Libib is built to serve libraries as well as homes, with patrons, holds and label printing. Volumes is made for a reader's own shelves: what you own and where it is, what you're reading, who borrowed what, and the lines worth keeping.
Libib is a cataloguing service for homes, schools and small libraries, on the web and mobile. Volumes is made for a reader's own shelves, with reading, lending and quotes built in.
Volumes and Libib, feature by feature
Feature
Volumes
Libib
No account needed
YesKept in your own iCloud
NoAccount needed
Not tracked across apps
Yes
Yes
No ads
Yes
Yes
Native Mac app
YesNative on iPhone, iPad and Mac
PartlyiPad app on Apple silicon Macs
Barcode scanning
YesOne book or a whole shelf
Yes
Track who borrowed a book
YesPlus hand-over links
PartlyIn the Pro plan
Record which shelf a book is on
Yes
PartlySuggests using the call number
Save your own quotes
YesPhotograph the page
PartlyA notes field
Import from Goodreads
YesAlso StoryGraph, LibraryThing
PartlyGeneric CSV import
Export your library
NoComing soon
YesCSV, on every plan
No subscription or paid tier
YesEverything included
PartlyLending in Pro, from $9 a month
Android or web
NoComing soon
YesAndroid and web
YesPartlyNoNot mentioned in their own listing or help pages
A Libib export is a spreadsheet with an ISBN column, which Volumes reads as it is. Export it from the Libib website.
1 · Out of Any spreadsheet with ISBNs
Export your library from the other app as a CSV file. Any spreadsheet works if it has a column with ISBN in its name.
2 · Into Volumes
Open Settings in Volumes
Under the library title on iPhone, the gear on iPad, and ⌘, on a Mac.
Import from Another App
Tap Choose a File and pick the export. Or share the file to Volumes from Files or Mail.
Add to My Library
Check the count, then add. Volumes tells you what came in and anything it couldn't use.
What to expect
Comes across
ISBN, title, authors, publisher, page count and year
The date added, if there's a column for it
Shelves, tags or collections, as lists
Stays behind
Reading status: every book comes in as not started
Ratings, reviews and locations
Books already in your library are skipped, so importing twice is safe. Want to see it first? Try a sample library.
Which is for you
An honest choice
Choose Libib if…
You run a school, office or small public library with patrons.
You need Android, the web, or label printing.
You catalogue films, music or games too.
Choose Volumes if…
You lend to friends and want a hand-over link that puts the book on their shelves.
You want reading progress, quotes and series alongside your catalogue.
You want to scan a whole shelf at once and set its location in one go.
You want a native Mac app and no account.
Privacy and price
What it costs you
Libib
An account is needed. Libib says it has no advertisements, and its privacy label lists no tracking across apps.
Basic is free for up to 5,000 items. Lending is in Pro, at $9 a month or $99 a year.
Volumes
No account and no ads. Your library is kept in your own iCloud, and Volumes doesn’t track you across other apps or websites. The privacy policy sets out the little that leaves your device.
Free on the App Store, with no subscription.
Libib
Made for a home, not a library desk
Libib's lending is built for a library: patrons, holds and due dates. Volumes' lending is built for friends: a name and a date, and a link that puts the book on their own shelves.
Where a book lives is a field of its own in Volumes, set for a whole shelf at once when you scan it, rather than a call number.
Questions
Good to know
Can I import my Libib library into Volumes?
Yes. Export a CSV from Libib. Volumes reads any spreadsheet with an ISBN column: open Settings, tap Import from Another App and choose the file. Every book comes in as not started.
Is Volumes suitable for a school library?
Volumes is designed for a personal or household library. It doesn't manage patrons, holds or due dates.
Can I get my books out of Volumes later?
A full library export is coming soon. Until then you can share any single book or quote, and your library lives in your own iCloud rather than on our servers.
What do I need to run Volumes?
An iPhone or iPad with iOS 26 or later, or a Mac with macOS 26 or later. Volumes is free on the App Store.
Everything else
Everything else in Volumes
Your reading, your shelves, your loans and your quotes, in one private app on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
