Comparison

Bookends vs Stardust Recorder

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

Stardust Recorder

Features
Read full description

Stardust Recorder is a private voice transcription app that runs entirely on your iPhone. Your recordings, transcripts, and summaries never leave your device. No accounts. No servers. Just you and your voice. WHY STARDUST We built Stardust because voice transcription apps shouldn't require sending your audio to someone else's servers. Your conversations, your interviews, your private thoughts — these belong to you. Stardust uses on-device machine learning to transcribe in 99+ languages, generate summaries with Apple Intelligence, and extract action items from any recording. Everything happens on your phone's processor. Nothing is uploaded. KEY FEATURES · Whisper transcription running locally on your iPhone — no cloud · Apple Intelligence summaries generated on the Neural Engine · 99+ languages with auto-detect (Stardust Pro adds explicit language picker for 22 languages) · On-device encryption (ChaCha20-Poly1305) for every recording · Encryption keys stored in iOS Keychain — never in iCloud · Tag and search across your library · Export to text, Markdown, PDF, DOCX, JSON, or directly to Apple Notes · Real-time waveform visualization during recording · Scrub and replay with audio controls · Action items can be sent to Apple Reminders or Calendar PRIVACY BY DESIGN · No accounts, no sign-up, no email required · No analytics or tracking SDKs · No advertising · Your audio never leaves your device · Your transcripts never leave your device · Your summaries never leave your device · No servers receive your content — we don't have any FREE TIER · 15 recordings per 30-day period (recordings under 30 seconds don't count) · 30-minute maximum per recording · Whisper Base model with 99+ language auto-detect · Plain text export STARDUST PRO Unlock everything: · Unlimited recordings · No length limits · Whisper Tiny, Small, and Medium models · Explicit language picker (22 languages) · Audio file import · All export formats (Markdown, PDF, DOCX, JSON, Notes) · 5 additional themes · Cross-recording search · iCloud sync · Apple Watch quick-record Two purchase options: · Lifetime — one payment, forever · Monthly — auto-renewing subscription WHAT YOU NEED · iPhone running iOS 17 or later · Apple Intelligence requires an Apple Intelligence-capable device (iPhone 15 Pro, 16/16 Pro, or later) running a supported iOS version BUILT BY Stardust Recorder is built by Astir Technology, an indie studio in Sydney, Australia. We're committed to privacy, simplicity, and beautiful design. Questions, feedback, or feature requests? Email contact@astir.technology — we read every message. Welcome to Stardust. Privacy Policy: https://stardust-legal.vercel.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Bookends4 screens
Stardust Recorder4 screens

Verdict

The call

Bookends and Stardust Recorder are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 Stardust Recorder sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Bookends versus Stardust Recorder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookendsStardust Recorder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (394 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings394 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB147 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSonny Software, LLCAbrar Miah

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

Stardust Recorder

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
2 purchases

Stardust Recorder

Subscriptions1
  • Stardust Pro$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Stardust Pro$12.99

Questions

Is Bookends free?
Bookends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stardust Recorder free?
Stardust Recorder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Bookends or Stardust Recorder have ads?
Neither Bookends nor Stardust Recorder shows ads.

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