Software Alternatives & Startups

LibraryThing VS Libella.app

Compare LibraryThing VS Libella.app and see what are their differences

LibraryThing

A home for your books.

Rating
0 reviews
Libella.app

Home library catalog on your phone and computer: scan ISBN barcodes, scan a whole shelf or type a title. Finds old and European editions in national libraries, even books without ISBN. Track loans, import from other catalogs. First 100 books free.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium €2.99 / Monthly (LIbella AI - €2.99/month, billed yearly · 5,000 AI credits/month)

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, LibraryThing seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 15 times since March 2021.

social mentions
15 vs 0
Books popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
132 vs 11

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

LibraryThing
Libella.app
Website librarything.com libella.app
Pricing —
Freemium €2.99 / Monthly (LIbella AI - €2.99/month, billed yearly · 5,000 AI credits/month) Official pricing
Platforms —
Web
Company — Startup from Croatia · 1 - 9 employees · 2026
Listed in

About LibraryThing and Libella.app

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

LibraryThing
Libella.app

No description of LibraryThing yet.

Libella.app is a home library catalogue for people with more books than they can remember. Add books by scanning the barcode, searching by title, or scanning a whole shelf or the copyright page of older books. Book details come from national library catalogues across Europe and the US (Library of...

Read more about Libella.app

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

LibraryThing 5 features
Libella.app 13 features
  • Extensive Database
    LibraryThing has a vast collection of books, including many lesser-known and rare titles, making it a great resource for avid readers and collectors.
  • Social Networking Features
    Users can interact with other book enthusiasts, share recommendations, join book clubs, and participate in discussions, enhancing the reading experience.
  • Cataloging Tools
    LibraryThing offers powerful cataloging features, allowing users to organize, rate, review, and tag their books, along with options for importing data from other sources.
  • Multilingual Support
    The platform supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a diverse international audience.
  • Book Recommendations
    LibraryThing provides personalized book recommendations based on users' existing libraries and reading preferences, helping discover new titles.

Possible disadvantages

  • Interface Complexity
    The user interface can be unintuitive and complex, with a steeper learning curve for new users compared to other book cataloging platforms.
  • Limited Mobile Experience
    While there are mobile apps available, they are not as polished or feature-rich as the desktop experience, which can be inconvenient for on-the-go use.
  • Limited Social Integration
    LibraryThing lacks deep integration with major social media platforms, which might limit broader sharing and connectivity options.
  • Ad-Supported Free Version
    The free version of LibraryThing includes advertisements, which can be distracting. Users need to subscribe to a paid plan to remove ads.
  • Less Mainstream Appeal
    Compared to competitors like Goodreads, LibraryThing has a smaller user base and community, potentially limiting interaction and book discovery.
  • Barcode Scanning
    Scan the ISBN barcode with your phone camera; details are filled in automatically
  • Book Management
    Organise books into your own shelves, genres and reading status
  • Book scanning on your phone
    Scan a whole shelf or the copyright page; AI recognises the books (try it free)
  • Lending management
    Record who borrowed a book and when, with an optional WhatsApp reminder
  • CSV Export
    Export your whole library to CSV at any time
  • CSV Import
    Import from other catalogs or a spreadsheet
  • PDF Export
    Save your library as a printable PDF catalogue
  • Shareable Content
    Share your library with a public link, no account needed to view
  • Multiple Sheet Tabs
    Multiple shelves, e.g. Home, Office, Wishlist
  • Dark Mode
    Light and dark mode
  • No Ads or Tracking
    No ads and no third-party trackers
  • Multi-Language Support
    Interface in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech and Slovak
  • Book Discovery
    Find any edition in national library catalogs across Europe and the US, including old books without an ISBN

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

LibraryThing
Libella.app

Overall verdict

  • LibraryThing is generally considered a good platform, especially for those who enjoy cataloging their book collections and engaging with a community of fellow readers. Its combination of organizational tools and social features makes it a valuable resource for bibliophiles.

Why this product is good

  • LibraryThing is a robust online service designed for people to catalog, organize, and share their book collections. It offers a platform where users can connect with other book enthusiasts, join discussions, and find book recommendations based on their interests. The site is praised for its extensive database, ease of use, and various features that cater to both casual readers and avid collectors. Users appreciate its social features, such as reviews, ratings, and forums, which enhance the book discovery process.

Recommended for

  • Avid readers looking to catalog their personal book collection
  • Individuals seeking book recommendations and reviews from a community
  • People interested in connecting with others who share similar literary interests
  • Librarians and educators who want to organize and manage library inventory

No analysis of Libella.app yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

LibraryThing 2 videos + Add
Libella.app 0 videos + Add

LibraryThing: What it is, what it does, what it can do

More videos

  • - Library Catalogues Overview (Libib and LibraryThing)

No Libella.app videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
LibraryThing
Libella.app
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
90% 90%
10% 10%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing LibraryThing and Libella.app.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Libella.app's answer:

A progressive web app in plain JavaScript, hosted on Netlify with serverless functions; Supabase for accounts and the database; Google Gemini for recognising books from shelf photos and copyright pages; our own bridge to national library catalogues over Z39.50 and SRU; plus Open Library and Google Books.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Libella.app's answer:

If your shelves hold older or European books, Libella.app finds them where other apps return nothing. It works on phone and computer without installing anything, keeps your data in one account across devices, and lets you edit many books at once in a table view. There are no ads and no third-party trackers. The first 100 books are free forever, and larger libraries cost 2.99 €/month or 29 € once.

What makes your product unique?

Libella.app's answer:

Most book apps rely on retail databases, so they struggle with older, out-of-print and non-English books. Libella.app looks books up in national library catalogues across Europe and the US (Library of Congress, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, BnF, SBN Italy, Biblioteca Nacional de España and more), so it finds the exact edition you own, even books printed before the ISBN existed. It runs in the browser on both phone and computer: scan on your phone, organise on a big screen.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Libella.app's answer:

People with large home libraries who no longer know what they own: book collectors, avid readers, families sorting out an inherited collection, and anyone with older or non-English books that mainstream apps don’t recognise. Many of our users catalogue hundreds of books in their first week.

What's the story behind your product?

Libella.app's answer:

Libella.app started with a simple problem: a home full of books and no idea what was on the shelves. Existing apps worked well for new English bestsellers, but not for the older and local editions that fill most European homes. So we built a catalogue that asks the libraries themselves, connecting it to national library catalogues across Europe and the US. It is made by a small independent team in Europe.

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

LibraryThing 15 mentions
Libella.app 0 mentions
  • That's a library and a half
    I have 827 (thank you librarything.com for the catalogue) and 7 dictionaries in four languages accumulated over 50-odd years. I have several matching sets I’ve bought as they were issued. You just have to (a) buy books and (b) live a... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Keep track of books!
    I use librarything.com to keep track of books I read. One of the things I like most about the site is that it basically works like your own personal library card catalog. You can create "collections" as well as tags to organize your... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Library management system
    Take a look at librarything.com, probably perfect for small libraries. Source: almost 4 years ago

View more

Tracking Libella.app since Nov 2026.

Alternatives to LibraryThing and Libella.app

When comparing LibraryThing and Libella.app, you can also consider the following products.