Comparison

LibraryThing vs Tertulia

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

Head to head
About

LibraryThing

Catalog your personal book, DVD, and CD collections. Easily add items by searching or scanning barcodes. Enhance your catalog with high-resolution cover photos and browse your collection visually.

Highlights
  • Catalog books, DVDs, and CDs
  • Search for media items
  • Scan ISBN barcodes
  • Add high-resolution cover photos
  • Browse collection by cover type
Features
Read full description

The LibraryThing app allows LibraryThing members to catalog and browse their collections. LibraryThing is focused on books, but you can add most media, including books, DVDs and CDs. LibraryThing relies on data from Amazon, and over 65 million library records. Add books by searching for them or scanning their ISBN barcode with the camera. Add high-resolution cover photos of your books with the cover editor and browse your books by cover type to find copies that need better covers.

About

Tertulia

Discover your next favorite book with curated recommendations from across the web. Organize your reading lists and purchase books seamlessly. Enjoy the best bookstore membership for passionate readers.

Highlights
  • Book recommendations from social media, podcasts, and web
  • Reading list tracking
  • Seamless book purchasing (US only)
  • Bookstore membership benefits
  • Discover trending books
Features
Read full description

Welcome booklovers! Tertulia is a one-stop shop for finding your next great read, keeping track of your reading lists and purchasing books with the best bookstore membership for avid readers. Tertulia serves up book recommendations from across social media, podcasts, and the web — all in one app which incorporates seamless book purchasing (US only). If a book has moved someone enough to get them talking, you can find it, buy it, and share it on Tertulia.

Screenshots

LibraryThing4 screens
Tertulia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tertulia at 4.7 against LibraryThing's 3.5. Tertulia also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and review sentiment (67% vs 47%). LibraryThing's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tertulia holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 278 and 507 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of LibraryThing's written reviews are positive against 67% of Tertulia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LibraryThing ships an update every 4 weeks, Tertulia weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
LibraryThing versus Tertulia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLibraryThingTertulia
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (278 ratings)4.7 (507 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.2% of reviews67.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings278507 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB14 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperLibraryThing.comTertulia, Inc.

Customer experience

LibraryThing

All ratings278 ratings
Positive55.4%
Neutral20.1%
Negative24.5%
Written reviews178 reviews
Positive47.2%
Neutral25.8%
Negative27.0%

Tertulia

All ratings507 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral8.2%
Negative24.6%

User reviews

LibraryThing

From 278 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick barcode scanning
  • 👍 Useful for cataloging library
  • 🚀 Fast book addition

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches and crashes
  • 🔍 Limited search and editing capabilities
  • 🤖 Outdated and dated UI

Tertulia

From 507 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient app
  • 👍 Visually appealing and user-friendly design
  • 💡 Excellent book discovery and recommendations
  • 👍 Convenient book tracking and management
  • 🚀 Quick delivery of purchased books

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy and slow performance issues
  • 🔍 Lack of detailed book descriptions
  • 💸 Overly commercial focus on selling books
  • 🔍 Inconsistent or missing order tracking/history

Bugs and requests

LibraryThing

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Barcode scanner not working
  • Books disappearing from catalog
  • Editing and saving issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to create custom collections
  • Offline access to library
  • Integration with other book apps
  • Lending/loan tracking feature

Tertulia

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Login and account issues
  • Disappearing user book lists
  • Inconsistent pricing and shipping information

Requested features

4 requests
  • iPad app version
  • Ability to rate and review books read
  • Improved personalized recommendations
  • Smoother scrolling and list management

In-app purchases

None

LibraryThing

No in-app purchases

None

Tertulia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LibraryThing free?
LibraryThing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tertulia free?
Tertulia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LibraryThing or Tertulia?
Tertulia is rated higher. LibraryThing averages 3.5 out of 5 from 278 ratings, while Tertulia averages 4.7 from 507 ratings.
Do LibraryThing or Tertulia have ads?
Neither LibraryThing nor Tertulia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LibraryThing or Tertulia?
LibraryThing ships an update every 4 weeks, and Tertulia weekly. Most recently, LibraryThing was updated on October 12, 2026 and Tertulia on October 11, 2026.

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