Comparison

Must Read vs Book End

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Must Read

Track your reading progress, time sessions with live activities, and discover new books. Access a vast library of classic eBooks and audiobooks with PRO. Organize your library with custom lists and detailed reading statistics.

Highlights
  • Track reading progress
  • Live Activity reading timer
  • Detailed reading statistics
  • Access to 74,000+ classic eBooks
  • Access to 18,000+ audiobooks
  • Customizable reading lists
  • Book discovery and recommendations
Features
Read full description

Must Read keeps your whole reading life in one place. Track every book, time your reading, read and listen to classics, and find your next book on shelves picked by our editors. Build a reading habit, clear your TBR pile, or discover your next favorite book. Sign in and your library is with you on all your devices. TRACK YOUR BOOKS - Add books with the barcode scanner, or search by title, author or ISBN - Organize by status: Want to Read, Reading, Completed, Did Not Finish - Track pages, or time for audiobooks, and mark each book as physical, ebook or audiobook - Write notes and reviews, and rate books with quarter-star precision - Make your own lists, with regular books and classics together - Import from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Book Tracker, Reading List or Booklog, or any CSV file with titles and authors, and see a preview first READ YOUR OWN EBOOKS - Bring your own EPUB and PDF files from Files, AirDrop or other apps - They wait in Imported books, kept on this device READING TIMER AND LIVE ACTIVITY - Start a timer when you sit down to read, with a goal of 15, 30 or 60 minutes, or your own - Follow it on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island - See pages per session and your reading speed, and build streaks - Set reading reminders for each day of the week APPLE WATCH - Start a session from your wrist and set your page with the Digital Crown - Your current read and your streak on the watch face ASK MUST READ - Not sure what to read next? Pick a mood, like Short and quick or Finish what you started, and get one pick from your own shelf and our editors' lists WIDGETS - Currently Reading widgets in every Home Screen size, plus the Lock Screen - Streak widget: this week's reading days and today's pages - Choose which books your widgets show, and in what order READING STATS - Reading DNA: your reader archetype, favorite time of day, top genres and pace - Books, pages, hours and reading speed, this year and all time - Reading calendar with daily covers and streaks - Yearly reading goal with weekly progress DISCOVER BOOKS - Shelves picked by our editors, with lists for many countries - Similar books on book pages, drawn from shared authors and genres - Browse 27 genres, or tap a genre or author on any book - Point your camera at a book with Visual Intelligence (on iPhones with Apple Intelligence) CLASSICS LIBRARY - Public domain eBooks from Project Gutenberg and audiobooks from LibriVox - Built-in reader with fonts, themes, bookmarks and a Contents list that marks your chapter SIRI AND SHORTCUTS (iOS 26 and later) - Ask what you're reading, your top-rated books, your stats or your streak - Add, finish and rate books by voice MUST READ CARD AND FRIENDS - Add your Must Read card to Apple Wallet and keep your reading at a glance - Invite friends with your code: you each get 5 more books on the free plan SHARE YOUR READING - My bookshelf: share your library as a picture of a bookcase - Share cards for any book: Colorful, Minimal, Dark, or your own color or photo FIND AND BUY BOOKS - Links to bookshops such as Bookshop.org, Amazon and Apple Books, depending on your country Made for iPhone, iPad, iPhone Duo and Apple Watch. --- Must Read Pro unlocks unlimited books, reading timer on all books, unlimited lists and the full classics library. - Monthly: $4.99/month - Yearly: $29.99/year (7-day free trial) - Lifetime: $79.99 (one-time purchase) - Family Sharing supported Free: 10 books, 1 custom list, timer on 1 book, 1 classic eBook, 1 audiobook, reading reminders, full search and explore. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://mustreadapp.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://mustreadapp.com/terms

About

Book End

Easily track your reading progress with this app. Scan or import books, log reading sessions, and receive personalized statistics like reading speed and time remaining predictions. Develop your reading habit with helpful insights.

Highlights
  • Scan, search, and import books
  • Log reading sessions with a timer
  • Generate personalized reading statistics
  • Predict time remaining for books
  • Track reading speed and pages per hour
  • Develop reading habits
Features
Read full description

Book End is an app that helps you keep track of the books you're reading and generates reading statistics. Just like how a physical bookend holds up books on a shelf, this app helps you keep your books and reading organised. Book End allows you to easily scan, search and import books that you're reading into the app. Once you have your physical book open, you can use Book End to set a reading session timer. After completing your reading session, return to the app to log it, and it will automatically create personalized statistics for you. These include precise time remaining predictions for each book and exclusive metrics like your reading speed, and average pages read per hour. Overall, Book End helps you stay on track and develop your reading habit.

Screenshots

Must Read4 screens
Book End4 screens

Verdict

The call

Must Read and Book End both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Book End's written reviews are positive against 48% of Must Read's. Book End also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Must Read's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Must Read sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Book End sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. 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 — 4.5 for Must Read against 4.5 for Book End. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 22 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of Must Read's written reviews are positive against 85% of Book End's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Must Read ships an update every 6 days, Book End fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Must Read versus Book End: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMust ReadBook End
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (20 ratings)4.5 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.0% of reviews85.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2022 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStanislav RastvorovBenjamin Wheeler

Customer experience

Must Read

All ratings15 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive48.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative40.0%

Book End

All ratings22 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative5.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Must Read

Subscriptions2
  • Must Read Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Must Read Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Must Read Pro Lifetime$49.99
3 purchases

Book End

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Must Read free?
Must Read is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Book End free?
Book End is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Must Read or Book End?
Book End is rated higher. Must Read averages 4.5 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Book End averages 4.5 from 22 ratings.
Do Must Read or Book End have ads?
Neither Must Read nor Book End shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Must Read or Book End?
Must Read ships an update every 6 days, and Book End fortnightly. Most recently, Must Read was updated on November 1, 2026 and Book End on October 30, 2026.

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