Comparison

Readerly vs Bookward

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

Head to head
About

Readerly

Track your reading habits with detailed statistics and insights. Log books, notes, and quotes, and visualize your reading life over time. Offers advanced analytics for a deeper understanding of your reading patterns.

Highlights
  • Detailed reading statistics
  • Log books, notes, and quotes
  • Visualize reading pace and trends
  • Private data storage on device
  • Barcode scanning for books
  • Import reading data from files
  • Shareable reading insights
Features
Read full description

You know roughly how much you read. Readerly tells you exactly. Readerly turns your reading history into a clear picture of your reading life: how your pace changes through the year, what you reach for, which authors you return to, when you read most, and how this year compares with every year before it. Save Private Notes & Quotes, too, so the parts of a book you want to remember stay with your reading life. No account. No sign-in. Your library stays on your iPhone. WHY THE NUMBERS HOLD UP A chart is only useful if the number under it is right. Audiobooks are counted in hours. Insight cards show the evidence behind what they say: how many sessions contributed, what window was measured, and whether there is enough data to support the result. If there is not, Readerly says so instead of inventing an average. Your reading data also outranks the catalog. If you are on page 628 of a book a database says has 623 pages, Readerly accepts 628 and offers to correct the book length. Reopen any reading session and change the date, pages or minutes. Start and finish dates are yours to set. Correcting your own reading history is never behind Readerly Pro. WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION • Three free Library choices: Plain, The Book Dragon and A Distant Kingdom • Unlimited books and reading sessions, stored on your device • Private Notes & Quotes • Haptic quarter-star ratings, so a book can be 4¼ instead of being forced to 4 or 4½ • Searchable genres and custom cover images • Log the page you are actually on, not pages-read arithmetic • Live reading pace and projected finish date for every active book • Barcode scanning • Bookstore Mode: continuously scan shelves and instantly see whether a book is already yours or already read • Import from CSV, TSV, XLSX or ZIP • Preview every addition, update and conflict before anything is saved • Readerly reconstructs your reading history from dates in your file, marks estimated dates, and lets you undo the entire import with one tap • Optional AI Import Assistant for messy or unfamiliar exports • Cover and description lookup for books missing metadata • Books Finished, Day Streak, Pages Read and Minutes Read • Two charts on your real numbers: Books Finished by Month and print, digital and audio mix • Explore your reading by year • Share cards as square images or silent 9:16 videos READERLY PRO Readerly Pro turns your log into a deeper view of how you actually read. It also includes thirteen additional Library wallpapers. Unlock deeper charts and insights, including reading momentum, daily rhythm, the hours and weekdays you read, genre currents, per-book reading journeys, genre mix, rating shape, author affinity, completion patterns, length versus rating, a six-axis taste profile, and a deck of the strongest insights your history can support. Choose any month and tap pages or listening bars to see the books behind your totals. Tap a rating, author or genre to see the books behind the number. Share your reading highlights. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your books, sessions, ratings, notes, quotes, dates and progress live in a private database on your iPhone. Book lookup sends only what identifies the book, such as an ISBN or title and author. No ads. No third-party analytics. No tracking. AI IS OPTIONAL Readerly includes two optional AI tools on the import screen, and neither runs unless you ask. It can send titles and authors of uncategorized books to Anthropic's Claude to suggest a genre from Readerly's fixed list, or send your file's column names and limited samples to suggest how they map. Readerly asks first and tells you what will be sent. Readerly Pro is an auto-renewing monthly or yearly subscription at the price shown before purchase. Cancel any time in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://thereaderlyapp.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://thereaderlyapp.com/terms/

About

Bookward

Read full description

Make room for your next read. Bookward brings together your personal library, reading log, and a nook you can make your own—so every book feels worth returning to. YOUR LIBRARY, IN ORDER Organize books you want to read, are currently reading, have finished, or chose not to finish. Create collections, group series, and save notes, ratings, and rereads. Find your next book in your TBR without losing sight of the stories you already enjoyed. A BOOKSHELF THAT FEELS LIKE YOURS Place books on the shelves, change their order, and personalize your nook with styles and decorations. Use catalog covers or photos of your own books to give each edition a personal look. ADD BOOKS YOUR WAY Search by title, author, or ISBN; scan a barcode; or use the camera to recognize text from a cover or spine. You can also add books manually and import a compatible Goodreads CSV. MAKE MORE TIME TO READ Start a timed reading session or read with no time limit. If you choose, use Screen Time to block selected apps while you read. Set reminders and a daily goal that fits your routine. SEE YOUR PROGRESS Log minutes and pages, explore your reading calendar, and follow your streaks and stats. Set an annual reading challenge and celebrate every finished book. Add or correct past sessions to keep your reading history accurate. YOUR NOOK, BEYOND THE APP Check your current read from widgets and create images to share your bookshelf or progress. Use Bookward as a guest, or sign in with Apple or Google for account features and private cloud backups that you control. Bookward organizes and tracks your reading. It does not provide ebooks or audiobooks to read or listen to. PREMIUM ACCESS Bookward features require a subscription or a lifetime access purchase. Available plans, prices, and any free trial are shown before you confirm. Trials depend on availability and eligibility. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel them in your Apple Account settings. Lifetime access is a one-time purchase. Privacy Policy: https://getbookward.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://getbookward.com/terms/ Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Readerly4 screens
Bookward4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Readerly at none against Bookward's shown. Bookward's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Readerly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Bookward sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readerly ships an update weekly, Bookward every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Readerly versus Bookward: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReaderlyBookward
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB192 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJovanne VillarinoDaniel De Azcarate Munoz

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Readerly

Subscriptions2
  • Readerly Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Readerly Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
10 purchases

Bookward

Subscriptions9
  • Bookward Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Bookward Monthly - Trial 3d3 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Bookward Weekly$5.997 Days
Show 6 more
  • Bookward Monthly - Trial 7d7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Bookward Annual Special Offer$24.491 Year
  • Annual Rescue - 3 Days Free3 Days trial$24.491 Year
  • Annual Rescue - 7 Days Free7 Days trial$24.491 Year
  • Bookward Annual - Trial 3d3 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Bookward Annual - Trial 7d7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Bookward Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Readerly free?
Readerly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bookward free?
Bookward is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Readerly or Bookward have ads?
Bookward shows ads; Readerly does not.
Which is updated more often, Readerly or Bookward?
Readerly ships an update weekly, and Bookward every 5 days. Most recently, Readerly was updated on October 31, 2026 and Bookward on October 31, 2026.

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