Dog-Ear is a free book tracker app that I built myself, and it runs in your phone's browser, so there is nothing to download from an app store. You scan a book's barcode, and the cover, author and page count fill in on their own. The free plan holds up to 50 books, and the full version is a one-time $29 with no subscription.
I run Marie Gems in Wichita, Kansas, where I press DTF transfers and sell bookish gifts, and I built Dog-Ear because I love bullet journaling, but I am a mom of seven and I do not have the time to do the actual journaling. Dog-Ear is faster and easier, and it updates for me as I finish each book. The app has a Marie Gems shop tab inside it, which is why this post lives on the Purple Print blog. Here is what the app does, what is free, and what it costs, going by the live site at dogearreads.com.
Dog-Ear at a glance
- What it is: a reading journal and book tracker with 3D shelves you can decorate.
- How you use it: in your phone's browser or from your Home Screen, with no app store download.
- How you add books: scan a barcode, use Rapid Scan, search or talk the title, or import from Goodreads or StoryGraph.
- Price: free for up to 50 books, or $29 once for the full version, with no subscription.
- Made by: me, the owner of Marie Gems in Wichita, Kansas.
What is Dog-Ear, the book tracker app?
Dog-Ear is a reading journal app and book tracker that keeps your whole library on 3D shelves you can decorate. It tracks the books you own, the books you have read and the books you want, and it keeps your series straight. It is made by me, the same person behind Marie Gems and Marie Glow Studio, and it is not something I ship to you, it is an app you open on your phone.
Why did I build Dog-Ear?
I built Dog-Ear because I love bullet journaling, and I am a mom of seven, so I do not have the time to sit down and do the actual journaling. I wanted the same feeling of a reading journal without the hours it takes to keep one by hand. In Dog-Ear I scan a book, tap when I finish it, and the app updates for me: my shelves, my series, my reading challenge and my stats. It is faster and easier than journaling by hand, and it still looks like something I would want to decorate.
How do you add books to Dog-Ear?
You can add a book three ways, and the barcode is the fastest. Hold a book up to your camera and the cover, author and page count fill in by themselves. For a stack of books, Rapid Scan keeps the camera open so you can scan them one after another. You can also search by title, say the title out loud with the Talk button, or bring in a whole list from a Goodreads or StoryGraph export.
- Scan a barcode: one book at a time, straight onto your shelf.
- Rapid Scan: a whole stack or shelf in a row.
- Search or talk: type a title or say it, and check the words before you save.
- Import: bring your list over from Goodreads or StoryGraph.
The picture from your camera stays on your phone. If you are out at a store, switch to the wish list, scan the book there, and it waits under Books to Buy until you are ready, which is a good way to avoid buying a copy you already own.
Can Dog-Ear track book series?
Yes, Dog-Ear works as a book series tracker, and it is one of the main reasons I made it. Dog-Ear shows every series at a glance: how many books you own and how many you have read. For series that have a full list on file, it also shows exactly which books are missing. For a series without a full list, it does not guess, so you only ever see gaps it can back up.
The Pick My Next Book wheel works with this. You can spin it to choose your next read from your own shelves or your wish list, and it only suggests the next book in a series you have already started.
What does the Dog-Ear journal look like?
The journal is a decorated space inside the app, with reading challenge shelves, monthly pages, bingo, quotes and more than one hundred stickers, washi tape and handwritten notes. You pick your own library name, tagline and colors, so it can be purple and cheetah like my own, or any other color you like. Stats and a yearly Reading Wrapped show your books and pages read, your favorite authors and how many books got five stars.
Your books stand on real 3D shelves with their covers and spines. You can show a book cover out, spine out, edge out or lying flat, change the boards and the wall, put your own picture behind the shelves and place decorations where you like.
How much does the Dog-Ear book tracker app cost?
Dog-Ear is free for up to 50 books, and the full version is $29 once. There is no subscription. The free plan includes scanning, series, the wish list, journal pages and stats, and the full version removes the book limit, adds talk to type and unlocks the full sticker set.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 50 books, scanning, series, wish list, journal pages and stats |
| Full version | $29 once | No book limit, talk to type, 100+ stickers, no subscription |
There are no ads, your library is private, and you can export it or delete your account at any time.
Does Dog-Ear work on iPhone and Android?
Dog-Ear works in the browser on both, and you can add it to your Home Screen so it opens like an app. On an iPhone, adding it to the Home Screen is also what lets the daily reading reminder work. The reminder is a gentle nudge to read a few pages, with a different message each time, and you choose the time or turn it off whenever you like. An Android app on Google Play is in testing right now, so for now the browser version is the way in.
What is the Shop tab in Dog-Ear?
The Shop tab shows real Marie Gems products inside the app, so you can add a Kindle case or a bookish gift to your bag while you are looking at your shelves. Everything in it is a regular Marie Gems product, the same ones in the Book Lover Gifts collection. If you want to see more, the Kindle Cases collection has 50 cases, and my guide to the best Kindle cases for book lovers walks through how to choose one.
Is Dog-Ear a good gift for a reader?
It can be, as a free tool to hand to a friend who is always losing track of her books, and the full version is a one-time purchase if she wants more. For a physical gift, my list of gifts for book lovers who have everything and my stocking stuffers for book lovers are better places to start.
How do you start using Dog-Ear?
Go to dogearreads.com, tap Start free and scan your first book. A good first step is to scan the shelf you reach for most, and then add a few more each time you finish a book. If something does not work the way you expect, tell me through the Marie Gems contact page, because I am the one fixing it.