Comparison

LibraryThing vs Simply TBR

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

Simply TBR

Features
Read full description

A NetGalley ARC with an archive date creeping closer. The Libby suspended hold you keep meaning to check on. The Kindle book you bought on sale and forgot about. The paperback sitting third from the top of the nightstand pile. Your books live everywhere, which makes picking the next one strangely hard. Simply TBR gathers them into one calm, cover-forward stack... not a catalog of what you've read, but a clear view of what you could start right now. No ratings. No streaks. No shame about the size of the pile. ------- What it does for you. See your whole reading pile in one place. Bring in NetGalley ARCs (with archive dates, so future you isn't surprised), Libby loans and holds, and your Amazon and Audible libraries. Connect a self-hosted library through any OPDS catalog, like Grimmory or Calibre-Web, or pull books straight from Hardcover. Turn screenshots of other library apps, like Apple Books, into visible books in your stack. Add physical books by barcode scan, manually, or through a list. Can’t decide what to read? Use Lucky Spin to deal you a small hand of covers. Pick one or spin again. Move books through four honest states: Unread, Started, Didn't Finish, and Done. Pause or set one aside while you decide. Putting a book down is a choice, not a failure, and the app treats it that way. Close the loop when you finish. Didn't finish? Let it go, no ceremony needed. Finish? Finish? There's an Exit Ceremony that hands your notes to your clipboard with links to log it on Goodreads, StoryGraph, or Hardcover, plus leave NetGalley feedback or return your loan. Then finish with a small, satisfying animation.

Widgets allow quick glances at what you’re reading or give a peek at your stack offering options without needing to open the app. ------- The free version works beautifully for a manual stack: add books by hand or barcode, spin, read, finish, and sync across your Apple devices through iCloud. Connected adds importing from NetGalley, Libby, Amazon, Audible, Hardcover, and your own self-hosted OPDS library, plus turning library app screenshots into books, for when your reading life gets more complicated. Whichever you choose your books stay in your stack. ------- When you import from NetGalley, Libby, Amazon, or Audible, you log in on that service's own website... those credentials never touch the app. Hardcover connects with an API token you paste in, and an OPDS library with an address and login you provide, both kept on your device. Everything is read right on your device. No tracking. No analytics. Simply yours. ------- Simply TBR is built by one indie developer with 633 books on her own TBR who needed a kinder way through it. It sits alongside Simply Remember It and the rest of the SimplyKyra family: soft structure, for real life. Read your way out. ------- Questions or feedback? Email mail@simplykyra.com 
Learn more: simplykyra.com/simply-tbr 
 Newsletter: simplykyra.com/simply-tbr/#/portal/account 
 Terms of Use: simplykyra.com/simply-tbr-terms-and-conditions/ 
 Privacy Policy: simplykyra.com/simply-tbr-privacy-policy/

Screenshots

LibraryThing4 screens
Simply TBR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LibraryThing at none against Simply TBR's 2. LibraryThing also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). Simply TBR's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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. Simply TBR sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. LibraryThing asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LibraryThing ships an update every 4 weeks, Simply TBR every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
LibraryThing versus Simply TBR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLibraryThingSimply TBR
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (278 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews48.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings278 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB16 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperLibraryThing.comSimplyKyra LLC

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

Simply TBR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

LibraryThing

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Simply TBR

Subscriptions2
  • Connected Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Connected Annual7 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is LibraryThing free?
LibraryThing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simply TBR free?
Simply TBR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LibraryThing or Simply TBR have ads?
Neither LibraryThing nor Simply TBR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LibraryThing or Simply TBR?
LibraryThing ships an update every 4 weeks, and Simply TBR every 10 days. Most recently, LibraryThing was updated on September 29, 2026 and Simply TBR on September 28, 2026.

Other comparisons