Comparison

Bookends vs Count Pomodoros

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

Head to head
About

Bookends

Manage your research references and PDFs on your mobile device. Search online databases, import metadata, annotate PDFs, and organize your library. Offers basic functionality for free with optional one-time purchase and yearly subscription for advanced features like cloud sync and unlimited imports.

Highlights
  • Search online reference databases
  • Import metadata and PDFs
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Barcode scanning for references
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Share online libraries
  • Create multiple libraries
Features
Read full description

Bookends is the reference management app you've been looking for. The basic version offers: • Search online sites directly (arXiv, Google Books, Google Scholar, JSTOR, the Library of Congress, PubMed, PubMed Central, and Semantic Scholar) or use the built-in browser (EZProxy-compliant) to download reference metadata and PDFs (access privileges required). Searches can return a maximum of 20 references, and only 50 references can be stored in your personal database. • Use unique identifiers such as DOI, PMID, ISBN, or arXiv id to autofill references. • View the text of PDF annotations in a note stream, and create your own with our powerful PDF markup engine. • Barcode scanning, one per day. • And many more features designed to help you discover, organize, and use reference information. Standard, one-time purchase ($14.99): • No limit on searches or importing. Premium, yearly subscription ($14.99). Requires a Standard purchase. • Cloud sync with all your iOS devices and Bookends for Mac (separate purchase). • Share online libraries with colleagues. • Scan documents with Mellel Mobile*. • Create multiple libraries. • Unlimited barcode scanning. • Extract PDF annotations with deep links to annotations and text. • Convenient UI to add PDF notes to the library. • Automate your actions with Shortcuts. * iPad-only. Requires a Mellel Mobile Premium subscription. Subscription is for one year and has an auto-renew option. The subscription can be managed in iOS -> Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. A subscription will renew if it isn't canceled at least 24 hours before the renewal date. If the subscription is not renewed, Premium will be disabled but Standard will continue to work. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Count Pomodoros

Enhance focus and productivity with a time management tool that supports Pomodoro and Single-Core modes. It offers a simple, secure interface with iCloud sync and no login required for most features.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro and Single-Core timing modes
  • No login required for most features
  • Simple and intuitive interface
  • iCloud sync and backup
  • Continuous innovation based on productivity methods
Read full description

Let time create value and be the end of fragmented time! Count Tomatoes – Never time alone again. Stay highly focused with users worldwide and enter your own study room or virtual office space. Multiple timing modes: Supports both Pomodoro and Single-Core modes, helping you work and study more efficiently. No login required: Use most features without registration, skipping the hassle and starting your productivity journey right away. Simple and efficient: A clean, intuitive interface with no learning curve, instantly boosting your productivity. Data security: We prioritize your data security, supporting iCloud sync and backup to ensure your information is always safe. Continuous innovation: With Pomodoro Technique at its core, the app integrates the essence of various productivity methods and keeps evolving to offer you the best experience.

Screenshots

Bookends4 screens
Count Pomodoros4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Count Pomodoros at none against Bookends's 2. Count Pomodoros also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Bookends's advantage is ratings volume (398 vs 2). On price, ads 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. Bookends sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Count Pomodoros asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Count Pomodoros holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookends has 398 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bookends ships an update every 2 months, Count Pomodoros every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Bookends versus Count Pomodoros: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookendsCount Pomodoros
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (398 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings398 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.616.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSonny Software, LLC德宇 赵

Customer experience

Bookends

All ratings398 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews127 reviews
Positive76.4%
Neutral8.7%
Negative15.0%

Count Pomodoros

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Bookends

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatibility with iCloud Optimized Storage
  • Unreliable sync between desktop and mobile versions
  • Occasional data loss or corruption

Requested features

4 requests
  • Nested folders and tags for better organization
  • Automatic PDF metadata extraction
  • Improved search and filtering capabilities
  • Seamless integration with third-party services

Count Pomodoros

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bookends

Subscriptions1
  • Premium3 Months trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Standard$14.99
None

Count Pomodoros

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bookends free?
Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Count Pomodoros free?
Count Pomodoros is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bookends or Count Pomodoros?
Count Pomodoros is rated higher. Bookends averages 4.7 out of 5 from 398 ratings, while Count Pomodoros averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Bookends or Count Pomodoros have ads?
Neither Bookends nor Count Pomodoros shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bookends or Count Pomodoros?
Bookends ships an update every 2 months, and Count Pomodoros every 3 days. Most recently, Bookends was updated on October 12, 2026 and Count Pomodoros on September 29, 2026.

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