# Bookends vs Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookends | Catch the Ghost Pomodoro Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (398 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookends/id739087947/reviews) | **[4.8 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catch-the-ghost-pomodoro-timer/id6472274328/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **398** | 47 |
| Positive reviews | **76.4% of reviews** | 73.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 114 MB | 141 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Sonny Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/417583547) | [Aeeiee, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1125279241) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookends

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookends/id739087947)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| Standard | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless sync across devices
- 👍 Excellent PDF annotation tools
- 🔒 Reliable and stable
- 💡 Powerful reference management features
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud and PDF files
- 🔒 Subscription model for essential features
- 👎 Outdated and clunky user interface
- 🔒 Limited functionality on iOS without subscription

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catch-the-ghost-pomodoro-timer/id6472274328)

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $34.99 | per year |
| 1000 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5000 Coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| 10000 Coins | $6.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Purchase | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*