Comparison

Bookends vs Nuj Habits

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

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.

Highlights
  • Habit-based plant growth
  • Color-coded habit status
  • Long-press habit completion
  • Visual habit calendar
  • Customizable intervals
  • Habit notifications
  • Import/export habits
Features
Read full description

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

Bookends4 screens
Nuj Habits4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bookends ships an update every 2 months, Nuj Habits fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Bookends versus Nuj Habits: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookendsNuj Habits
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.7 (400 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings400 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSonny Software, LLCAdam Raabe

Customer experience

Bookends

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

Nuj Habits

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
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

Nuj Habits

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

Nuj Habits

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bookends free?
Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nuj Habits free?
Nuj Habits costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bookends or Nuj Habits?
Nuj Habits is rated higher. Bookends averages 4.7 out of 5 from 400 ratings, while Nuj Habits averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Bookends or Nuj Habits have ads?
Neither Bookends nor Nuj Habits shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bookends or Nuj Habits?
Bookends ships an update every 2 months, and Nuj Habits fortnightly. Most recently, Bookends was updated on October 23, 2026 and Nuj Habits on October 24, 2026.

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