Try Better Bookshelf free — catalog your first 50 books, no sign-up.
Scan your shelf.
Find your books.
Take one clear photo of your bookshelf. AI matches the books and records their positions. Search your collection later and see exactly where to look in your saved shelf photo.
A real bookshelf. A real scan.
One photo.
88 books matched.
Leave the books on the shelf. Take a clear photo, and Better Bookshelf suggests the titles and marks their positions. Add the matched books together, then tap the red dots to identify the rest.
Scan your shelf
Build your catalog without entering every title.
Search for a book
Find a title or author across your saved shelves.
See where it belongs
Open its marked position in your shelf photo. Update the photo when your books move.
This iPhone test scan returned 88 matches and 7 books needing help. Matches are title suggestions, not a verified accuracy score. Results vary with the books and photo quality. Shelf scanning is an upgrade feature.
Features
Everything you need to manage your library
Find the books you own, choose what to read next, and keep your collection together across physical and digital formats.
ISBN Barcode Scanner
Add individual books by scanning an ISBN barcode. Available book details and cover art fill in automatically.
CatalogingRich Book Details
Automatically fetches cover art, synopsis, page count, genre, and publication date from trusted book databases.
CatalogingWhole-Shelf AI Scanning
Photograph a whole bookcase and AI identifies the spines and marks each book's position. Add the matches together, fix the rest. Six scans included with Unlimited.
CatalogingReading Status Tracking
Mark books as Unread, Reading, or Read. Always know where you are in your reading journey.
TrackingRatings & Reviews
Rate books on a five-star scale and write personal reviews to remember what you loved (or didn't).
TrackingBook Lending Tracker
Keep track of who you've lent books to and when. Never lose track of a borrowed book again.
TrackingMulti-Format Support
Track physical, Kindle, and Audible editions of the same book. One library, every format.
CatalogingKindle & Audible Import
Import your entire digital library via CSV export from Kindle or Audible in just a few taps.
IntegrationReadwise Integration
Bring supported highlights and notes from Readwise into your library so you can revisit what you read.
IntegrationGoogle Drive Backup
Automatically back up your library to your own Google Drive with one-tap restore. Your data, your cloud.
BackupCSV Export
Export your full library data anytime in CSV format. Your collection is always portable.
BackupAdd by Title
Find and add books by title, author, or ISBN when you don't have a barcode handy.
CatalogingFind Books on Your Shelves
Search by title or author, or tap Find on shelf from any book, and see it highlighted in your saved shelf photo with a close-up and the books beside it.
OrganizationUpdate a Shelf with a New Photo
Name each shelf. When books move, take a new photo and the app shows which books it found again before you save the update.
OrganizationFavorites
Quick access to your most-loved books. Star your favorites for instant retrieval.
OrganizationCustom Tags
Create custom tags for flexible categorization that goes beyond shelves and genres.
OrganizationDark Mode
Beautiful light and dark themes. Read comfortably in any lighting condition.
ExperienceScreenshots
See it in action
From scanning to searching to backing up — every part of Better Bookshelf is designed to be intuitive and beautiful.
Your Library
Every book you own, in one place
A beautiful grid view of your entire collection, searchable and sortable.
Instant Scanning
Point. Scan. Cataloged.
The barcode scanner turns your camera into a cataloging tool. One scan pulls in full metadata.
Book Details
Everything about every book
Cover art, synopsis, page count, genre, your rating, reading status, and personal notes — all in one view.
Search & Filters
Find any book in seconds
Search titles, authors, genres, tags, even your highlights. Filter by format, reading status, or custom tags to find exactly what you're looking for.
Easy Import
Bring your digital library
Import from Kindle, Audible, or sync Readwise highlights. Your digital books join your physical ones.
Safe Backup
Your library, in your cloud
Automatic Google Drive backups mean you'll never lose your collection. One tap to restore.
Made for your shelves
Your collection, easier to use
A photo gets you started. A searchable shelf helps you find the next book you want to read.
Start with the shelf you already have
Photograph a bookcase with the books in place. AI reads the spines, suggests a match for each one, and marks where it sits. You add the matches together and fix the uncertain ones.
Find the book, not just the title
Search a title or author, or tap Find on shelf from any book in your library. The app opens your saved shelf photo with that spine highlighted, shows a close-up, and tells you which books sit beside it.
Your existing library gets locations too
Shelf matching checks the books already in your catalog first, so a book you rated years ago simply gains a spot on a shelf. Your ratings, notes, and reading history stay attached.
Shelves change. So can the photo
Name each shelf. When you rearrange, take a new photo and the app shows which books it found again and which locations it will clear before you save.
Keep reading your way
Track unread, reading, and read books. Keep a reading list, ratings, and reviews. Import Kindle and Audible CSVs, sync Readwise highlights, export everything, and back up to your own Google Drive.
Privacy First
Your books stay on your device
Your saved catalog and shelf photos stay on your device, with optional backup to your own Google Drive. AI shelf scanning sends the selected photo through Better Bookshelf to OpenAI for processing. Our privacy policy explains this and the services used for purchases and analytics.
- Your saved library is available on your device
- Google Drive backups go to your own account
- Only choose photos you want processed for shelf scanning
- Scan credits are managed securely by our service
- Export your catalog and manage your backups
Start building your digital library
Start free with up to 50 books. The one-time Unlimited upgrade (US$29.99) gives you an unlimited library and 6 whole-shelf AI scans. Need more? Add a pack of 6 for US$10. Your store shows the local price before purchase.
Available for iPhone and Android. Shelf scanning requires version 1.8.0 or later.