Book collection app

Know what’s on your shelves.

Keep your books organized and close at hand, so you can check what you own before buying another copy or trying to remember which edition is already at home.

Catalist book record showing a cover and useful details

Your books, remembered

Keep the details with the book.

Covers

Recognize the book at a glance instead of scanning a wall of titles.

Title & author

Keep the basic identity of every book clear and consistent.

ISBN

Save the identifier that distinguishes one edition from another when it is available.

Edition details

Keep the edition information returned by supported lookup, and add your own notes when the copy matters.

Categories

Organize books by subjects, genres, or another system that makes sense for your library.

Condition

Record the condition of the copy you actually own.

Purchase details

Remember when and where you bought a book without hunting through old orders.

Estimated value

Keep a value with books where replacement, resale, or collector context matters.

Photos

Add your own images for signatures, inscriptions, special covers, damage, or other details worth remembering.

Notes, files & links

Keep private context and useful references connected to the book instead of scattered elsewhere.

Your whole library

Every shelf counts.

Catalog the books you read, collect, reference, display, or simply do not want to accidentally buy twice.

Hardcovers & paperbacks

Everyday reading copies, favorite editions, mass-market paperbacks, trade paperbacks, and hardcovers.

Special editions

Limited editions, collector editions, alternate covers, deluxe releases, and book-box editions.

Signed books & ARCs

Keep photos and notes with signed copies, advance reader copies, inscriptions, and other details that make one copy different from another.

Series & box sets

Keep the volumes you own together so it is easier to see what is already in the collection.

Reference & art books

Design books, cookbooks, photography books, textbooks, technical references, coffee-table books, and the titles you keep for more than reading.

Your library, your system

Make the shelves make sense.

Use categories such as Fiction, Design, History, Biography, Reference, or whatever makes your own library easier to understand.

FictionDesignHistoryBiographyReferenceArt & Photography
Catalist Collections showing a Books collection alongside other collections
Scanning a book ISBN in CatalistCatalist looking up a scanned bookSaving the scanned book details in Catalist

Faster cataloging

Build your library faster.

Scan a supported ISBN barcode, confirm the book Catalist found, and save it. If a lookup misses, keep the record moving with manual entry instead of hitting a dead end.

Scan the ISBN

Use the barcode on supported books to bring in available book identity and cover information.

Confirm the match

Check that Catalist found the right book before it becomes part of your collection.

Save what matters

A useful record does not need every possible field completed before you can keep it.

Add it yourself

Older book, unusual edition, or lookup miss? Add the book manually and keep going.

Your library, away from home

Stop buying from memory.

The moment you most need your book catalog is often when you are standing in front of another shelf somewhere else.

Avoid duplicate buys

Check your Catalist collection before bringing home a copy you already own.

Remember the edition

Reference the cover, ISBN, photos, condition, and notes when the specific copy matters.

Keep large libraries manageable

Give hundreds of books a consistent structure instead of relying on memory or a spreadsheet you stopped maintaining.

Shop used bookstores and sales

Have your collection with you when a bookstore, library sale, estate sale, or thrift-store find makes you wonder what is already at home.

Keep special copies documented

Save photos and notes for signatures, inscriptions, alternate covers, and other details that are easy to forget later.

Know what you actually own

Keep owned books separate from memory, screenshots, notes, and wish-list ideas scattered across other places.

Built around ownership

Catalog the books themselves.

Catalist is for keeping a record of the copies you own. It does not need to become a reading challenge, review feed, or social profile to make your library useful.

Catalist Inventory showing books alongside items from other collections

More than books

Your library can live with the rest.

Your books do not have to live in one specialist app while vinyl, board games, tools, home inventory, and other collections live somewhere else.

Keep them together in Catalist while each collection keeps the organization that makes sense for it.

Explore what you can catalog

Simple pricing

Two plans. One complete Catalist experience.

Start free or go Pro. Use the same Catalist account for your books and every other collection you want to keep together.

Catalist Free

$0

Catalog up to 75 items across 2 collections.

  • 2 collections
  • Up to 75 items
  • Add and organize your catalog
Get started free

Catalist Pro Monthly

$4.99 per month

Catalog unlimited items across unlimited collections.

  • Everything in Free
  • Unlimited collections and items
  • Photos and useful item links
  • Purchase dates and estimated values
  • Notes and ownership details
  • Model and serial numbers
Choose monthly
Best value · 2 months free

Catalist Pro Annual

$49.99 per year

Get the same unlimited Pro plan and save with annual billing.

  • Everything in Free
  • Unlimited collections and items
  • Photos and useful item links
  • Purchase dates and estimated values
  • Notes and ownership details
  • Model and serial numbers
Choose annual

Start free with 2 collections and up to 75 items. Go Pro for unlimited collections and items.

Questions, answered

The practical details.

What to know about using Catalist as a book collection app.

What is a book collection app?

A book collection app gives you a digital record of the books you own, with identifying details, covers, categories, purchase information, notes, condition, photos, and other context you want to keep with each copy.

Can I scan books into Catalist?

Yes. Catalist supports ISBN barcode scanning for books. Confirm the returned match before saving it to your collection.

What happens if a book does not scan?

You can add the book manually. A lookup miss should not prevent you from keeping the book in your collection.

Can I catalog older books without barcodes?

Yes. Add them manually and keep the details you know.

Can I organize books by genre or subject?

Yes. Use categories that fit your library, such as Fiction, Design, History, Biography, Reference, or your own system.

Can I keep multiple editions of the same book?

Yes. Each copy can have its own item record, photos, ISBN when available, condition, purchase details, value, and notes.

Can I add photos of signatures or special details?

Yes. Add item photos for signatures, inscriptions, alternate covers, condition, or other details you want to preserve with the record.

Is Catalist a reading tracker?

Catalist is centered on the books you own rather than reading streaks, reviews, or a social reading feed.

Is my book collection public?

No. Catalist is private by default.

Can I use Catalist for books and other collections together?

Yes. Books can live beside vinyl, board games, tools, home inventory, technology, and other collections in the same account.

Know what’s on your shelves.

Give your book collection a place you can actually take with you.

Private by default · One catalog · Everything you own

Catalist book record with a cover and useful ownership details