Comparison

Bookends vs Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer

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

Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer

Transform focus sessions into a rewarding game. Earn coins, collect historical figures, and build streaks by staying off your phone. Designed for productivity and beating digital distractions.

Highlights
  • Gamified focus timer
  • Collect historical ghosts
  • Earn coins and XP
  • Global leaderboards
  • Mood-based focus sessions
  • Beat phone addiction
  • Digital hourglass timer
Read full description

Tired of boring timers? Turn focus into a game. Catch the Ghost® is a Pomodoro timer that helps you beat phone addiction and boost your productivity by making focus rewarding. Complete sessions, earn coins, and collect the "ghosts" of historical legends. WHAT MAKES CATCH THE GHOST UNIQUE? A FOCUS GAME, NOT JUST A TIMER: Every session is a quest. Stay off your phone to catch a ghost. Build streaks, earn XP, and level up your productivity in a way that's fun, not punitive. COLLECT HISTORICAL LEGENDS: Rulers, artists, scientists, and rebels — every ghost you catch reveals a true quote, a story, and a work of art. Every ghost is earned through focus. You never know who you'll catch next! DESIGNED FOR THE ADHD BRAIN: Our gentle DIGITAL HOURGLASS™ timer helps you find your flow without the anxiety of a traditional countdown. Perfect for deep work, studying, and managing distractions. BEAT PHONE ADDICTION: By making focus genuinely rewarding, our timer helps you build better habits and take back control from digital distractions. SLEEP BETTER: Leave your phone alone all night with the Sleep Timer and wake up to a reward of up to 10x coins. AND MORE: Match ghosts to your mood, compete on global leaderboards for huge coin prizes, and spend your coins in the in-app store to unlock curated ghost packs. NO ADS. EVER. HOW IT WORKS Download for free and start your first focus session right away. Create a free account whenever you're ready to save your ghosts, coins, and progress across all your devices and join the leaderboards. If you love it, subscribe to unlock pro features! SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS - Monthly ($4.99/month) - Unlock our full Universe of ghosts. - Access History to view your productivity stats over Day, Week, Month, and Year. - Cancel anytime. - Yearly ($34.99/year, 41% off) - Same full access to Universe & History. - First week free for new subscribers. - Cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. COINS & IN-APP PURCHASES You can use coins to extend grace periods, recover streaks, and unlock ghost packs in the in-app store. Coin packs are available in a range of sizes. YOUR FOCUS QUEST AWAITS Download Catch the Ghost now and transform the way you work, study, and focus. Whether you're a student aiming for better grades, a professional seeking deep work, or anyone looking to build a healthier relationship with their phone, our gamified Pomodoro approach will help you reach your potential. AUTO-RENEWING SUBSCRIPTIONS - Payment is charged to your iTunes account upon purchase confirmation. - Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings -> Apple ID -> Subscriptions. - Unused portions of a free trial period are forfeited upon purchase of a subscription. PRIVACY POLICY & TERMS - Privacy Policy: https://www.aeeiee.com/privacy-policy - Terms of Service (EULA): https://www.aeeiee.com/terms-of-service

Screenshots

Bookends4 screens
Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer at every 9 days against Bookends's every 2 months. Bookends's advantage is ratings volume (398 vs 47). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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 and Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Bookends against 4.8 for Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookends has 398 ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Bookends's written reviews are positive against 74% of Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bookends ships an update every 2 months, Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Bookends versus Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookendsCatch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (398 ratings)4.8 (47 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews — better73.9% of reviews
Number of ratings398 — better47
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB141 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSonny Software, LLCAeeiee, Inc.

Customer experience

Bookends

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

Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer

All ratings47 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive73.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.1%

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

Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer

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
6 purchases

Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time4
  • 1000 Coins$0.99
  • 5000 Coins$3.99
  • 10000 Coins$6.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Purchase$99.99

Questions

Is Bookends free?
Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer free?
Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bookends or Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer?
Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer is rated higher. Bookends averages 4.7 out of 5 from 398 ratings, while Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer averages 4.8 from 47 ratings.
Do Bookends or Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer have ads?
Neither Bookends nor Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bookends or Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer?
Bookends ships an update every 2 months, and Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer every 9 days. Most recently, Bookends was updated on October 12, 2026 and Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer on October 4, 2026.

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