Kitabi vs Libib
Kitabi vs Libib: which home library app fits your shelf?
Libib is a well-made cataloguing service used by homes, schools and small libraries, and it handles far more than books. Kitabi does one thing — a reader's own bookshelf — and puts the parts a reader uses every week, like lending a book to a friend and logging pages read, in the free app.
Side by side
| Kitabi | Libib | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Basic is free; Pro is $9 a month or $99 a year (USD) |
| Lending | Free: a lending ledger with due dates, reminders and a Borrowed shelf | Pro and Ultimate only: a circulation system with patrons, due dates and email notices |
| What it catalogues | Books | Books, movies, music, video games and board games |
| Free plan size | One free app, no paid tiers | Basic holds up to 5,000 items in up to 100 collections |
| Reading | Status and dates, progress in pages, timed reading sessions, a yearly goal | Status (not begun, in progress, completed, abandoned) with start and finish dates |
| Without a connection | Works offline and syncs later | Its help pages say the app "runs entirely online" |
| Advertising | None | None |
Libib's column is taken from Libib's own pages, read on 16 October 2026 — they are listed under Sources below.
Lending is the difference
On Libib, lending is a library's circulation desk: patrons, holds, kiosks, overdue emails — and it starts with the Pro plan. That is exactly right for a school or a community library.
At home it is usually simpler than that. You lend a novel to a colleague and want to remember you did. Kitabi records it — who, which book, which day — reminds you when it has been out a while, and keeps the record once it comes back. If the friend uses Kitabi too, the book appears on their Borrowed shelf and a return ticks both ledgers. None of it costs anything.
Reading, not only cataloguing
Kitabi tracks reading against the edition you own: the page you're on out of its page count, sessions you time, and the books you finish in a year. Malayalam, Tamil and English books sit in their own scripts, and search understands transliteration.
When Libib is the better choice
If you catalogue films, music and games alongside your books, or you run a classroom or community library that needs patrons, holds, kiosks and overdue emails, Libib is built for that and Kitabi is not.
Questions
Is lending free on Libib?
Not on the free Basic plan. Libib's pricing page lists its lending and circulation system under Pro ($9 a month or $99 a year) and Ultimate. Kitabi's lending ledger is free.
Which is better for a school or community library?
Libib. Its Pro and Ultimate plans have patron records, holds, self-checkout kiosks and email reminders. Kitabi is made for one reader's own books.
Which is better for a personal book collection?
If you mostly own books and lend them to friends, Kitabi gives you lending, reading progress and offline use for free. If your collection mixes books with films, music and games, Libib catalogues all of them.
Does Kitabi work offline?
Yes. Your library lives on your phone, so browsing, adding books and logging reading all work without a connection, and sync when you are back online.
What is Kitabi?
Kitabi is a free personal library app for iPhone and Android, for readers who own books. Scan a barcode to catalogue a book, keep a lending ledger of who borrowed what, log your reading in pages, and import a Goodreads export. It works offline, shows no ads, and is private by default.
Sources
- Libib — Pricing
- Libib support — Lending
- Libib support — Mobile app quickstart
- Libib support — Item overview
Read on 16 October 2026. Prices and features change — check Libib's own site before you decide.
More about Kitabi
Kitabi vs GoodreadsKitabi vs LibraryThingBook lending trackerAll comparisons
Keep the shelf in your pocket
Kitabi is a personal library app — track what you own, log what you read, and lend a book to a friend without losing it. Free, offline-first, no ads.