library, Google Books) Optional iCloud sync runs through your own private iCloud — never our servers Build your library Organize every book across shelves: Reading, Read, Want to Read and Did Not Finish Add a book in seconds — search by title or author, scan its barcode, or look up an ISBN Covers, author, page count, genres, series and custom tags, all in one place Track your reading A built-in reading timer logs your minutes and pages, session by session Add past sessions by hand; track progress in pages or percent See exactly where you are in every book with live progress Capture favorite quotes and highlights with page references Write rich reviews and journal entries for the books that stay with you Rate beyond five stars: plot, writing, characters, pacing and emotional impact Understand your habits Beautiful stats: total books, pages and time read at a glance Reading streaks, reading pace and your best time of day to read Genre breakdown, top authors and rating distribution Heatmaps and trends that show how your reading grows over time Year in Review — a shareable recap of your whole reading year Stay motivated Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly reading goals A forgiving reading streak: every 7 reading days earn an automatic rest day (up to 2 saved) — or count weekly and pick how many days a week you want to read Earn XP, level up from Beginner to Legend, and unlock dozens of milestones Challenges and milestones to keep the habit fun Discover your next read Personalized "For You" picks based on your taste and history Popular titles from Open Library, plus recommendations that tell you why On supported devices, on-device Apple Intelligence suggests your next book — privately, right on your iPhone Reading on your Home Screen Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for your current book, streak and daily goal (Premium) A Live Activity tracks your reading timer straight from the Lock Screen Apple Watch On Apple Watch, start and pause a reading session, dial in your page with the Digital Crown and watch your daily goal ring fill — plus a complication for your watch face A session running on your wrist shows up live on your iPhone, where you can control it too Gentle reminders A daily reading reminder to keep your habit going A streak reminder so you never lose your run by accident Premium includes Home and Lock Screen widgets Full insights: advanced charts, heatmaps, trends and period comparisons All goals: daily, weekly and monthly targets All challenges and milestones iCloud sync across all your devices Data export Unlimited custom shelves ReadShelf stays simple while you log a session, and powerful when you want the full picture — track in seconds, understand in minutes. Subscriptions Auto-renewable Premium plans (1 month, 1 year) A one-time Lifetime unlock is also available Payment is charged to your Apple ID account Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple account settings Restore Purchases is available in-app Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://darianhanci-legal.web.app/datenschutz

About

Marcus

Features
Read full description

Reading, without the friction. Marcus is the reading app made for restless minds. A calm tracker glides along the line to keep your eyes exactly where you are, so your attention stops slipping off the page. Import any EPUB or PDF and just read. WHY IT STICKS - Stay on the line - a gentle tracker keeps your place, at your pace - Stuck? Just ask - explain, summarize or recap without leaving the page - Every book, one tap away - import EPUB & PDF and pick up where you left off - Reading that rewards you - daily goals, streaks and achievements - A shelf that fills as you read - finished books become spines on your bookcase - Your thoughts, in one place - a notebook and a glossary of words you've learned - Share the lines you love - turn any quote into a beautiful card MADE FOR HOW YOUR BRAIN READS ADHD-first and dyslexia-friendly: the OpenDyslexic font, calm themes, read-along audio, and short daily goals that make five minutes count. No guilt, no noise - just no zero days. MARCUS PRO Unlimited explanations, summaries and recaps, all themes and the OpenDyslexic font, and advanced tracker styles. Read more. Struggle less. Start your first page today. Terms of Use: https://marcus.vuvee.me/terms Privacy Policy: https://marcus.vuvee.me/privacy

Screenshots

Book Tracker & Log4 screens
Marcus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Book Tracker & Log at every 2 weeks against Marcus's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Book Tracker & Log sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Marcus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Book Tracker & Log ships an update every 2 weeks, Marcus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Book Tracker & Log versus Marcus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBook Tracker & LogMarcus
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCengiz Darian HanciVukasin Rancic

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Book Tracker & Log

Subscriptions2
  • ReadShelf Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • ReadShelf Premium Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • ReadShelf Premium Lifetime$27.99
2 purchases

Marcus

Subscriptions2
  • Marcus Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Marcus Pro Annual$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Book Tracker & Log free?
Book Tracker & Log is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marcus free?
Marcus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Book Tracker & Log or Marcus have ads?
Neither Book Tracker & Log nor Marcus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Book Tracker & Log or Marcus?
Book Tracker & Log ships an update every 2 weeks, and Marcus every 2 months. Most recently, Book Tracker & Log was updated on October 25, 2026 and Marcus on October 9, 2026.

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