Bookends vs Nuj Habits
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
Nuj Habits
Build and maintain habits with a unique visual approach. Each habit is represented by a plant that grows and changes color based on its status. Track your progress with a visual calendar and receive notifications to keep your habits thriving.
- Habit-based plant growth
- Color-coded habit status
- Long-press habit completion
- Visual habit calendar
- Customizable intervals
- Habit notifications
- Import/export habits
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Limited Time, Early Adopter Benefit: Nuj Habits is currently available as a small, one-time purchase. As we grow and add new features, we will transition to a subscription model. However, early adopters who purchase now will be automatically eligible for Lifetime Free Access to all future updates — our way of saying thank you for your early support! Description: Nuj Habits helps you build and maintain habits through a unique visual approach. Each habit (called a "Nuj") is represented by a plant that grows and changes over time. Keep your habits thriving: - Create up to 12 different habits - Watch your plants change color based on habit state - Complete habits with a satisfying long-press interaction - Track your history with a visual calendar - Set custom intervals from minutes to years - Receive notifications when your plants need attention Your garden of habits will visually show you which tasks need your attention through a simple color system: - Green: Healthy and on track - Orange: Needs attention soon - Brown: Overdue and needs some serious love Customize each habit with your own timing and schedule. Import and export your habits to share across devices. Nuj Habits provides a satisfying, visual way to build consistency with the habits that matter to you. Thanks so much for giving us a try! Check back every month or so to see the new features! Happy Nujing!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Bookends at Free against Nuj Habits's $0.99. Bookends also leads on ratings volume (400 vs 3). Nuj Habits's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Bookends is free to download; Nuj Habits costs $0.99 up front. Bookends sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Nuj Habits asks for nothing beyond the download.
Nuj Habits holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookends has 400 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Bookends's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nuj Habits's.
Bookends ships an update every 2 months, Nuj Habits fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bookends | Nuj Habits |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (400 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 400 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 114 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sonny Software, LLC | Adam Raabe |
Customer experience
Bookends
Nuj Habits
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
Nuj Habits
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bookends
- Premium3 Months trial$14.991 Year
- Standard$14.99
Nuj Habits
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bookends free?
Is Nuj Habits free?
Which has better reviews, Bookends or Nuj Habits?
Do Bookends or Nuj Habits have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bookends or Nuj Habits?
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